Leptotyphlus nardii, 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 : 324-325

Leptotyphlus nardii sp. nov.

( Figs 16, 18–20)

Diagnosis. A Leptotyphlus Fauvel, 1874 of medium size, with rather poor punctuation and superficial microreticulation. Differs from its congeners by the characters of the copulatory organ, but is undoubtedly akin to Leptotyphlus s. str. species of the L. sardous Coiffait, 1955 a-group (sensu Pace 1996) and to some peninsular taxa of the L. lessinicus Pace, 1973 -group, belonging to subgenus Stigmotyphlus Coiffait, 1955b .

Type locality. SW Sardinia, Carbonia-Iglesias prov., Iglesias, Nebida .

Type series. Holotype ♂: “SW Sardinia, Iglesias (Carbonia-Iglesias), Nebida , 120 m, 25.I.1987, leg. L. Fancello & P. Leo ” ( MSNG) . Paratypes: Carbonia ( Carbonia-Iglesias prov. ), Barbusi , 130 m, 11.XI.1986, leg. L. Fancello & P. Leo, 2 ♂♂ and 2 ♀ ( CLF-PL). Domusnovas (Carbonia-Iglesias prov.), Gutturu di Monte Nieddu, 290 m, 12.I.1990, leg. L. Fancello & P. Leo, 1 ♂ and 1 ♀ ( CLF-PL); 13.IV.1990, leg. L. Fancello & P. Leo, 2 ♂♂ and 11 ♀ (1 ♀ CCH, 2 ♂♂ and 9 ♀ CLF-PL, 1 ♀ CNBFVR) . Iglesias (Carbonia-Iglesias prov.), Nebida, 120 m, 25.I.1987, leg. L. Fancello & P. Leo, 2 ♂♂ and 3 ♀ (2 ♂♂ and 2 ♀ CLF-PL, 1 ♀ MSNG) .

Description. Total length 1.10–1.20 mm. Body of pale testaceous colour, clearly shiny, with superficial microsculpture on all integuments. Head slightly wider than pronotum, with moderately rounded sides and only slightly outlined frontal carinas; punctuation poor; labrum ( Fig. 18) with three weakly developed median teeth; mandibles ( Fig. 19) bifid with robust retinaculum and premolar tooth; antennae relatively short, just longer than head. Pronotum slightly longer than wide, with two longitudinal superficial grooves, slightly converging anteriorly; punctuation minute and sparser than on head. Elytral punctuation imperceptible. Convexity of abdominal tergites normal. Aedeagus as in Fig. 16, lying on the left side of the abdomen, with a robust and arched dorsal copulatory piece; sternal lamina distally divided into two branches; tip of ventral branch in lateral view with a distinct downturned lobiform appendix. Female genital armature asymmetrical, structured as in Fig. 20.

Observations. As hinted in the diagnosis, the phyletic relationships of the new species seem complex. This forced us to describe the new species and the following two without subgeneric assignment. Besides, the subdivision of Leptotyphlus is still debated: Herman (2001) considers all described subgenera simply as synonyms of Leptotyphlus , whereas Smetana (2004 a, 2004b) continues to follow the classic arrangement of the genus proposed by Coiffait (1972) and Pace (1996). In our opinion the characters proposed by Coiffait (1972) and Pace (1996) sometimes cause the placement of clearly allied species within separate subgenera, like in the emblematic case of the new species described above. Leptotyphlus nardii sp. nov. should indeed be ascribed to subgenus Stigmotyphlus for the asymmetrical female genital armature and for the aedeagus with a large coil-shaped dorsal copulatory piece; however, from further examination it appears that L. nardii sp. nov. is clearly related to some peninsular species of Stigmotyphlus of the L. lessinicus -group ( L. molisensis Pace, 1977 and L. campanus Pace, 1977 , extremely similar with regard to all structures of the copulatory organ: cf. Pace 1977, figs 190–191), and to Sardo-Corsican species of Leptotyphlus s. str. of the L. sardous -group, also with a coil-shaped dorsal copulatory piece (cf. Pace 1996, figs 163–165).

Ecological notes. The species was collected by washing soil in both Mediterranean maquis with Pistacia lentiscus dominance and Quercus ilex woodland. Collecting sites are situated on Palaeozoic limestone soils. The following endogean beetles were collected together with the new species: Batysciola damryi (Leiodidae) , Langelandia reitteri (Zopheridae) , Torneuma sp. (Curculionidae) , Alaocyba carinulata , Raymondiellus sardous sardous (Raymondionymidae) .

Etymology. It is our pleasure to dedicate this species to our friend Gianluca Nardi (CNBFVR).