Entomoculia (Entomoculia) shardana, Fancello & Hernando & Leo, 2009

Fancello, Luca, Hernando, Carles & Leo, Piero, 2009, The endogean beetle fauna of the Marganai-Oridda-Valle del Leni area (SW Sardinia), with description of seven new species of Staphylinidae Leptotyphlinae (Coleoptera) *, Zootaxa 2318, pp. 317-338 : 323

Entomoculia (Entomoculia) shardana sp. nov.

( Figs 8, 14)

Diagnosis. An Entomoculia ascribable to the nominal subgenus for its robust build, the presence of chitinized thickenings on the male genital segment and for the characters of the male and female genitalia; welldifferentiated from its congeners by the conformation of the aedeagus and female copulatory plates.

Type locality. SW Sardinia, Medio Campidano prov., Villacidro , historical city centre .

Type series. Holotype ♂: “SW Sardinia, Villacidro ( Medio Campidano ), paese [= in town], 260 m, 9.XII.1989, leg. P. Leo ” ( MSNG) . Paratypes: Villacidro (Medio Campidano prov.), paese, 260 m, 10.XI.1985, leg. P. Leo, 2 ♂♂ and 1 ♀ ( CLF-PL); 1.I.1986, leg. P. Leo, 4 ♂♂ and 5 ♀ (1 ♀ CCH, 3 ♂♂ and 3 ♀ CLF- PL, 1 ♂ CNBFVR, 1 ♀, MSNG) ; 27.IV.1986, leg. P. Leo, 1 ♀ ( CLF-PL); 15.III.1987, leg. P. Leo, 1 ♀ (CLF- PL).

Description. Total length 1.10–1.15 mm. Head subparallel-sided, with prominent frontal carinas slightly diverging posteriorly; microreticulation obvious and punctuation strong and sparse. Pronotum about as long as wide, with obvious microreticulation a bit weaker than on head; punctuation strong and sparse, except for a narrow median line on disc which appears as shiny, free of punctuation and microreticulation; median longitudinal dimples present. Elytra shiny with imperceptible microsculpture and scattered punctuation. Aedeagus as in Fig. 8 with sternal lamina, in lateral view, short, robust and tapering; left paramere robust, bent at a right angle. Female genital armature complex, structured as in Fig. 14.

Observations. Entomoculia shardana sp. nov. is clearly separable from all congeners by the genital characters of both sexes.

Ecological notes. This species was collected in an abandoned orchard garden of the historical centre of the small town of Villacidro, in soil samples taken at the base of a Ficus carica . The sampling locality is situated on Palaeozoic granitic soil. The following endogean beetles were collected in association with the new species: Bathysciola damryi (Leiodidae) , Eudesis aglena Reitter, 1882 , Leptotyphlus villacidrinus sp. nov., L. minator sp. nov. ( Staphylinidae ).

Etymology. This new species is named after the mythical Shardana warriors from Nuragic times.