Mendaxinus oblitus Gildenkov, 2022

Gildenkov, M. Yu., 2022, New species of the genus Mendaxinus Gildenkov, 2004 from India (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae), Russian Entomological Journal 31 (4), pp. 390-391 : 390-391

Mendaxinus oblitus Gildenkov , sp.n.

Figs 1–3 .

MATERIAL. Holotype, ♂, India, West Bengal, with labels: “ INDIA W Bengal Darjeeling distr. Mahanadi 1200m 19.X. | Besuchet–Löbl 78” ( MHNG). Paratypes: 5♀♀, 1 ex. (without abdomen) “ INDIA W Bengal Darjeeling distr. Mahanadi 1200m 19.X. | Besuchet–Löbl 78” ( MHNG; 2♀♀ — cMG) .

DESCRIPTION (holotype). Length 1.8 mm. Body completely brown; anterior margin of frons black. Body with short, light-coloured setation.

Head transverse, with wide base, ratio of its length (from posterior margin of head to anterior margin of clypeus) to maximum width about 18:25. Neck constriction prominent. Eyes small, temples well-developed, round, eye diameter in dorsal view about 2.5 times as small as temple length. Head widest across temples. Head surface with very delicate, fine and dense punctation, punctures are barely visible giving smoothly shagreened effect. Antennae short, antennal segments 1–3 elongate; segments 4–10 transverse; segment 11 elongate, conical. Pronotum maximum broad after about 2/3 of length from base. Lateral margins slightly notched at base, then broadly rounded. Length of pronotum related to its maximum broad approximately as 19:24. Surface of pronotum with very delicate, fine and dense punctation, punctures are barely visible giving smoothly shagreened effect. Pronotal disc without pronounced impressions ( Fig. 1 ).

Length of elytra related to their combined width approximately as 31:36. Elytra with very delicate, fine and dense punctation, punctures are barely visible giving smoothly shagreened effect.

How to cite this article: Gildenkov M.Yu. 2022. New species of the genus Mendaxinus Gildenkov, 2004 from

Abdomen delicately shagreened.

Aedeagus of characteristic structure ( Fig. 2 ).

Female. Sexual dimorphism absent, female morphologically similar to male. Spermatheca of characteristic structure ( Fig. 3 ).

COMPARATIVE REMARKS. Given the great similarity between many species of Mendaxinus in colouration and body proportions, the new species can be clearly distinguished only by the structure of aedeagus and spermatheca ( Figs 2–3 ).

DISTRIBUTION. India, West Bengal.

ETYMOLOGY. From the Latin “ oblitus es ” — “forgotten”, the name is given because the material has not been studied for a long time.

Acknowledgements. The author is grateful to his colleagues, Giulio Cuccodoro ( MHNG, Geneva ) for providing material for study. I also thank Kirill Makarov for help in providing photograph of habitus of the new species (Moscow Pedagogical State University, Russia) .

Figures

Figs 1–3. Mendaxinus oblitus sp.n.: 1 — holotype, male, dorsal view; 2 — aedeagus, lateral view; 3 — spermatheca (paratype).Scale bar: 0.25 mm. Рис. 1–3. Mendaxinus oblitus sp.n.: 1 — голотип, самец, сверху; 2 — Эдеагус, сбоку; 3 — сперматека (паратип). МасШтаб: 0.25 mm.