Stenus scoupyi, Feldmann, 2020

Feldmann, Benedikt, 2020, A new species of Stenus from Syria and additional records of the genus from the Middle East (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Steninae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 52 (1), pp. 245-251 : 246-247

Stenus scoupyi nov.sp. ( Figs 1-6 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype ♂: "Syr. 25.5.2002 Slunfeh, Jabal al Musaryah [35°35’04’’ N, 36°13’06’’ E], Scoupý leg. / Stenus aequus Puthz , det V. Puthz 2007 / coll. Puthz / Holotypus ♂ Stenus scoupyi sp.n. det. B. Feldmann 2020" (SMNS). Paratypes: 3 ♂♂ (1 ♂ with lost aedeagus), 3 ♀♀: same data as holotype (cSco, cFel).

E t y m o l o g y: This species is dedicated to Vladimir Scoupý, who collected the type series.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 3.25-3.65 mm; length of forebody 1.5-1.7 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . In external appearance very similar to S. nurdaghensis .

Head 1.27-1.34 times as wide as pronotum; with distinct lateral furrows, median elevation relatively flat; laterally with coarse and dense, median elevation with distinctly sparser punctation; interstices shining, without microsculpture.

Pronotum 0.95-1.09 times as wide as long, without impression along midline; punctation coarse and dense; microsculpture absent.

Elytra 1.21-1.30 times as wide and 0.87-0.94 times as long as pronotum, distinctly dilated posteriad; humeral angles almost obsolete; with more or less pronounced impressions near postero-lateral angles; punctation similar to that of pronotum; interstices without microsculpture.

Abdomen with relatively broad paratergites; punctation relatively dense and coarse; microsculpture on tergite III and IV more or less shallow, posterior tergites with distinct microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe.

♂: sternite VIII posteriorly with relatively small U-shaped posterior emargination; sternite IX as in Fig. 4 ; aedeagus ( Figs 2-3 ) about 0.48 mm long, with relatively pronounced apicolateral angle.

♀: valvifer and spermatheca as in Figs 5-6.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Based on the similar external characters and on the similar general morphology of the aedeagus, Stenus scoupyi is closely allied to the geographically close S. cilicianus , S. nurdaghensis , S. aequus , and S. biblicus .

A reliable identification of these species is often possible only based on the male primary sexual characters, owing to the pronounced intra- combined with little interspecific variation of external characters (punctation, microsculpture). Based on external characters, the new species is distinguished as follows:

from S. cilicianus by denser punctation and microsculpture, and consequently less shine of the abdominal tergites;

from S. aequus by the lack of microsculpture on the pronotum and elytra (distinct to very weak in S. aequus );

from S. biblicus by distinctly finer and denser punctation, and more distinctly microsculptured abdominal tergites.

External characters distinguishing the new species from S. nurdaghensis were not found.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: Stenus scoupyi was collected near Slunfeh in West Syria. The specimens were sifted from litter in a forest on limestone at altitudes of approximately 1450 m (V. Scoupý pers. comm.).

Figures

Figs 1-8: Stenus scoupyi (1-6) and S. aequus (7-8): (1) habitus; (2-3, 7-8) aedeagus in dorsal view; (4) male sternite IX; (5) valvifer; (6) spermatheca. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2-8: 0.1 mm.