Ocypus (Pseudocypus) jelineki, Smetana & Agr.Gc, 2009

Smetana, Aleš & Agr. Gc, 2009, Contributions to the knowledge of the ‘ Staphylinus-complex’ (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini) of China. Part 19. The genus Ocypus Leach, 1819, subgenus Pseudocypus Mulsant & Rey, 1876. Section 3., Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (2), pp. 683-694 : 691-693

Ocypus (Pseudocypus) jelineki sp. nov.

( Figs. 3, 4 , 17–22)

Type locality. People’s Republic of China, West Henan, Funiu Shan, Baotianman, 33°5′N 111° 9′E.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ China, W Henan, 15.V.–2.VI. Funiu Shan , BAOTIANMAN pitfall traps, 33.5N 111.9E Jaroslav Turna leg. 2005’ ( NMW) . ALLOTYPE: ♀, same label data as in holotype ( ASC) . PARATYPES: CHINA: HENAN: same data as holotype, 36 spec. of both sexes ( ASC, NMW) . HUBEI: ‘C-HUBEI, for. Park 15km SE Yichang, 30.7N 111.4E, 11.5.– 4.6.2005, leg. J. Turna’, 4 JJ ( ASC, NMW) . SHAANXI: ‘ Shaanxi (Qinling Shan) Taibashan mt. Houzhenzi, 1500-2000m 33°52’N 107°44’E’,‘ IV–V.2000 ’ or ‘ V.–VI. 2000, Plutenko’, 53 spec. of both sexes ( ASC, MSC) ; ‘ Foping Nat.Res., Panda area , 1600m, 33°45”N 107°48’E, 20.4.– 11.5.1999, leg. Sinaiev & Plutenko’, 2 JJ ( ASC, MSC) ; ‘ 65km S Xi’an , 2200–2500m, 2.–10.VIII.1998, P. F. Cavazzuti’, 1J ( ASC) ; ‘ near the headwaters (or defile) of Riv. Feng-He, SW of Chang’an Xian, 1900m, 9.V.1993, Y. Imura leg.’, 6 JJ ( ASC, YSC) ; ‘ near the headwaters of Riv. Laoyu-He, SW of Hu Xian, 2000m, 11.V.1993, Y.Imura leg.’, 3 JJ ( ASC, YSC) ; ‘ Defile of Riv. Layou-He, SW of Hu-Xian, 1300-1500m, 11. May 1993, Y. Imura leg.’, 1 J ( YSC) .

Diagnosis. A moderately sized to large species with very densely punctate head and pronotum, with pronotum lacking entire impunctate midline, with tergite 2 (anterior to first visible tergite) entirely punctate and pubescent, with abdominal tergites 6 and 7 (fourth and fifth visible) almost always with a patch of yellowish tomentose pubescence, with abdominal tergite 7 (fifth visible) without pale seam of palisade setae, and with characteristically shaped aedoeagus.

Description. Black, moderately shiny; elytra usually more or less paler, dark brownish to piceous brown; maxillary and labial palpi testaceobrunneous to brunneous, antennae piceous; legs piceous with slightly paler front tarsi; pubescence of dorsal side of body dark brown to brownish-piceous, with intermixed paler hairs on humeral area of each elytron and on abdomen, and with yellowish hairs on temporal area of head in some specimens (see Comments), visible tergites 1 to 3 in middle with a pair of small patches of black tomentose pubescence, bordered by some pale brownish hairs, visible abdominal tergites 4 and 5 each with a patch of golden-yellowish, usually not dense, tomentose pubescence, patch on fifth visible tergite usually smaller and entirely missing in some specimens, rarely both patches of golden-yellowish tomentose pubescence absent. Head of rounded quadrangular shape, with obtuse to rounded posterior angles, usually vaguely dilated posteriad, wider than long (ratio 1.22), eyes moderately large, rather flat, tempora longer than eyes from above (ratio 1.80); dorsal surface of head finely and densely punctate, interspaces between punctures on disc distinctly narrower than diameters of punctures, punctation gradually becoming denser toward posterior and lateral margins, less dense toward and on clypeus, interspaces between punctures without microsculpture; impunctate midline absent, V-shaped front portion of epicranial suture present in most specimens; dorsal side of neck with punctation finer and denser than that on head. Antenna moderately long, segment 3 longer than segment 2 (ratio 1.25), segments 4 to 8 slightly longer than wide, becoming gradually shorter, segments 9 and 10 about as long as wide, last segment short, considerably shorter that two preceding segments combined. Pronotum slightly longer than wide, subparallelsided or slightly narrowed posteriad, moderately convex, narrow marginal groove disappearing downwards just in front of middle of pronotal length; impunctate narrow midline usually apparent on posterior third of pronotal length, or only in front of posterior margin of pronotum; punctation on disc fine and very dense, appreciably finer and denser than that on disc of head. Pronotal hypomeron without microsetae. Scutellum densely punctate and dark brownish pubescent, with patch of black tomentose pubescence at apex. Elytra rather short, parallelsided to vaguely dilated posteriad, at suture distinctly shorter (ratio 0.68), at sides somewhat shorter than pronotum at midline (ratio 0.82); punctation very fine and very dense, granulose. Wings each reduced to short, nonfunctional stump. Abdomen with fifth visible tergite lacking pale apical seam of palisade setae; tergite 2 (anterior to first visible tergite) entirely punctate and pubescent; all tergites evenly, densely and very finely punctate; interspaces with very fine, dense, transversely meshed microsculpture.

Male. Sternite 8 with moderately wide and deep triangular medioapical emargination. Genital segment with sternite 9 with very narrow basal portion, apical portion gradually narrowed toward minutely emarginate apex (Fig. 17). Tergite 10 moderately wide, with narrowly arcuate apex (Fig. 18). Aedoeagus (Figs. 19–21) of quite characteristic shape; median lobe in ventral view highly asymmetrical, with right portion conspicuously dilated and extended at side close to paramere into short, narrow apical portion with narrowly arcuate apex; apical half of paramere in ventral view markedly turned and twisted laterad, with subtruncate apex; underside of paramere lacking sensory peg setae, apical setae minute, situated as in Fig. 21.

Female. Tergite 10 of genital segment relatively narrow, apical portion gradually, evenly narrowed toward acute apex (Fig. 22).

Length 17.0–19.0 mm.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of the outstanding coleopterist and my dear friend, Dr. Josef Jelínek, Praha, in fond memories of several joint collecting trips, particularly the one undertaken in 1964 to southern Hungary together with Dr. Ivan Löbl, Genève, Switzerland, a trip that was outstanding and memorable in many aspects.

Bionomics. Very little is known about the habitat requirements of this species. Most specimens were taken from pitfall traps, but nothing is known about the habitats the traps were set in, except that most were operating at elevations between 1300–2000 m. A few specimens (from Hubei) bear the habitat note ‘for. park’ (assuming that it means forest park).

Geographical distribution. Ocypus jelineki sp. nov. is at present known from Henan, Hubei and Shaanxi.

Recognition and comments. Ocypus jelineki sp. nov. may be distinguished from the two remaining species of the lewisius -lineage instantly by the entirely punctate and pubescent abdominal tergite 2, and by the characteristic shape of the aedoeagus. The pubescence of the abdominal tergites shows some variability, the patches of black tomentose pubescence on visible tergites 1 to 3 vary in size and are absent in some specimens and so does also the number of pale brownish hairs surrounding them; the number of intermixed paler hairs in general abdominal pubescence varies to such extent that the paler hairs may be dominant in some specimens that at the same time often lack one or both patches of golden-yellowish tomentose pubescence on visible tergites 4 and 5, and bear pale, yellowish hairs on temporal area of the head (specimens from Shaanxi). Due to the character of the pubescence, the specimens of the Shaanxi population seem to be specifically different. However, both the male and female sexual characters are identical to those of the specimens from Henan and Hubei; the Shaanxi specimens are therefore not considered to represent a different taxon.

Figures

Figs. 1–4. Habitus. 1 – Ocypus lewisius Sharp, 1874; 2 – Ocypus densissimus (Bernhauer, 1933); 3, 4 – Ocypus jelineki sp. nov.