Orphnebius (Deroleptus) morulus, Assing, 2019

Assing, Volker, 2019, On the Lomechusini fauna of the Palaearctic and Oriental regions. XXVI. New species, a new synonymy, and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 69 (1), pp. 33-70 : 50

Orphnebius (Deroleptus) morulus spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:DF080E64-CDBB-4BE4-A7CF-D71EA3A270AC

( Figs 8–9 , 32, 101–105

Type material: Holotype: “S VIETNAM: Lâm Dông Prov., Lac Durong Distr., Bidoup Nuiba Natl Park, surr. Giang Ly Ranger Station (1420–1460 m a.s.l.) 16–21. VI.2015 / legit L. Bartolozzi, G. Chelazzi, S. Bambi, F. Fabiano, E. Orbach, V. Sbordoni (n. Magazzino 3023) / Holotypus Orphnebius morulus sp. n., det. V. Assing 2017” [collected during expeditions in Vietnam in the framework of a Memorandum of Unterstanding between VNMN and Museo di Zoologia, Università di Firenze ] ( VNMN).

Etymology: The specific epithet (Latin, adjective: black)

alludes to the uniformly black coloration of the body.

Description: Body length 5.2 mm; length of forebody 2.2 mm. Coloration ( Figs 8–9 , 32): body uniformly black; legs black with reddish tarsi; antennae blackishbrown with black antennomere I; maxillary palpi with palpomeres II brown, III black, and IV yellowish.

Head ( Fig. 8 ) nearly 1.3 times as broad as long, posterior angles convex, moderately marked; dorsal surface with scattered and very fine punctation, median dorsal portion extensively impunctate; interstices without microsculpture. Eyes large, occupying anterior two-thirds of lateral margins of head. Antenna (Fig. 32) slender and weakly incrassate, approximately 1.5 mm long; antennomeres IV very weakly oblong, V–X weakly transverse and gradually increasing in width, X less than 1.5 times as broad as long, and XI approximately as long as the combined length of IX and X.

Pronotum ( Fig. 8 ) of transversely quadrangular shape, 1.3 times as broad as long and approximately as broad as head; moderately strongly convex in cross-section; lateral margins straight in dorsal view; punctation extremely fine and sparse, midline broadly impunctate.

Elytra ( Fig. 8 ) slightly longer and distinctly broader than pronotum; disc somewhat uneven, somewhat elevated anteriorly and shallowly impressed postero-laterally; punctation rather sparse, somewhat asperate (elevated) anteriorly and finer posteriorly; interstices near posterior margin with shallow isodiametric microreticulation, otherwise without microsculpture and very glossy. Hind wings present. Legs very long and slender; metatibia nearly 1.1 mm long and weakly curved; metatarsus as long as metatibia; metatarsomere I approximately as long as the combined length of III and IV.

Abdomen ( Fig. 9 ) approximately as broad as elytra; anterior sternites without distinct postero-lateral extensions or processes; tergites III–V with few extremely fine setiferous punctures at posterior margins, otherwise impunctate; tergite VI with a lateral setiferous puncture on either side and with four distinct setiferous punctures at posterior margin; tergite VII with dense non-setiferous punctures in posterior two-thirds, anterior portion of this punctate area with numerous longitudinal rugae, at posterior margin with four setiferous punctures, posterior margin with palisade fringe; tergite VIII (Fig. 101) with moderately dense microsetae anteriorly and laterally, anteriorly with sparse gland openings not arranged in clusters, posterior margin truncately produced in the middle and distinctly crenulate, postero-lateral margins with numerous stout dark setae.

: sternite VIII (Fig. 102) with posterior margin truncately produced in the middle, laterally and posteriorly with setae; median lobe of aedeagus 0.6 mm long and shaped as in Figs 103–104; paramere (Fig. 105) 0.45 mm long, apical lobe moderately long and apically convex.

: unknown.

Comparative notes: Based on the external and sexual characters, O. morulus belongs to the O. siwalikensis group (see ASSING 2016b, 2017a). Among the species of this group, it is characterized by the black body, black femora and tibiae, long and slender legs and antennae, the punctation and microsculpture of the uneven elytra (see above), the derived shapes and chaetotaxy of tergite and sternite VIII, and the shapes of the median lobe and the parameres of the aedeagus. It is readily distinguished from O. willersi PACE, 2001 , the sole representative of the O. siwalikensis group previously recorded from Vietnam, by much darker coloration alone. For illustrations of O. willersi see ASSING (2015).

Distribution and natural history: The type locality is situated at about 12°08'N, 108°32'E in South Vietnam, at an altitude of approximately 1450 m.

Figures

Figs 1–15:Myrmoecia urartu (1), Pella feldmanni (2), Orphnebius taurus (3–5), O. fortesetosus (6–7), O. morulus (8–9), O. globifer (10–11), andO. elevatus (12–15): habitus (1–3); head and pronotum (4–5); forebody (6, 8, 10, 12–13); abdomen (7, 9, 11); anterolateral portion of abdomen (14); tergites VII–VIII (15). Scale bars: 1–3: 1.0 mm; 4–15: 0.5 mm.