Oedichirus tomaculiformis, Rougemont, 2018

Rougemont, Guillaume de, 2018, New Papuan Oedichirus (Staphylinidae, Paederinae, Pinophilini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 435-446 : 442

Oedichirus tomaculiformis nov.sp. (Figs 9)

♀ Holotype: PAPUA NG: Morobe, Biaru Rd. Mt Saredomo, 2450m, 09.VI.1992, G. Cuccodoro # 20B ♀ HOLOTYPE Oedichirus tomaculiformis des. 2017 G. de Rougemont [ MHNG] .

D e s c r i p t i o n: length: 12.7 mm; length of fore-body: 4.2; length of head: 1.17; breadth of head: 1.35; length of antenna: 2.3; length of pronotum: 1.85; breadth of pronotum: 1.5; length of elytron: 1.5; breadth of elytra: 1.5. Head rufo-testaceous, pronotum and abdomen paler, dark testaceous, elytra testaceous, a little infuscate on their combined centre; palpi, antennae and legs pale testacous. Dorsal surfaces devoid of microsculpture, even at bases of abdominal tergites. Pubescence short, pale, erect, sparse, denser on abdominal segments VII-VIII. Habitus: Fig. 9h.

Head only moderately transverse; post-ocular border clearly visible in dorsal view, the furrow narrow, the carina not forming an angle behind eyes; temples evenly rounded from eye to broad neck; puncturation sparse, the punctures much smaller than those of pronotum. Pronotum broadest just behind anterior angles, the sides gently rounded to posterior angles; lateral border obsolescent in posterior half; puncturation consisting of a pair of discal series of 6-7 punctures extending almost to anterior margin, some scattered lateral punctures, and smaller punctures along lateral margins. Micropterous, elytra small, humeral angles completely obsolete, broadest at posterior third; surface depressed, concave in lateral view; punctures about as large as those of pronotum, sparse, especially on sides, not arranged in discernible series. Punctures of abdominal tergites disposed randomly and irregularly, becoming denser posteriad, and denser and finer on segments VII-VII; bases of tergites devoid of the usual row of keels and grooves.

Female: abdominal sternite IX: Fig. 9vp.

This is the largest species of Oedichirus seen so far from New Guinea, surpassing even O. magnus LAST (10 mm) from which it also differs in colour (the type of the new species may be teneral, but the uneven coloration indicates that fully mature specimens are surely not uniformly black), the less numerous punctures of the pronotal discal series, depressed elytra with more numerous punctures, and absence of microsculpture on the bases of abdominal tergites together with its size and coloration, and the conformation of the female ninth sternite make it sufficiently distinct from others to warrant publication of its description even in the absence of males.