Veraphis loebli, 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 loebli sp. n.

( Figs 1 , 5–6 , 13–14 , 21 , 25 )

Type material. Holotype: JAPAN ( Honshu , Tochigi Pref.): ♂, two labels: “JAPAN TOCHIGI / Nikko Nat. Park / Chuzenji 1350 m / Löbl 14.7.980” [white, printed], “ VERAPHIS / loebli m. / P. Jałoszyński, 2019 / HOLOTYPUS ” [red, printed] ( MHNG).

Diagnosis. Male protrochanter unmodified; male protibia with subapical fin-like projection about as broad as 2/3 of tibial width; median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view strongly curved; in ventral view with shallowly concave walls in submedian and subapical regions; ventral diaphragm shorter than 1/3 of median lobe, close to basal margin of aedeagus; apical margin shallowly concave; parameres in lateral view strongly curved.

Description. BL 1.23 mm. Body of male ( Fig. 1 ) flattened, slender, moderately dark brown, covered with yel- lowish vestiture, 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 anterolaterad to posteromesal margin of weakly elevated supraantennal tubercle; area between grooves distinctly flattened and depressed in rela- tion 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 0.45 mm; antennomeres I–II distinctly elongate; III distinctly transverse; IV about as long as broad; V indistinctly elongate; VI as long as broad; VII–X each slightly transverse (VIII narrower than VII), XI indistinctly elongate and slightly narrower than X.

Pronotum nearly semielliptical, broadest near anterior third; PL 0.30 mm, PW 0.35 mm; anterior margin broadly and evenly rounded; lateral margins strongly rounded in anterior third, behind middle nearly straight and distinctly convergent towards obtuse and blunt hind angles; posterior margin indistinctly bisinuate. Pronotal base with small and shallow median antebasal pit located in distinct transverse groove which laterally does not reach lateral pair of elongate and deep impressions; 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 0.63 mm, EW 0.48 mm, EI 1.32; humeral calli well-marked, elongate. Surface of elytra less glossy than that of pronotum, 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 conspicuously large subapical finlike projection ( Fig. 21 ).

Aedeagus ( Figs 5–6 , 13–14 ) elongate and slender; AeL 0.28 mm; in ventral view median lobe broadly and shal- lowly constricted in sub-basal region, with subtrapezoidal, elongate apical portion, with lateral margins shallowly concave in subapical area; apical margin shallowly concave; ventral diaphragm small, shorter than 1/3 of median lobe and with its proximal margin close to base of aedeagus; in lateral view median lobe strongly curved, also para- meres strongly curved, each with three apical setae of various lengths.

Female. Unknown.

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

Etymology. This species is dedicated to Ivan Löbl, the collector of the holotype specimen.

Remarks. Veraphis loebli belongs to the sawadai group of species ( Jałoszyński & Hoshina 2005), which is characterized by an unmodified antennomere XI in both sexes, unmodified male protrochanters, male protibiae with a subapical fin-like projection, the metaventrite in males with a longitudinal median impression, and the ae- deagus lacking apical setae, in most species with an apical emargination of the median lobe (with one exception, V. aomoriensis sp. n. described below). This group includes V. sawadai Jałoszyński & Hoshina, 2005 , V. kurbatovi Jałoszyński & Hoshina, 2005 , and three species described in the present paper: V. loebli sp. n., V. mutsuensis sp. n., and V. aomoriensis sp. n. External differences between males of these species are rather elusive; the body length and proportions of body parts slightly differ, but only examination of the aedeagus allows for unambiguous determination. The aedeagus of V. loebli differs from those of V. sawadai and V. kurbatovi in (among others) distinctly concave lateral margins in the subapical region (convex in V. sawadai and V. kurbatovi ). This character, however, is the same in V. loebli , V. mutsuensis and V. aomoriensis . Among these three species, V. aomoriensis is most easily distinguishable by a rounded, and not emarginate, apex of the median lobe. The aedeagi of V. loebli and V. mutsuensis are most similar; the aedeagus of V. loebli is more curved in lateral view; it has a much smaller ventral diaphragm that oc- cupies the sub-basal 1/3 of the ventral wall (nearly half in V. mutsuensis ); and the apical portion of the median lobe in ventral view is longer, with more strongly concave sides.

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).