Ocypus (Pseudocypus) itys, Published, 2007

Published, First, 2007, Contributions to the knowledge of the “ Staphylinus-complex ” (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini) of China. Part XX. The genus Ocypus Leach, 1819, subgenus Pseudocypus Mulsant & Rey, 1876. Section 1, Zootaxa 1421, pp. 1-72 : 34-35

Ocypus (Pseudocypus) itys sp. nov.

( Figs. 127–133)

Type material. Holotype (male) and allotype (female): CHINA: Sichuan: “CHINA: Sichuan Maoxian , 40 km N Wenchuan, 1800 m, 10.–13.VIII.2002 S. Murzin & I. Shokhin ” . Holotype in MSC, allotype in ASC.

Paratypes: CHINA: Sichuan: same datas as holotype, 6 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀ ( ASC, MSC); 20 km NW Maowen, Jiuding Shan , 2150 m, coniferous wood, 7–28.VI.2004, leg. R. Fabbri, 2 ♀♀ ( ASC, MSC) .

Diagnosis. Medium-sized, entirely black species with uniformly black pubescence over entire body, with dark, piceous-black legs, and with a unique, quite characteristic shape of the aedoeagus and tergite 10 of the female genital segment.

Description. Entirely black, rather dull; maxillary and labial palpi brunneous to dark brunneous, antennae piceous, becoming gradually paler toward apex; legs piceous-black with paler dorsal faces of front tibiae and front tarsi; pubescence of dorsal side of body uniformly piceous-black. Head of rounded quadrangular shape, wider than long (ratio 1.30), temples behind eyes slightly, arcutely dilated before narrowed toward neck; eyes small and rather flat, tempora considerably longer than eyes from above (ratio 1.85), dorsal surface of head densely, finely punctate and pubescent, interspaces between punctures on disc about as large as diameters of punctures, punctation gradually becoming denser toward posterior and lateral margins; impunctate midline absent; interspaces between punctures with relatively coarse meshed microsculpture. Gular sutures contiguous in midsection; postgenae moderately densely punctate, interspaces between punctures near gular sutures about as large as diameters of punctures. Dorsal side of neck with punctation similar to that on head. Antenna moderately long, segment 3 slightly longer than segment 2 (ratio 1.20), segments 4 to 7 longer than wide, becoming gradually shorter, outer segments about as long as wide, last segment shorter than two preceding segments combined. Pronotum vaguely longer than wide (ratio 1.13), almost parallelsided, narrow marginal groove disappearing downwards at about anterior third of pronotal length; disc with distinct impunctate midline present along entire pronotal length; punctation on disc about same as that on head, pubescence and microsculpture on interspaces between punctures similar to that on head. Pronotal hypomeron moderately microsetose. Scutellum densely punctate and setose, surface with very fine, rudimentary submeshed microsculpture. Elytra short, slightly depressed at base, hardly dilated posteriad, at suture considerably (ratio 0. 55), at sides distinctly (ratio 0.69) shorter than pronotum at midline; punctation fine and dense, difficult to observe among dense granulose microsculpture. Wings each reduced to minute, nonfunctional stump. Abdomen with fifth visible tergite lacking pale apical seam of palisade setae; tergite 2 (in front of first visible tergite) entirely, very densely and finely punctate and pubescent; all tergites evenly, very finely and densely punctate, punctation gradually becoming slightly sparser toward apex of abdomen; interspaces with very fine, dense microsculpture of irregular, short striae.

Male. Sternite 8 with moderately wide and deep, obtusely triangular medioapical emargination. Genital segment with sternite 9 oval, with long basal portion, apical portion with apex minutely emarginate ( Fig. 127). Tergite 10 only slightly narrowed toward widely arcuate apex, with long setae only at apical margin, otherwise rather sparingly setose, apical portion strongly sclerotized ( Fig. 128). Aedoeagus large, shaped as in Figs. 129–132, with quite characteristically shaped paramere; median lobe to great extent parallelsided, anteriorly dilated into slightly asymmetrical apical portion with subacute apex ( Fig. 130); paramere large and long, situated on median lobe asymmetrically, of quite characteristic shape ( Figs. 129, 131, 132), with distinct, arcuate carina on face away from median lobe ( Fig. 129), apex of paramere not reaching apex of median lobe, right lateral margin curled mediad; sensory peg setae on underside of paramere situated as in Fig. 132, missing on curled right lateral portion; apical setae relatively long, situated as in Fig. 132.

Female. Genital segment with tergite 10 large, of quite characteristic shape, apical portion strongly sclerotized ( Fig. 133).

Length 15.0–18.0 mm.

Bionomics. The specimens of the original series were taken from pitfall traps, but nothing is known about the habitat the traps were set in.

Geographical distribution. Ocypus itys is at present known only from the type locality in Sichuan .

Recognition and comments. Ocypus itys resembles in general habitus, particularly in the shape of the head, O. dolon . However, the two species differ by the entirely differently shaped aedoeagi ( Figs. 117, 129) and by the shapes of tergites 10 of the female genital segment ( Figs. 121, 133). In addition, they are geographically separated, since O. dolon is known only from Daba Shan in Shaanxi and it may be endemic to this mountain range.

The specimens of the original series were apparently exposed to the fluids in the pitfall traps too long, which resulted, among other things, in the fine setation on sclerites of both the male and female genital segments almost entirely missing in most specimens. For the same reason many paratypes are missing parts, or entire appendages.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the name of Itys, Ityos, m, the son of Tereus and Pragne. He was killed by his mother and served to his father as food.