Notocousya, Assing, 2018

Assing, Volker, 2018, A new genus of Oxypodini from China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (2), pp. 1119-1124 : 1120-1123

Genus Notocousya nov.gen. ( Figs 1-14 )

T y p e s p e c i e s Notocousya quadriceps nov.sp.

E t y m o l o g y: The new name (gender: feminine) alludes to the conspicuous shape of the pronotum and the general resemblance with species of the oxypodine genus Cousya.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Habitus ( Fig. 1 ) distinctive; whole body with dense and fine punctation and with microsculpture.

Head ( Figs 2-3, 5 ) large in relation to pronotum, of oblong subquadrangular shape, with long postocular portion, lateral margins behind eyes parallel; postgenal carinae long and pronounced, anteriorly extending beyond posterior margin of eyes in ventral view; gular sutures distinctly separated ( Fig. 3 ). Labrum ( Fig. 2 ) moderately transverse; anterior margin smoothly convex and margined, with a long lateral seta on either side. Antenna ( Fig. 4 ) moderately long, fine, and weakly incrassate apically; preapical antennomeres moderately tranverse. mandibles strongly curved, basally stout, apically acute, and of moderate length, not visible in dorsal view when in resting position. Maxilla ( Fig. 8 ) with long and slender galea protruding from under the anterior margin of the labrum (apices visible in dorsal view); maxillary palpi 4-jointed and slender. Labium ( Fig. 9 ) with slender 3-jointed palpi; ligula undivided, apically convex and with two long setae.

Pronotum ( Fig. 5 ) of distinctive shape, small in relation to head, somewhat bell-shaped, weakly transverse, broadest at anterior angles, and with sharply marked posterior angles. Prosternum ( Fig. 10 ) strongly transverse and sharply elevated along middle; epipleura well visible in lateral view.

Elytra ( Fig. 5 ) long, large in relation to pronotum; postero-median process of mesoventrite acute and reaching half-way between mesocoxya; metaventrite large and long ( Fig. 10 ). Legs without distinctive modification; tarsal formula 5, 5, 5; metatarsomere I elongate, approximately as long as the combined length of metatarsomeres II-IV ( Fig. 7 ).

Abdomen ( Fig. 6 ) slender; tergites III-V with moderately deep, tergite VI with shallow anterior impressions.

♂: unknown.

♀: shapes of tergite and sternite VIII ( Figs 11-12 ) not distinctive; posterior margin of sternite VIII with stout modified setae, these setae denser in the middle than laterally; spermatheca ( Fig. 14 ) similar to that of many other Oxypodini , not distinctive.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: The new genus belongs to the Oxypodina and, among the general of this subtribe, is characterized particularly by the conspicuously shape of the head, the shape and chaetotaxy of the labrum, and by the distinctive shape of the pronotum. It is additionally distinguished from other East Palaearctic genera of similar habitus as follows:

from Drepasiagonusa PACE, 2012 by much shorter and stouter mandibles;

from Chinecousya ASSING, 2006 by a much larger head, much finer punctation of the forebody, much finer and denser punctation of the abdomen, distinct microsculpture on the whole body, much more slender maxillary and labial palpi, a longer galea of the maxilla, an anteriorly convex labrum (anteriorly concave in Chinecousya), finer antennae with less transverse antennomeres IV-X, more slender tarsi with a longer metatarsomere I, and a much longer spermatheca;

from Cousya by a smaller pronotum of different shape, a much larger and differently shaped head, an anteriorly convex labrum (concave in Cousya), a long galea, a ligula of different shape and chaetotaxy, longer meso- and metatarsomeres I, and a distinctly sclerotized spermatheca.

For illustrations of Drepasiagonusa, Chinecousya, and Cousya see ASSING (2006, 2018a, c) and PACE (2012).

Figures

Figs 1-7: Notocousya quadriceps: habitus (1); head in dorsal view (2); head in ventral view (3); antenna (4); forebody (5); abdomen (6); hind leg (7). Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 4-7: 0.5 mm; 2-3: 0.2 mm.

Figs 6-14: Notocousya quadriceps: maxilla (8); labium (9); thorax in ventral view (10); female tergite VIII (11); female sternite VIII (12); posterior margin of female sternite VIII (13); spermatheca (14). Scale bars: 10: 0.5 mm; 11-12: 0.2 mm; 8-9, 13-14: 0.1 mm.