Orphnebius draco, Assing, 2010

Assing, V., 2010, Two new species and additional records of Lomechusini from the Palaearctic region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 42 (2), pp. 1093-1104 : 1098-1101

Orphnebius draco nov.sp. ( Figs 9-24 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: " China: Yunnan, Baoshan Pref., Gaoligong Shan , 65 km NNE Tengchong, 1750 m, 25°35'20''N, 98°40'21''E, sec. mixed forest, overgrown stone debris, litter and moss sifted, 31.VIII.2009, leg. M. Schülke [CH09-10b] / Holotypus Orphnebius draco sp.n. det. V. Assing 2010" (cAss). Paratypes: 1 [slightly teneral]: " China (Yunnan), Lincang Pref., Bangma Shan , 20 km NW Lincang, 2210 m, 23°58'25''N, 99°54'36''E (water reservoir, in/on loamy soil of bank) 9.IX.2009, D.W. Wrase [37]" (cSch); 1: " China (Yunnan), Baoshan Pref., Gaoligong Shan, 33 km SE Tengchong, 24°51'22''N, 98°45'36''E, 2100-2200 m (prim. decid. forest, pitfall trap), 31.V.-4.VI.2007, D.W. Wrase [14c]" (cSch) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: Large species, body length 7.5-9.0 mm. Habitus highly distinctive ( Fig. 9 ). Coloration: forebody black; abdomen blackish-brown, with the paratergites, the lateral processes of the sternites, and the apex reddish-brown; legs with the femora blackish and the tibiae and tarsi brown; antennae brown, with antennomere I more or less distinctly infuscate.

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Head ( Fig. 10 ) distinctly transverse, approximately 1.3 times as wide as long, posteriorly vertically sloping ventrad towards neck, but not angulate (lateral view); behind eyes smoothly curved towards neck (dorsal view), posterior angles completely obsolete; neck

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approximately 0.3 times as wide as head; punctation fine, absent in median dorsal portion and rather dense near dorsal margin of eyes; microsculpture in median dorsal portion almost obsolete, more distinct in lateral portion (near eyes); eyes large, strongly bulging, and of oblong ellipsoid shape, not situated laterally, but somewhat dorso-laterally. Antenna not distinctly asymmetric, very long (approximately 3 mm) and slender ( Fig. 11 ).

Pronotum ( Fig. 10 ) strongly convex in cross-section, of transversely quadrangular shape, approximately 1.2 times as wide as long and as wide as head; anterior and posterior angles rounded, but noticeable; on either side of middle with oblong impression, between these impressions and posterior margin with transverse impression; punctation of lateral portion very fine and moderately sparse, that of oblong impressions dense and coarser; pubescence short and depressed; laterally, anteriorly, and posteriorly distinctly margined and without long setae.

Elytra at posterior margin almost twice as wide, and at suture approximately 1.1 times as long as pronotum, distinctly widened posteriad ( Fig. 9 ); suture gaping posteriorly; punctation moderately sparse and distinctly granulose; interstices with pronounced microreticulation ( Fig. 12 ). Hind wings present. Legs conspicuously long and slender ( Fig. 9 ); mesotiba weakly, metatibia more strongly curved; metatibia approximately 2 mm long.

Abdomen ( Fig. 13 ) wedge-shaped, distinctly tapering posteriad (lateral sternal process not considered); all sternites postero-laterally with conspicuous processes, that of sternite IV and particularly that of sternite V enormous and of highly characteristic shape ( Figs 13-14 ); tergites III-V impunctate, except for some barely noticeable minute setiferous punctures at the posterior margins; integument without microsculpture; posterior 3/5 of tergite VII and tergite VIII with coarse and dense non-setiferous punctures ( Fig. 15 ); posterior margin of tergite VII with distinct palisade fringe; sternite VIII posteriorly in both sexes with pair of lateral processes and pronounced median process ( Fig. 17 ).

: posterior margin of tergite VIII convex and serrate ( Fig. 16 ); segments IX-X weakly modified ( Fig. 18 ); median lobe of aedeagus approximately 0.7 mm long, with almost straight ventral process ( Figs 20-22 ); paramere as in Fig. 23 .

: posterior margin of tergite VIII similar to that of, but more coarsely serrate ( Fig.

19); spermatheca shaped as in Fig. 24.

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet (Latin, noun in apposition: dragon) refers to the highly distinctive habitus, which somewhat resembles a Chinese dragon.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Orphnebius draco is readily distinguished from all other congeners known from China by numerous external characters alone: the long and slender antennae; the unique morphology and chaetotaxy of the pronotum; the microsculpture and punctation of the elytra; the long and slender legs with curved meso- and metatibiae, the highly conspicuous postero-lateral processes of the abdominal sternites, and the long median process of sternite VIII. In addition, the species is characterized by the primary sexual characters. For illustrations of the external and sexual characters of the previously known Orphnebius species from China see ASSING (2006a, 2006b, 2009).

Five species of Orphnebius have been reported from Myanmar: O. laevigatus (KRAATZ 1859) , O. birmanus CAMERON 1939 , O. luzonicus BERNHAUER 1915 , O. rougemonti PACE 1986 , and O. rufiventris (EPPELSHEIM 1895) . All of these species are of different coloration (at least the abdomen is reddish) and none of them has the conspicuous modifications of the abdominal sternites.

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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 species was found in three localities in western Yunnan, partly close to the border with Myanmar. The specimens were collected on the loamy shore of a reservoir (one specimen) and sifted from leaf litter and debris in forests (two specimens) at altitudes of 1750-2210 m. One of the paratypes is slightly teneral (collected in September).

Figures

Figs 9-19: Orphnebius draco nov.sp. (9-15: holotype): (9) habitus; (10) head and pronotum; (11) antenna; (12) left elytron; (13) abdomen; (14) abdominal segments III-VI in lateral view; (15) abdominal segments VII-VIII; (16) male tergite VIII; (17) male sternite VIII; (18) male abdominal segments IX-X; (19) female tergite VIII. Scale bars: 9-15: 1.0 mm; 16-19: 0.5 mm.

Figs 20-25: Orphnebius draco nov.sp. (20-24; 20: holotype) and O. alesi nov.sp. (holotype) (25): (20-21) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (22) median lobe of aedeagus in ventral view; (23, 25) paramere; (24) spermatheca. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.