Aleochara (Ceranota) mortuisimilis, Assing, 2006

Assing, V., 2006, New species and records of Staphylinidae from Greece, with two new synonymies (Insecta: Coleoptera), Linzer biologische Beiträge 38 (1), pp. 333-379 : 367-368

Aleochara (Ceranota) mortuisimilis sp.n. ( Figs 33-46 )

Holotype 3: GR. N Larissa, No. 11, Kato Olympos, 1500-1580 m, E Kallipefki, 39°57'34N, 22°29'15, 6.IV.1998, V. Assing / Holotypus 3 Aleochara mortuisimilis sp. n. det. V. Assing 2005 (cAss). Paratypes: 433, 3♀♀: same data as holotype (cAss) ; 333, 1♀: same data, but leg. P. Wunderle (cWun) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: Relatively small and slender species, 4.3-5.3 mm (abdomen fully extended). Coloration variable. Light-coloured specimens: head brown; pronotum and elytra light brown to reddish brown; abdomen reddish brown with the central tergal areas infuscate; legs testaceous; antennae brown, with the basal 2-3 antennomeres paler. Darkcoloured specimens: head blackish; pronotum and elytra castaneous, with the elytra at least slightly paler than the pronotum; abdomen dark brown to blackish brown, with the tergal margins slightly paler; legs rufotestaceous; antennae brown, with the basal 2-3 antennomeres paler. Habitus as in Fig. 33 .

Head approximately as wide as long; eyes moderately large and protruding from lateral outline of head, postocular region approximately 1.5 times the length of eyes in dorsal view ( Fig. 34 ); integument with pronounced and dense microreticulation, matt; puncturation fine, shallow, and relatively sparse; pubescence long and suberect. Antenna with antennomeres I-III approximately 2.5 times as long as wide and of subequal length, IV weakly transverse; IV-X of gradually increasing width and increasingly transverse; X approximately 1.5 times as wide as long; XI approximately as long as the combined length of IX and X ( Fig. 33 ).

Pronotum transverse, approximately 1.25 times as wide as long and 1.40-1.50 times as wide as head; maximal width approximately in the middle; posterior angles weakly marked, almost obsolete; microsculpture almost as pronounced as that of head; puncturation more distinct and somewhat denser than that of head; pubescence more or less depressed, along midline directed posteriad, on either side of midline laterad.

Elytra approximately 1.1 (bachypterous morph) to 1.18 (macropterous morph) times as wide and at suture 0.80-0.85 times as long as pronotum; microreticulation similar to that of head and pronotum; puncturation of similar density as that of pronotum, but somewhat granulose; pubescence directed diagonally latero-caudad. Hind wing length dimorphic, either almost completely reduced or fully developed.

Abdomen with segments III-V of subequal width, posterior segments (from segment VI) slightly tapering; tergites III-V with moderately deep anterior impressions, tergite VI with shallow impression; microsculpture very shallow, integument more shiny than that of forebody; puncturation relatively fine and sparse, in anterior impressions of tergites III-V very fine and very sparse; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe in both morphs; tergites III and VII with sexual dimorphism.

3: tergite III with weakly elevated median elevation ( Fig. 35 ); tergite VII in the middle of posterior margin with broad, smoothly rounded (antero-dorsal view), and not very strongly elevated tubercle ( Figs 36-38 ); posterior margin of tergite VIII convex and with very sparse setae posteriorly ( Fig. 39 ); posterior margin of sternite VIII pointed and with moderately long marginal setae ( Fig. 40 ); median lobe of aedeagus as in Figs 41-43 .

♀: posterior margin of tergite VIII broadly convex and with more numerous short setae posteriorly ( Fig. 44 ); posterior margin of sternite VIII broadly convex and with row of

short, moderately stout, modified marginal setae ( Fig. 45 ); spermatheca as in Fig. 46.

I n t r a s p e c i f i c v a r i a t i o n: The species appears to be subject to lower intraspecific variation than most of its congeners; this conclusion, however, is based only on twelve specimens from one locality. As indicated above, coloration is rather variable, whereas variation in size is moderate. The male secondary sexual characters were present in all eight males, but especially the tubercle on tergite VII may be of reduced size.

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Lat., adj.: seemingly dead) refers to the observation that the species displays thanatosis when moved or touched.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Aleochara mortuisimilis is readily separated from all other species of the subgenus by the following character combination: relatively small size; pronotum less than 1.3 times as wide as long; the pronounced microsculpture especially on the head, but also on the pronotum and elytra; the relatively short elytra; the dimorphism of the hind wings; the male secondary sexual characters, as well as the shapes of the aedeagus and the spermatheca.

Two species of Ceranota have been recorded from Greece: Aleochara erythroptera GRAVENHORST and A. purkynei ROUBAL. From both, A. mortuisimilis is distinguished by distinctly smaller size, the pronounced microsculpture of the forebody, the shorter and less slender antennae, the less smaller and less transverse pronotum, the much sparser and more indistinct puncturation of the forebody, the fine and sparse puncturation of the anterior impressions of the abdominal tergites, the differently shaped male secondary sexual characters (especially the shape of the tubercle on the abdominal tergite VII), and by the shape of the genitalia. From A. erythroptera it is additionally separated by the different and more uniform coloration (in A. erythroptera the elytra are ferrugineous and distinctly contrasting with the dark pronotum) and from A. purkynei by the unmodified male tergite IV. For illustrations of the habitus and the male secondary sexual characters of A. purkynei see ROUBAL (1937).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The species is known only from the peak of the Kato Olympos, northeastern Thessalia. The types were collected by sifting moss and litter of beech and fir, partly near snow fields at an altitude of 1500-1580 m. Interestingly, the specimens displayed thanatosis when moved or touched. Aleochara mortuisimilis is apparently the first example of wing dimorphism to become known in the subgenus: two females are macropterous, the remaining eight males and two females are brachypterous.

Figures

Figs 33-46: Aleochara mortuisimilis sp.n. (34-40, 43: holotype). (33) habitus (brachypterous specimen); (34) head in lateral view; (35) 3 abdominal tergite III; (36) 3 abdominal tergite VII in dorsal view; (37) 3 abdominal segment VII in lateral view; (38) 3 abdominal tergite VII in anterodorsal view; (39) 3 tergite VIII; (40) 3 sternite VIII; (41-43) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (44) ♀ tergite VIII; (45) posterior part of ♀ sternite VIII; (46) spermatheca. Scale bars: 33-38: 1.0 mm; 39-40, 44: 0.5 mm; 41-43, 45-46: 0.2 mm.