Cephennodes (Cephennodes) brachyclavatus, Jałoszyński, 2017

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2017, Ant-like stone beetles on the roof of the world. Cephenniini of Nepal and Bhutan (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 4349 (1), pp. 1-120 : 91-92

Cephennodes (Cephennodes) brachyclavatus sp. n.

( Figs 249 , 259–260 , 272 )

Type material. Holotype: NEPAL (Sindhupalchowk District): ♂, one label: " NEPAL (Prov. Bagmati) / Malemchi, 2900 m / 14.IV.81 / Löbl & Smetana" [white, printed] ( MHNG).

Diagnosis. BL only 1.05 mm; pronotum about as broad as elytra; elytra broadest distinctly in front of middle; antennomeres V and VI subequal in length; subhumeral line on each elytron vestigial, barely discernible; median lobe of aedeagus in ventral view with its rod-like apical portion distinctly constricted in subapical region, apex rounded, lacking lateroapical corners; apical margin of apical projection strongly oblique in relation to the long axis of aedeagus and nearly straight, in ventral view its left lateroapical corner forming small slightly curved subtriangular tooth, and its right corner forming long and pointed triangular projection.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 249 ) brown, elongate, with shallow constriction between pronotum and elytra, weakly convex, covered with light brown setae; BL 1.05 mm.

Head moderately large, HL 0.15 mm, HW 0.26 mm; vertex and frons confluent, evenly convex, supraantennal tubercles small and indistinctly elevated; eyes moderately large, strongly convex and coarsely faceted. Punctures on vertex and frons inconspicuous, small and shallow; setae short, sparse, suberect. Antennae relatively short, moderately compact, AnL 0.48 mm, trimerous club distinctly delimited and strongly thickened; antennomere I 1.5 × as long as broad; II slightly narrower but about as long as I, 1.6 × as long as broad; III–VI subequal in length and width, each narrower than II and slightly transverse; VII slightly longer and broader than VI, slightly transverse; VIII indistinctly narrower and much shorter than VII, strongly transverse; IX distinctly longer and much broader than VIII, strongly transverse; X longer and broader than IX, strongly transverse; XI distinctly broader than X, slightly longer than IX–X together, only about 1.5 × as long as broad, rounded at apex.

Pronotum in dorsal view nearly semicircular, broadest near anterior third, PL 0.28 mm, PW 0.48 mm; anterior margin rounded; lateral margins not microserrate, strongly rounded in anterior half and less so in posterior third, distinctly convergent toward nearly right-angled posterior corners; posterior margin shallowly bisinuate; lateral carinae barely discernible, very narrow, fused with lateral edges; antebasal pits small, shallow and diffuse, nearly equally distant to posterior and lateral pronotal margins. Punctures on disc small and shallow but with relatively sharp margins, densely and relatively evenly distributed, those at middle separated by spaces slightly shorter than diameters of punctures, punctures become gradually smaller and shallower toward anterior and less so toward posterior margin of pronotum; setae short, moderately dense, suberect.

Elytra elongate, oval, broadest between middle and anterior third, EL 0.63 mm, EW 0.50 mm, EI 1.25.

Humeral calli small and weakly elevated; subhumeral lines vestigial, barely discernible; basal pit on each elytron large, located in small, relatively shallow and nearly circular basal impression; apices of elytra separately rounded. Punctures similar to those on median area of pronotum but slightly smaller and denser; setae similar to those on pronotum.

Hind wings present, long.

Metaventrite with short postmesocoxal impressions, not exceeding anterior 1/3 of ventrite length, median portion finely punctate.

Abdomen and legs unmodified.

Aedeagus ( Figs 259–260 ) elongate, AeL 0.18 mm, median lobe in ventral view with long, narrow and distinctly constricted apical portion with rounded apex; apical projection broadly T-shaped, with apical margin strongly oblique in relation to the long axis of aedeagus and nearly straight; parameres slender, unequal in length, each with three setae.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution ( Fig. 272 ). Central-eastern Nepal.

Etymology. The name brachyclavatus refers to the short antennal club.

Remarks. This is the smallest member of the C. oblongopunctatus group, easily distinguishable from all remaining species also on the basis of the barely discernible subhumeral elytral lines and short antennae with strongly thickened pseudo-trimerous club and antennomere XI very broad and rounded at apex.

Figures

FIGURES 247 – 254. Dorsal habitus of Cephennodes (s. str.) gopala sp. n. (247), C. (s. str.) paniporuanus sp. n. (248), C. (s. str.) brachyclavatus sp. n. (249), C. (s. str.) phulchokianus sp. n. (250), C. (s. str.) pokharensis sp. n. (251), C. (s. str.) newar sp. n. (252), C. (s. str.) kusunda sp. n. (253), and C. (s. str.) sindhupalchowk sp. n. (254).

FIGURES 255 – 262. Aedeagus in ventral (255, 257, 259, 261) and lateral (256, 258, 260, 262) views. Cephennodes (s. str.) gopala sp. n. (255 – 256), C. (s. str.) paniporuanus sp. n. (257 – 258), C. (s. str.) brachyclavatus sp. n. (259 – 260), and C. (s. str.) phulchokianus sp. n. (261 – 262). Abbreviations: aml, apex of median lobe; ap, apical projection.

FIGURES 271 – 272. Distribution of Cephennodes (s. str.) gopala sp. n. (271, circle), C. (s. str.) paniporuanus sp. n. (271, triangle), C. (s. str.) brachyclavatus sp. n. (272, circle), and C. (s. str.) phulchokianus sp. n. (272, triangle).