Baeocera notata, Löbl, 2022

Löbl, Ivan, 2022, Supplement to the knowledge of the Scaphidiinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) of the Moluccas, Revue suisse de Zoologie 129 (1), pp. 103-118 : 106-107

Baeocera notata sp. nov.

Figs 7-10

Materiel examined: Holotype; MHNG; male; MALUC: Aru Isls : Kola Isl. : Watan , 27.8.81, D. Agosti F91936 .

Paratype; MHNG; 1 female; MALUC: Aru Isl. , Wokam , 22.8.81, D. Agosti F911970 .

Etymology: The species epithet is a Latin adjective referring to the pronotum.

Diagnosis: The species is defined by the following characters in combination: Body-length about 1.35- 1.45 mm, body dark brown; pronotum coarsely and densely punctate, with many punctures larger than puncture intervals; lateral margins of pronotum and elytra separately arcuate; elytron entirely coarsely punctate, with sutural stria shortened, lacking basal stria; hypomeron and mesanepisternum distinctly punctate; metaventrite and ventrite I coarsely punctate; ventrite I without basal striae or wrinkles; aedeagus symmetrical, with apical process narrowed apically, bent near tip in lateral view, apical halves of parameres bent and bearing subapical membranous lobe (dorsal view), widened posterior of basal third in lateral view, internal sac with complex sclerites as in Fig. 9 , lacking membranous scale or denticle-like structures.

Description: Length 1.36-1.43 mm, width 0.90- 1.0 mm. Head and body dark brown, femora and tibiae lighter, reddish-brown, tarsi and antennae yellowish. Head with interocular distance slightly smaller than dorsoventral eye diameter. Antennomere II slightly longer than antennomere III. Length/width ratios of antennomeres as: III 28/7: IV 27/7: V 37/7: VI 35/7: VII 39/12: VIII 38/10: IX 39/12: X 37/14: XI 48/14. Pronotum and elytra separately arcuate. Pronotum not microsculptured, pronotal punctation conspicuously coarse and dense, distinct at 15 times magnification, consisting of sharply delimited punctures to part larger than puncture intervals; lateral carinae of pronotum hardly visible in dorsal view, bearing punctures very dense, larger than puncture intervals. Point of scutellum exposed. Elytra covering tip of abdomen, weakly narrowed apically, with lateral margins evenly, weakly rounded; adsutural area flat and narrow; sutural stria punctate, shortened, starting about 0.20 mm posterior of tip of scutellum; basal stria absent; lateral stria punctate. Elytral disc not microsculptured; punctation all over coarse and dense, punctures larger than those on pronotum but not as well delimited, puncture intervals mostly about as puncture diameters or slightly larger. Hind wings fully developed. Hypomeron not microsculptured, conspicuously punctate, with punctures about as large as pronotal punctures. Mesoventrite punctate, without median ridge, fused with metaventral process. Mesanepisternum conspicuously punctate, punctures similar to those on hypomeron. Mesepimeron impunctate, about four times as long as wide and three times as long as interval to coxa. Metaventrite flattened in middle, all over coarsely and densely punctate, smooth narrow apical band excepted; punctures on lateral part of metaventrite well delimited, to part as large or larger than puncture intervals. Submesocoxal lines slightly convex, with marginal punctures smaller than punctures on lateral area of metaventrite and somewhat extended laterally along margin of metaventrite. Submesocoxal areas about 0.03 mm long, as third of shortest interval to metacoxae. Metanepisternum flat, fused with metaventrite, its margin indicated by outer puncture row of metaventrite. Tibiae straight. Abdomen not microsculptured. Ventrite I densely and coarsely punctate, punctures smaller than those on lateral area of metaventrite, basal punctures not enlarged and not elongate, basal striae or wrinkles absent. Following ventrites finely punctate.

Male characters: Protarsomeres I to III slightly widened. Aedeagus ( Figs 7-10 ) 0.37 mm long, weakly sclerotized, symmetrical.Apical process gradually narrowed apically, with tip bent and acute in lateral view. Parameres straight in basal halves, bent in apical halves, each with weakly sclerotized subapical lobe (dorsal view), narrow near bases and nearly evenly broad in apical two thirds, with slightly concave ventral margins (lateral view). Internal sac with complex sclerites, as in Fig. 9 , with flagellar guide-sclerite widened apically, narrow accessory lateral sclerite present, lacking membranous scale- or denticlelike structures.

Habitat: Secondary/primary forest 5 km E of Mt. Sungai, shallow leaf litter, on limestone; understory with Pandanus .

Distribution: Indonesia: Moluccas, Aru Islands.

Remarks: The species is another member of the B. lenta group. It shares with the Moluccan B. kaibesara Löbl, 2014 and B. vicina Löbl, 2015 , and the Papuan B. praedicta Löbl, 2002 , elytra with shortened sutural striae. It may be readily distinguished from these three species by the hypomera and mesanepisterna conspicuously punctate. In addition, the shape of the parameres lobed subapically is diagnostic for this new species. Several species, such as the New Guinean B. fortepunctata Löbl, 2002 and the Philippine B. hypomeralis Löbl, 2012 also possess punctate hypomera but differs by the elytra having entire sutural striae and the impunctate or extremely finely punctate mesanepisterna. The Himalayan B. cribrata Löbl, 1992 , shares the pronotum coarsely punctate, distinctly punctate hypomera and mesanepisterna, and elytra with shortened sutural striae. It may be easily distinguished by the punctation on lateral parts of the pronotum much coarser than that on pronotal centre.

Figures

Figs 1-9. Baeocera humicola sp. nov. (1, 2) Aedeagus in dorsal and lateral views, scale bar = 0.1 mm. (3) Internal sac, scale bar = 0.05 mm. Figs 4-6. Baeocera incurva sp. nov. (4, 5) Aedeagus in dorsal and lateral views, scale bar = 0.1 mm. (6) Internal sac, scale bar = 0.05 mm. Figs 7-9. Baeocera notata sp. nov. (7) Aedeagus in dorsal view, scale bar = 0.1 mm. (8) Paramere in ventral view, scale = 0.05 mm. (9) Internal sac, scale = 0.05 mm.

Figs 10-18. Baeocera notata sp. nov. (10) Aedeagus in lateral view, scale bar = 0.1 mm. Figs 11-13. Baeocera paucivestis sp. nov. (11, 12) Aedeagus in dorsal and lateral views, scale bar = 0.1 mm. (13) Internal sac, scale bar = 0.05 mm. Figs 14-16. Baeocera punctigera sp. nov. (14, 15) Aedeagus in dorsal and lateral views, scale bar = 0.1 mm. (16) Internal sac, scale bar = 0.05 mm. Figs 17, 18. Baeocera punctiventris sp. nov. (17) Aedeagus in dorsal view, internal sac extruded, scale bar = 0.1 mm. (18) Paramere in dorsal view, scale bar = 0.05 mm.