Leptusa (Neopisalia) gibbera, Assing, 2011

Assing, V., 2011, New species and additional records of Leptusa from the Caucasus region and the Himalaya (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (1), pp. 253-265 : 254-255

Leptusa (Neopisalia) gibbera nov.sp. ( Figs 1-14 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: "RU: Krasnod. Kr. NW Cauc. Temnolesskaia nr. Mezmai, 750 m, 7.VI.1999, A. Smetana [ R2 ] / Holotypus Leptusa gibbera sp. n. det. V. Assing 2010" (cAss). Paratypes: 3: same data as holotype (cSme, cAss); 1: "RU: Krasnod. Kr. NW Cauc. Temnolesskaia nr. Mezmai, 800 m, 8.VI.1999, A. Smetana [ R3 ]" (cSme) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 3.5-4.0 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: head dark-brown to blackish-brown; pronotum and elytra brown to dark-brown; abdomen brown, with segment VI and anterior half of segment VII infuscate; legs and antennae reddish to reddish brown, usually with antennomeres I-III somewhat paler.

Head ( Figs 2-3 ) approximately as long as wide or weakly oblong; punctation dense and shallow, somewhat indistinct in the pronounced microsculpture ( Fig. 4 ); dorsal surface almost matt; eyes weakly convex, not distinctly projecting from lateral contours of head, slightly shorter than postocular portion in dorsal view. Antenna rather slender ( Fig. 5 ), approximately 1.0 mm long; antennomeres I-III distinctly oblong and of subequal length; IV weakly oblong; V approximately as wide as long; X barely 1.5 times as wide as long. Maxillary palpi slender; preapical palpomere approximately 4 times as long as broad.

Pronotum ( Figs 2-3 ) approximately 1.25-1.30 times as wide as long and 1.30-1.35 times as wide as head; maximal width in, or slightly before middle; posterior angles marked; punctation dense, fine, and shallow, not very evident in the pronounced microsculpture ( Fig. 6 ); surface almost matt.

Elytra ( Figs 2-3 ) sexually dimorphic, 0.85-0.95 times as long as pronotum, laterally with rather pronounced and extensive oblong impression; posterior margin distinctly sinuate near postero-lateral angles; punctation much more pronounced than that of head and pronotum; interstices with shallow microsculpture and subdued shine. Hind wings reduced. Legs slender; metatarsomere I slightly longer than the combined length of II and III.

Abdomen subparallel, approximately as wide as elytra; tergites III-V with deep and coarsely punctate anterior impressions ( Fig. 7 ); punctation distinct, dense on anterior and sparser on posterior tergites; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe; tergite VII with sexual dimorphism.

: elytra with pronounced protuberance on either side of suture ( Fig. 2 ); tergite VII with smooth and distinctly elevated long median carina ( Fig. 7 ); posterior margin of sternite VII broadly and weakly concave, on either side of this concavity with two very long marginal setae; tergite VIII with short and weakly pronounced median carina, posterior margin weakly concave in the middle ( Fig. 8 ); sternite VIII oblong, much longer than tergite VIII, posterior margin obtusely produced in the middle ( Fig. 9 ); aedeagus 0.68 mm long, with long and slender ventral process and with long internal structures ( Fig. 10 ); apical lobe of paramere slender ( Fig. 11 ).

: elytra without protuberances ( Fig. 3 ); posterior margin of tergite VIII indistinctly concave in the middle ( Fig. 12 ); posterior margin of sternite VIII strongly convex ( Fig. 13 ); spermatheca as in Fig. 14.

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is a Latin adjective (with protuberances) and alludes to the modifications of the male elytra.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Based on the conspicuous derived morphology of the aedeagus, L. gibbera is closely related to L. laeviuscula (HOCHHUTH 1849) and to the syntopic L. venusta . It is distinguished from both of them by the shorter and more slender elytra (in L. venusta and L. laeviuscula at least as long as the pronotum), the pronounced lateral impressions of the elytra, the pronounced protuberances on the male elytra, and particularly by the morphology of the aedeagus. For illustrations of the genitalia of L. venusta and L. laeviuscula see PACE (1989).

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: Thespecimenswerecollected near Mezmay, Krasnodarskiy Kray, Western Caucasus, at altitudes of 750- 800 m. They were sifted from deep leaf litter in mixed beech and fir forests (SMETANA pers. comm.).

Figures

Figs 1-14: Leptusa gibbera nov.sp.: (1) female habitus; (2) male forebody; (3) female forebody; (4) median dorsal portion of head; (5) antenna; (6) median portion of pronotum; (7) male abdominal tergites III-VII; (8) male tergite VIII; (9) male sternite VIII; (10) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (11) apical lobe of paramere; (12) female tergite VIII; (13) female sternite VIII; (14) spermatheca. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2-3, 5, 7: 0.5 mm; 8-10, 12-13: 0.2 mm; 4, 6, 11, 14: 0.1 mm.