Geostiba (Sibiota) meghruica, Assing, 2016

Assing, Volker, 2016, A revision of Geostiba of the West Palaearctic region. XXIII. On the Sibiota species of the Caucasus region exclusive of Turkey (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 48 (2), pp. 1097-1117 : 1112-1113

Geostiba (Sibiota) meghruica nov.sp. ( Figs 53-62 , Map 2 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype 6: " ARMENIA [30] - 25 km S Kapan, Gomarants Ps. , 39°01'32''N, 46°21'59''E, 2190 m, oak forest, 7.VII.2016, V. Assing / Holotypus 6 Geostiba meghruica sp. n. det. V. Assing 2016" (cAss) . Paratypes: 766, 3 ♀♀: same data as holotype (cAss, MNB) ; 1♀: same data, but leg. Schülke ( MNB). 1♀: " ARMENIA [AR16-31] 25 km S Kapan , N Gomarants Pass, 39°02'15''N, 46°22'13''E, 2050 m, oak forest with Acer, Carpinus, and fern undergrowth, litter and dead wood sifted, 7.VII.2016, leg. M. Schülke " ( MNB) .

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is an adjective derived from Meghru, the name of the mountain range where this species is probably endemic.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 2.2-2.6 mm; length of forebody 0.9-1.1 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 53 . Coloration and other characters as in G. unituber , except as follows:

Pronotum on average with less distinct impression on either side of midline.

6: elytra ( Fig. 54 ) with narrow, anteriorly slightly broader carina extending along whole suture, disc with usually extensive and more or less pronounced impression, punctation very fine, barely noticeably granulose; abdominal tergite VII ( Fig. 55 ) with a median pair of distinct, broad subparallel carinae posteriorly, these carinae less pronounced to practically obsolete in smaller males; posterior margins of tergite VIII and sternite VIII broadly convex; median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 56-59 ) 0.25-0.28 mm long, without semitransparent spines in internal sac; ventral process weakly curved in lateral view; paramere not distinctive.

♀: tergite VIII and sternite VIII with broadly convex posterior margins; spermathecal capsule ( Figs 60-61 ) with weakly dilated distal portion and moderately stout, short, and twisted proximal portion.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Geostiba meghruica differs from G. unituber and G. pambakica by a larger median lobe of the aedeagus and by the shape of the spermatheca, from G. unituber additionally by the presence of a pair of carinae on the male tergite VII, and from G. pambakica by the broader and less distinctly parallel carinae on the male sternite VII and by the broadly convex posterior margin of the male sternite VIII.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: The type specimens were collected in two geographically close localities in the Meghru range, South Armenia ( Map 2 ), by sifting leaf litter and dead wood in oak forests near the upper tree line ( Fig. 62 ), at altitudes of 2050 and 2190 m.

Figures

Map 2: Distributions of the species of the G. carinicollis group: G. articarinata ASSING (black square), G. convergens ASSING (white square), G. uniplicata ASSING (black diamond), G. krzysztofi (ROUBAL) (white diamonds), G. carinicollis (EPPELSHEIM) (white circles), G. unituber nov.sp. (black circle), G. pambakica nov.sp. (white triangles), G. unicuneata nov.sp. (black star), G. meghruica nov.sp. (white star).

Figs 53-61: Geostiba meghruica nov.sp.: (53) male habitus; (54) male forebody; (55) male abdominal segments VI-VIII; (56-59) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (60- 61) spermatheca. Scale bars: 53: 1.0 mm; 54-55: 0.2 mm; 56-61: 0.1 mm.

Fig. 62: Type locality of Geostiba meghruica nov.sp.