Zyras (Zyras) lunatus, Assing, 2017

Assing, Volker, 2017, On Zyras sensu strictu in the East Palaearctic and Oriental regions III, with a focus on the Southeast of Continental Asia and the Sunda Islands (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Lomechusini), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 67 (2), pp. 213-246 : 239-240

Zyras (Zyras) lunatus spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:ACD6BAAB-FE21-415D-903F-1D2CDEFE0607

( Figs 15 , 29 , 47 , 99–101 )

Type material examined: Holotype ♂: “ MALAYSIA: Selangor, Ulu Gombak Field Studies Centre (250 m), 2–18.III.2004 (FIT), Maruyama M. et al. / Holotypus ♂ Zyras lunatus sp. n., det. V. Assing 2017” (cMar) . Paratypes: 1 ♂ [teneral], 1 ♀: same data as holotype (cMar, cAss).

Etymology: The specific epithet is the past participle of the Latin verb lunare (to bend) and alludes to the subapically distinctly angled ventral process of the aedeagus.

Description: Body length 5.4–6.6 mm; length of forebody 2.6–2.9 mm. Coloration ( Figs 15 , 29 , 47 ): head darkbrown to blackish; pronotum dark-brown; elytra brown to dark-brown with the suture paler; abdomen reddish with the posterior margins of tergites III–V, the posterior portions of tergites VI–VII, and all of tergite VIII yellowish-red; legs yellowish; antennae brown with antennomeres I–II reddish; maxillary palpi reddish with the apical palpomere yellowish.

Head ( Fig. 29 ) distinctly transverse; punctation moderately coarse and moderately dense, median dorsal portion extensively impunctate; pubescence long, sub-erect to erect, and brown. Eyes moderately large, slightly longer than the postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna ( Fig. 15 ) 2.0– 2.1 mm long; antennomeres IV approximately as long as broad or weakly oblong, V as long as broad or weakly transverse, VI–X of gradually increasing width and increasingly transverse, X approximately 1.5 times as broad as long, and XI of conical shape and short, shorter than the combined length of IX and X.

Pronotum ( Fig. 29 ) 1.11–1.12 times as broad as long and 1.23–1.25 times as broad as head, broadest in anterior half, weakly convex in cross-section; posterior angles obtusely marked; lateral margins weakly to distinctly sinuate in posterior half in dorsal view; punctation rather coarse, dense, and somewhat irregularly distributed, laterally and near posterior margin with impunctate patches; midline rather broadly impunctate; pubescence long, pale, and sub-erect; lateral and anterior margins with numerous longer, stouter, and distinctly erect dark setae.

Elytra ( Fig. 29 ) 0.81–0.87 times as long as pronotum; punctation moderately dense and moderately coarse, regularly distributed, and defined; pubescence dense, long, pale, and sub-erect. Hind wings fully developed. Metatarsomere I shorter than the combined length of II–IV.

Abdomen ( Fig. 47 ) nearly as broad as elytra, with rather shallow anterior impressions on tergites III–V; tergites III–V without non-setiferous punctation in anterior impressions (individual punctures may be present), with a transverse row of approximately four setiferous punctures in posterior portions, and with usually eight setiferous punctures at posterior margins; tergite VI with a transverse band of fine non-setiferous punctation anteriorly, with sparse and fine non-setiferous punctures in median third, with some setiferous punctures laterally and with 8–10 setiferous punctures at posterior margin; tergite VII with a transverse band of dense non-setiferous punctures anteriorly, with sparse non-setiferous punctures in median third, and with two transverse rows of setiferous punctures posteriorly (each composed of approximately four punctures), posterior margin with palisade fringe; tergite VIII with setiferous punctures bearing long black setae in posterior third, posterior margin weakly concave in the middle; all sternites with long, dense, and erect yellowish pubescence (rubbed off in the holotype).

♂: sternite VIII with convex posterior margin; median lobe of aedeagus 0.68–0.75 mm long and shaped as in Figs 99–100 ; ventral process slender and subapically distinctly angled; paramere ( Fig. 101 ) 0.78–0.84 mm long and with short apical lobe.

♀: posterior margin of sternite VIII weakly concave in the middle.

Comparative notes: Like the syntopic Z. hlavaci , Z. lunatus belongs to the Z. hirtus group. It is distinguished from Z. hlavaci by smaller body size, more slender antennae, finer and less extensive non-setiferous punctation on the abdomen, and by a smaller aedeagus with a subapically more strongly angled, apically shorter, and in ventral view broader and apically less acute ventral process. It differs from the even smaller Z. formosanus ASSING, 2016 (Taiwan) by a darker forebody, darker antennae with shorter antennomeres IV and V, much longer elytra, the punctation pattern of the abdomen ( Z. formosanus : tergites III–VI with a transverse row of numerous long black setae posteriorly; tergites VI and VII with very sparse non-setiferous punctation anteriorly), and by a smaller aedeagus (despite larger body size) with a longer, subapically distinctly angled, and apically much more slender ventral process.

Distribution and natural history: The type locality is situated in Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia. The specimens were collected with flight interception traps, together with Z. hlavaci . One of the paratypes is slightly teneral.

Figures

Figs 1–26: Antenna (1–18) and forebody (19–26) of Zyras spp. (1–17, 19–26) and Myrmedonota modiglianii (18): punctipennis, holotype (1, 19); facundus, lectotype (2, 24); latibasalis (3, 25); kinabaluensis, holotype (4, 21); matangensis, holotype (5, 26); bryanti, holotype (6, 23); granulipennis, holotype (7); flavorufus, lectotype (8); rutrilobatus (9); parvilobatus (10); hirtiventris (11–12; 11: holotype; 12 female paratype); hlavaci (13–14; 13 holotype; 14 paratype from Selangor); lunatus (15); elegantulus, lectotype (16, 20); pallipyga, holotype (17, 22). Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figs 27–39: Forebody (27–33), abdomen (34–38), and median portion of tergite VIII (39) of Zyras spp.: flavorufus, lectotype (27); parvilobatus (28); lunatus (29); granulipennis, holotype (30); rutrilobatus (31); hirtiventris (32); hlavaci, holotype (33); punctipennis, holotype (34); elegantulus, lectotype (35); facundus, lectotype (36); pallipyga, holotype (37); bryanti, holotype (38); latibasalis (39). Scale bars: 27–38: 1.0 mm; 39: 0.2 mm.

Figs 40–52: Abdomen (40–49, 52), abdominal tergite VI (50), and forebody (51) of Zyras spp. (40–50) and Myrmedonota modiglianii (51–52): latibasalis (40); matangensis, holotype (41); flavorufus, lectotype (42); parvilobatus (43); kinabaluensis, holotype (44); rutrilobatus (45); granulipennis, holotype (46); lunatus (47); hlavaci, holotype (48); hirtiventris, holotype (49–50). Scale bars:1.0 mm.

Figs 87–102: Zyras parvilobatus (87–89), Z. hlavaci (90–95; 90–92: holotype; 93–95: paratype from Selangor), Z. hirtiventris, holotype (96–98), Z. lunatus (99–101), and Myrmedonota modiglanii (102): median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (87–88, 90–91, 93–94, 96–97, 99–100); paramere (89, 92, 95, 98, 101); spermatheca (102). Scale bars: 87–101: 0.5 mm; 102: 0.1 mm.