Pseudastenus latus Busanello& Caron, 2020

Busanello, Dilson G. C., Irmler, Ulrich & Caron, Edilson, 2020, Revision of Pseudastenus Bernhauer, synonym with Xenasterides Newton and six new species (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Paederinae), Zootaxa 4755 (1), pp. 139-154 : 148-149

Pseudastenus latus Busanello& Caron , sp. nov.

Figs. 42 , 50

Material examined. Holotype. Male, dissected, deposited in FMNH, labels: (1) “VEN.: Barinas, 32 km /E E1 Canton, Rio /Caparo Res. Sta. S.,/ 3–5-II-1978,/seasonal forest, J./ B. Heppner ” [white label, printed in black]; (2) “At black/light” [white label, printed in black]; (3) “ HOLOTYPE / Pseudastenus latus Busanello & Caron /det. E. Caron, 2019” [red label/ printed in black].

Diagnosis. Pseudastenus latus differs from P. plaumanni by the dark brown coloration of the head (lighter brown to yellowish in P. plaumanni ) and mainly by the apical sclerites broader in the basal half ( Fig. 50 ).

Description. Body length: 3.20 mm. Coloration: head, pronotum and appendices yellowish brown, head slightly darker; coloration of basal elytra similar to head, apical half similar to pronotum; abdomen dark brown. Head 0.45 mm long, 0.52 mm wide; eyes slightly prominent; 0.30 times as long as total length of head; 0.86 times as long as postocular length; approximately parallel; posterior margin straight; depressed on central vertex in front of neck. Pronotum 0.45 mm long, 0.52 mm wide; widest close to anterior angles; anterior margin slightly curved; posterior margin straight; sides convergingposteriad. Elytra 0.64 mm long, 0.53 mm wide; conspicuously longer than pronotum; sides slightly convexly curved; widest in the middle; humeral angles rounded and obtuse, but conspicuously developed; hind wings developed; posterior angles nearly rectangular; posterior margin emarginate; suture 0.82 times as long as lateral side; microtuberculate punctation larger than on head and pronotum; with yellow pubescence pointing posteriad, longer than head and pronotum; posterior edge with fringe of sparse robust setae. Abdomen with dense punctation; with yellow pubescence pointing posteriad; pubescence conspicuously longer than on the rest of body. Aedeagus elongate; 0.61 mm long; 4.18 times as long as wide; sides parallel for almost the entire length, without grooves on internal sac and apical sclerites enlarged in the basal half, 0.11 mm long ( Fig. 50 ).

Etymology. The specific name derives from the Latin word “latus” meaning broad and refers to the shape of apical sclerites of the aedeagus.

Geographical records. Pseudastenus latus is known from the southeast of the state of Barinas ( Venezuela).

Biological notes. No information on labels.

Figures

FIGURES 40–45. Dorsal view. 40. Pseudastenus ribeirocostae sp. nov.; 41. P. ferrugineus sp. nov.; 42. P. latus sp. nov.; 43. P. oculatus sp. nov.; 44. P. amazonicus sp. nov.; 45. P. schubarti sp. nov. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURES 48–54. Aedeagus of Pseudastenus, dorsal and lateral view, respectively, figures 51–54 including microscopic detail of basal slerites. 48. P. ribeirocostae sp. nov.; 49. P. ferrugineus sp. nov.; 50. P. latus sp. nov.; 51. P. barretoi; 52. P. oculatus sp. nov.; 53. P. amazonicus sp. nov.; 54. P. schubarti sp. nov. Scale bar: 0.3 mm.