Platydracus smetanai, Zhou & Zhao & Tang, 2024

Zhou, Cheng-Lin, Zhao, Qing-Hao & Tang, Liang, 2024, A taxonomic study of the Platydracus brachycerus group with descriptions of three new species from China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Staphylininae), Zootaxa 5399 (5), pp. 505-516 : 508-509

Platydracus smetanai sp. n.

( Figs. 5, 6 , 17, 18 )

Type material. Holotype. China: Zhejiang: ♁, glued on a card with labels as follows: “China: Zhejiang Province, Qingyuan County, Baishanzu , alt. 1500 m, 22.IV.2008, Peng, Tang & Zhang leg.” “Holotype / Platydracus smetanai / Zhou, Zhao & Tang” [red handwritten label] ( SHNU) . Paratypes. Zhejiang: 1♀, Lin′an City, West Tianmushan , alt. 300m, 12.VIII.2016, Tu leg. ( SHNU); 1♀, Lin′an City, East Tianmushan , alt. 1050–1150m, 13.IV.2011, Peng & Zhu leg. ( SHNU); 1♀, Hangzhou city, Wuchaoshan , alt. 200m, 11.IV.2011, Peng & Zhu leg. ( SHNU); 1♀, Lishui city Qingyuan County, Baishanzu Huangpi Swamp , leaf litter, wood sifted & beating, 27°42′N, 119°11′E, alt. 1398m, 24.V.2015, Song & Yan leg. ( SHNU) ; Anhui: 1♀, Huangshan, Tangkou Town Hougu , sifted, 30°5′N, 118°8′E, alt. 569–688m, 29.VI–7.VII.2020, Tang, Li & Zhou leg. ( SHNU) ; Hunan: 1♁, Yanling County, Nanfengmian , mixed forest sifted, 26°18′N, 114°1′E, alt. 1855m, 7.VI.2015, Peng, Shen Tu & Zhou leg. ( SHNU) ; Guangxi: 1♁, Jinxiu County, Yinshan Conservation Station , beech forest mixed leaf litter sifted, 24°10′N, 110°14′E, alt. 1200m, 10.VII.2014, Peng Song Yu & Yan leg. ( SHNU); 1♀, Guilin, Huaping N. R. , mixed leaf sifted, 25°36′N, 109°54′E, alt. 800–987m, 16.VIII.2020, Li leg. ( SHNU) .

Description. Measurements of male: BL: 11.6–13.7 mm, FL: 6.0– 6.5 mm. HL: 1.52–1.67 mm, HW: 1.89–2.06 mm, EYL: 0.50–0.54 mm, TL: 0.69–0.78 mm, PL: 1.96–2.21 mm, PW: 2.05–2.25 mm, EL: 2.49–2.66 mm, EW: 2.60–2.86 mm. HW/HL: 1.23–1.24, TL/EYL: 1.38–1.53, PL/PW: 0.96–0.98, EL/EW: 0.91–0.96.

Measurements of female: BL: 10.8–13.3 mm, FL: 5.7–6.4 mm. HL: 1.52–1.61 mm, HW: 1.89–2.06 mm, EYL: 0.49–0.54 mm, TL: 0.67–0.72 mm, PL: 1.96–2.22 mm, PW: 2.09–2.20 mm, EL: 2.50–2.67 mm, EW: 2.60–2.78 mm. HW/HL: 1.19–1.25, TL/EYL: 1.37–1.55, PL/PW: 0.96–0.98, EL/EW: 0.91–0.94.

Body dark brown with copper reflection, apical margin of abdominal segment VII and apical half of abdominal segment VIII reddish brown, maxillary palpi, labial palpi and tarsomeres reddish brown with apical margin of each segment lighter, antennae brownish with antennomeres gradually lighter apicad.

Head 1.19–1.25 times as wide as long, rounded at posterior angles; eyes moderately large, moderately convex; surface with very dense and coarse punctation; anterior portion of frons impunctate;pubescence brownish, pubescence behind anterior margin and eyes slightly paler; antennae with basal 3 segments distinctly longer than wide, segments 4 to 10 distinctly transverse, gradually incrassate, segments 4 to 11 covered with dense pubescence; maxillary palpi stout, their last segment narrowly subtruncate apically; mandibles robust, inner edge of left mandible with two teeth on upper plane and a middle tooth on lower plane, inner edge of right mandible with a round anterior tooth and a sharp posterior tooth on upper plane and a middle tooth on lower plane.

Pronotum 0.96–0.98 times as long as wide; disc with narrow impunctate midline, punctation coarser and sparser than that of head, pubescence brownish; scutellum with dense rugulose punctation and dark pubescence.

Elytra 0.91–0.96 times as long as wide, punctation dense and coarse, pubescence behind humeri, along suture and posterior elytral margin yellowish, pubescence of the remaining parts brownish.

Anterior legs with tibiae and tarsomeres distinctly stouter than those of the related species, tarsomere 5 rather short.

Abdominal tergites III–VI with basal transverse depression, with punctures coarser at base, gradually becoming finer apicad; their pubescence brownish except for that of apical portion of tergite VII, which is yellowish.

Male. Abdominal sternite VII with a large median depression bearing numerous long golden setae; sternite VIII with posterior margin emarginate in the middle; aedeagus ( Figs. 17, 18 ), median lobe elongate with lateral sides subparallel forming a broad round apex in ventral view, short setae present at apex of median lobe; paramere elongate triangular, slightly curved ventrad in lateral view, without apical setae.

Distribution. This species is distributed in the south-east of China (Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Guangxi), presumably only in the mountains, at elevations between 300–1500 m.

Diagnosis. The species can be easily recognized from others of the species group by the distinctly denser and coarser punctuation of head and pronotum, lighter body coloration with copper reflection, and distinctly shorter tarsomere 5 of the anterior legs.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Dr. Aleš Smetana who described numerous Chinese staphylinid beetles.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Habitus. 1, 2—Platydracus brachycerus; 3, 4—P. juang; 5, 6—P. smetanai. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURES 13–18. Aedeagal characters. 13, 14—Platydracus brachycerus; 15, 16—P. juang; 17, 18—P. smetanai; 13, 15, 17— aedeagus in ventral view; 14, 16, 18—aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.