Veraphis mutsuensis, Jałoszyński, 2019

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2019, Four new species and new records of Veraphis Casey in Japan (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 4701 (1), pp. 54-64 : 54-64

Veraphis mutsuensis sp. n.

( Figs 2 , 7–8 , 15–16 , 22 , 25 )

Type material. Holotype: JAPAN ( Honshu , Aomori Pref.): ♂, two labels: „[Aomori: Japan] / Mt. Iwaki, alt 800m / 29. IX. 1992 / M. Sakai lgt. / (in leaf litter)“ [white, printed], „ VERAPHIS / mutsuensis m. / P. Jałoszyński, 2019 / HOLOTYPUS ” [red, printed] ( EUMJ) . Paratypes (7 exx.): 1 ♂, 6 ♀♀, same data as for holotype ( EUMJ, cPJ) .

Diagnosis. Male protrochanter unmodified; male protibia with subapical fin-like projection about as broad as half of tibial width; median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view weakly curved; in ventral view with shallowly concave walls in submedian and (less distinctly so) in subapical region; ventral diaphragm slightly shorter than half of me- dian lobe, distant from basal margin of aedeagus; apical margin shallowly concave; parameres in lateral view nearly straight.

Description. BL 1.18–1.20 mm. Body of male ( Fig. 2 ) flattened, slender, moderately light brown, covered with yellowish vestiture, legs and antennae slightly lighter.

Head broadest at large, moderately convex eyes, HL 0.15 mm, HW 0.23 mm; vertex with pair of small postero- median pits, each prolonged by shallow but distinct longitudinal groove extending anterad to posteromesal margin of weakly elevated supraantennal tubercle; area between grooves distinctly flattened and depressed in relation to convex sides of vertex and frons. Punctures on head dorsum fine and shallow, inconspicuous; setae short, sparse and suberect. Antennae slender, with distinctly demarcated trimerous club, AnL 0.40–0.41 mm; antennomeres I–II distinctly elongate; III distinctly transverse; IV–V each about as long as broad; VI–X each slightly to distinctly transverse (VIII narrower than VII), XI as broad as long and slightly narrower than X.

Pronotum nearly semielliptical, broadest near anterior third; PL 0.30 mm, PW 0.33–0.34 mm; anterior margin broadly and evenly rounded; lateral margins strongly rounded in anterior third, behind middle nearly straight and indistinctly convergent towards obtuse and blunt hind angles; posterior margin indistinctly bisinuate. Pronotal base with distinct transverse groove which laterally does not reach lateral pair of elongate and deep impressions, groove indistinctly deepened at middle; lateral pronotal margins narrowly carinate in posterior 2/3. Punctures on pronotal disc fine and inconspicuous; setae short and sparse, suberect.

Elytra slightly more convex than pronotum, together oval, broadest slightly in front of middle; EL 0.60–0.63 mm, EW 0.43–0.44 mm, EI 1.37–1.47; humeral calli well-marked, elongate. Surface of elytra less glossy than pro- notum, covered with fine, superficial, inconspicuous punctures and setae similar to those on pronotum but slightly thicker.

Legs moderately long and slender; protrochanter unmodified, protibia with small subapical fin-like projection ( Fig. 22 ).

Aedeagus ( Figs 7–8 , 15–16 ) elongate and slender; AeL 0.25 mm; in ventral view median lobe broadly and shal- lowly constricted in sub-basal region, with subtrapezoidal, elongate apical portion, with lateral margins indistinctly concave in subapical area; apical margin shallowly concave; ventral diaphragm large, nearly as long as half of me- dian lobe and with its proximal margin distant from base of aedeagus; in lateral view median lobe weakly curved, parameres nearly straight, each with two apical setae of similar lengths.

Female. Externally similar to male, differs in indistinctly shorter antennae in relation to body length and protibiae lacking subapical projection. BL 1.16–1.28 mm (mean 1.21 mm); HL 0.14–0.15 mm (mean 0.15 mm), HW 0.23–0.25 mm (mean 0.23 mm), AnL 0.35–0.40 mm (mean 0.38 mm); PL 0.30–0.33 mm (mean 0.31 mm), PW 0.33–0.36 mm (mean 0.34 mm); EL 0.60–0.68 mm (mean 0.63 mm), EW 0.43–0.48 mm (mean 0.45 mm), EI 1.39–1.42.

Distribution. Japan, northern Honshu ( Fig. 25 ).

Etymology. The name mutsuensis refers to the historical Mutsu Province of Japan on northern Honshu.

Remarks. Veraphis mutsuensis belongs to the sawadai group of species, and is most similar to V. loebli (see remarks at the latter species).

Figures

FIGURE 25. Distribution of Veraphis in Japan.

FIGURES 1–4. Dorsal habitus of males. Veraphis loebli sp. n. (1); V. mutsuensis sp. n. (2); V. aomoriensis sp. n. (3); V. sakaii sp. n. (4).

FIGURES 5–12. Aedeagus in ventral (5, 7, 9, 11) and lateral (6, 8, 10, 12) views. Veraphis loebli sp. n. (5–6); V. mutsuensis sp. n. (7–8); V. aomoriensis sp. n. (9–10); V. sakaii sp. n. (11–12).

FIGURES 13–20. Aedeagus in ventral (13, 15, 17, 19) and lateral (14, 16, 18, 20) views. Veraphis loebli sp. n. (13–14); V. mutsuensis sp. n. (15–16); V. aomoriensis sp. n. (17–18); V. sakaii sp. n. (19–20).

FIGURES 21–24. Fore leg of male. Veraphis loebli sp. n. (21); V. mutsuensis sp. n. (22); V. aomoriensis sp. n. (23); V. sakaii sp. n. (24).