Scaphisoma sublimbatum Löbl, 1977

Löbl, Ivan, 2022, Supplement to the knowledge of the Scaphidiinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) of the Moluccas, Revue suisse de Zoologie 129 (1), pp. 103-118 : 112

Scaphisoma sublimbatum Löbl, 1977

Scaphisoma sublimbatum Löbl, 1977: 57 .

Material examined: MHNG; 2 males; MALUK: Aru Isl. , Wokam, 5 km E. Mt. Sungai, 22.VIII.1981, D. Agosti, F91936 .

Redescription: Length 1.53-1.75 mm, width 1.02- 1.22 mm. Head, thorax and most abdomen dark brown, apex of abdomen yellowish. Elytra on adsutural area, along basal and lateral margins, and on transverse stripe in middle as dark as pronotum, in apical sixth to fifth light brown, each with two large, irregular, transverse yellowish spots. Anterior spots extending to middle third of elytral length, posterior spot starting about at level of apical third of elytral length. Femora light brown, tibiae, tarsi and antennae yellowish. Length/ width ratios of antennomeres as: III 12/10: IV 27/8: V 50/9: VI 50/9: VII 57/16: VIII 38/10: IX 53/14: X 53/15: XI 60/14. Pronotum not microsculptured, with lateral margins strongly, evenly rounded, lateral margin carinae throughout visible in dorsal view, lateral margin carinae impunctate, discal punctation fine, sparse, most puncture intervals about 2 to 4 times as large as puncture diameters, punctures shallow, not well delimited, visible at 30 times magnification. Exposed point of scutellum minute. Elytra not microsculptured, with lateral margins evenly rounded, lateral margin carinae exposed in dorsal view, lateral margin striae impunctate, apical margins truncate, inner apical angles not prominent, situated in level with outer apical angles, marginal crenulation very fine, distinct, sutural striae deep, bent at bases and extending laterally to form basal striae reaching outer half of basal width, widely separated from lateral striae, sutural striae parallel, impunctate, adsutural areas flat, each with single, very fine and sparse puncture row, discal punctures irregular, fairly fine and dense, coarser than pronotal or adsutural punctures, not forming rows, puncture intervals mostly distinctly larger than puncture diameters. Hind wings fully developed. Hypomera not microsculptured, impunctate. Mesepimon about 4 times as long as wide and somewhat shorter than interval to mesocoxa. Metaventrite not microsculptured. Median part of metaventrite convex between mesocoxae, flattened apically, with three fovea-like apical impressions, middle impression larger and situated slightly anterior lateral impressions, often joint to short mesal stria; punctation indistinct, sparse and extremely fine on centre and on lateral areas of metaventrite. Lateral parts of metaventrite lacking antecoxal puncture rows. Submesocoxal area 0.02 mm long, about as sixth of shortest interval to metacoxa. Submesocoxal line parallel, densely and coarsely punctate, punctures extended laterally along anterior margin of metaventrite. Metanepisterna slightly convex, impressed along nearly straight suture, narrowed anteriad. Tibiae straight. Abdomen not microsculptured, with hardly visible punctation (at 100 times magnification). Ventrite I with submetacoxal area extremely narrow, about 0.01- 0.02 mm long, narrowed mesally and as fifteens of interval to apical margin of ventrite; marginal punctures coarse.

Male characters: Protarsomeres I to III and mesotarsomeres I and II strongly widened, basal tarsomeres nearly as wide as apices of tibiae. Apical margin of ventrite VI trilobed, mesal lobe triangular, about 0.10 mm long, lateral lobes shorter and rounded.

Habitat: Secondary/primary forest on limestone, leaf litter on rather dry soil, understory Pandanus .

Distribution: Australia: Queensland; Indonesia: Moluccas, Aru Islands.

Remarks: This species is a member of the S. unifasciatum group defined in Löbl, 1977. In addition to S. sublimbatum , the group includes four New Guinean species: S. audax Löbl, 1975 , S. quadripunctatum (Pic, 1956) , S. unifasciatum Pic, 1956 , and S. unimaculatum Löbl, 1975 . An additional species is described below. The original description of the external features S. sublimbatum was brief and limited to comparation to the similar S. audax . Therefore, it is supplement.