Pseudolathra cuccodoroi, Rougemont, 2015

Rougemont, Guillaume de, 2015, New Oriental and Papuan Pseudolathra (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 47 (2), pp. 1785-1799 : 1786-1787

Pseudolathra cuccodoroi nov.sp.

( Figs 3 fb, 3 s7, 3 al, 3av)

Material examined: Holotype, 1 & 1 paratypes: PAPUA NG Morobe, Mt. Mission , Bitoi Rd , 1350 m, 22.V.1992, G. Cuccodoro # 68 [ MHNG]; 1 paratype: PNG. Morobe distr., Wau reg., Wau (Wau Ecology Institute), 1150 m, 17.v.1992, # 2c, G. Cuccodoro ex veget. debris on rocks in small gallery forest [ CRO]; 1 paratype: Nlle Guinée 8.XI.78, Wau 1500 m, N° 44, L. Deharveng [ MHNG]

Description: Length: 7.5 mm; length of fore-body: 4.3 mm. Head, and pronotum black, elytra reddish brown, abdomen dark brown (in one female the abdomen is black and the elytra somewhat infuscate posteriorly); mouthparts, antennae and legs brown. Fore-body: Fig. 3 fb. Head transverse (1 x 1.35 mm), the eyes larger than in preceding two species, much longer than temples; anterior margin with a pair of foveate punctures, 2 punctures on inner margins of eyes set closer together than in preceding species, 3-4 punctures near postero-lateral angles, the disc with a pair of large punctures some distance from inner margins of eyes (in the holotype the are two foveate depressions between these punctures, in all forming an arcuate transverse row of four). Pronotum slightly transverse (1.3 x 1.4 mm), the sides a little retracted posteriorly, the postero-lateral angles more broadly rounded than in the preceding two species; discal series of 5 small punctures, lateral series of 2-4 punctures. Elytra slightly elongate (1.5 x 1.4 mm), with only 2 discal series of 4-5 punctures, the interstriae with more or less serially aligned micro-punctures. Abdomen with sparse, fine, slightly asperate punctures, the interstices devoid of microsculpture.

Male: posterior margin of sternite VII ( Fig. 3s 7 ) with a very small shallow median emargination, the surface of sternite longitudinally impressed in front of emargination, the sides with a fringe of black bristles forming a comb of short teeth near emargination, the bristles becoming progressively longer and sparser laterally; finely bordered emargination of sternite VIII extending to about 6 /16 ths the length of sternite; aedoeagus: Figs 3 al, 3av.

This new member of the Nigerrima group differs from all other species known from New Guinea by its bicolorous body with brown elytra, in this respect resembling P. transversiceps ASSING from Thailand and P. borneensis ROUGEMONT.

Figures

Figs 3-4: Fore-body (fb), head (h), aedoeagus in lateral view (al), aedoeagus in ventral view (av), male sternite VII (s7), male sternite VIII of: 3: P. cuccodoroi; 4: P. duplopunctata Fig. 3: P. cuccodoroi 3fb 3al 3av Fig. 4: P. duplopunctata 4fb 4h 4al 4av

Figs 7-8: Fore-body (fb), aedoeagus in lateral view (al), aedoeagus in ventral view (av), male sternite VII (s7), male sternite VIII (s8) of: 7: P. ivani; 8: P. longicollis Fig. 7: P. ivani 7fb 7al 7av 7s7 Fig. 8: P. longicollis 8fb 8al 8av 8s8