Apimela schuelkei, Assing, 2006

Assing, V., 2006, Six new species of micropterous Atheta and Apimela from northern Yunnan, China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 38 (2), pp. 1143-1156 : 1143-1156

Apimela schuelkei nov.sp. ( Figs 59-70 )

Holotype Ƌ: China: N-Yunnan [C2005-12A], Nujiang Lisu Aut. Pref., Gongshan Co., Gaoligong Shan , 2500 m, 27°45.404'N, 98°35.749'E / litter and debries [sic] around snow sifted, 21.VI.2005, M. Schülke / Holotypus Ƌ Apimela schuelkei sp. n. det. V. Assing 2006 (cAss). Paratypes: 2ƋƋ: same data as holotype (cSch, cAss) ; 1Ƌ, 1♀: China: N-Yunnan [C2005-13], Nujiang Lisu Aut. Pref., Gongshan Co., Gaoligong Shan , above "ranger station" / 27°47.65'N, 98°35.41'E, 2000 m, broadleaved forest remnant, litter & moss sifted, 19.VI.2005, M. Schülke (cSch) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: 2.2-2.9 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 59 . Coloration: body rufous, with the head sometimes slightly darker; legs yellowish; antennae rufous with the basal 3 antennomeres paler.

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Head approximately as wide as long ( Fig. 60 ); eyes moderately large ( Fig. 61 ), weakly protruding from lateral outline of head; postocular region approximately 1.5 times as long as eyes in dorsal view; integument with shallow microsculpture and somewhat shiny; puncturation dense and fine. Antenna distinctly incrassate apically ( Fig. 62 ); antennomere III somewhat shorter than II; IV transverse; V-X of increasing width and increasingly transverse; X approximately twice as wide as long.

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Pronotum about 1.15 times as wide as long and 1.15-1.20 times as wide as head ( Fig. 60 ); maximal width in anterior half; posterior angles marked, obtuse; pubescence of midline directed caudad; microsculpture and puncturation similar to those of head.

Elytra approximately 1.15 times as wide and at suture about 0.8 times as long as pronotum ( Fig. 60 ); puncturation even denser and finer than that of head and pronotum. Hind wings reduced, only slightly longer than elytra. Metatarsomere I somewhat longer than II, but distinctly shorter than the combined length of II and III.

Abdomen approximately as wide as elytra, maximal width at segment V ( Fig. 59 ); puncturation very fine, moderately dense on anterior and very sparse on posterior tergites; microsculpture present, but shallow; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

Ƌ: posterior margin of tergite VIII truncate ( Fig. 63 ); posterior margin of sternite VIII distinctly pointed ( Fig. 64 ); median lobe of aedeagus as in Figs 67-69 .

♀: posterior margin of tergite VIII weakly concave ( Fig. 65 ), that of sternite VIII convex ( Fig. 66 ); spermatheca as in Fig. 70.

E t y m o l o g y: The species is dedicated to Michael Schülke, who collected all of the material treated in the present paper.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: From the other Apimela species known to occur in China – A. chinensis PACE , A. consors PACE , A. lineola (KRAATZ) , and A. rufigaster PACE – the new species is distinguished by the short wings, by the morphology of the aedeagus, as well as by the shape of the spermatheca. For illustrations of the habitus and genitalia of A. chinensis and A. rufigaster see PACE (1999b), for those of A. lineola and A. consors see PACE (1992a) and PACE (1992b), respectively.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The localities are situated in the Gaoligong Shan, northern Yunnan. The specimens were collected by sifting flood debris on a snowfield, as well as moss and leaf litter at altitudes of 2000 and 2500 m. The locality where most of the specimens were found is illustrated in ASSING (in press: Fig. 40 ).

Figures

Figs 59-70: Apimela schuelkei: (59) habitus; (60) forebody; (61) head in lateral view; (62) antenna; (63) Ƌ tergite VIII; (64) Ƌ sternite VIII; (65) ♀ tergite VIII; (66) ♀ sternite VIII; (67-68) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (69) apical part of median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (70) spermatheca. Scale bars: 59: 1.0 mm; 60: 0.5 mm; 61-66: 0.2 mm; 67-70: 0.1 mm.

Figs 37-48: Atheta detruncata (37-44) and A. dimorpha (45-48): (37) ♀ habitus; (38) ♀ forebody; (39) head in lateral view; (40) antenna; (41, 47) ♀ tergite VIII; (42, 48) ♀ sternite VIII; (43) posterior margin of ♀ sternite VIII; (44) spermatheca; (45) Ƌ tergite VIII; (46) Ƌ sternite VIII. Scale bars: 37: 1.0 mm; 38: 0.5 mm; 39-42, 45-48: 0.2 mm; 43-44: 0.1 mm.