Zyras (Zyras) bryanti CAMERON, 1943

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 : 232-233

Zyras (Zyras) bryanti CAMERON, 1943

( Figs 6, 23 , 38 , 59–62 )

Zyras (Zyras) bryanti CAMERON, 1943: 141 f.

Zyras (Zyras) mortuorum PACE, 1990: 99 ; syn. nov.

Zyras (Zyras) paederinus PACE, 2008: 153 ; syn. nov.

Type material examined: Z. bryanti : Holotype ♂: “ Matang, 22.I.14, 2000 ft / G 28 / Z. bryanti Cam. Type / Holotype / M. Cameron. Bequest. B.M. 1955-147 / Holotypus Zyras bryanti Cameron , rev. V. Assing 2017” ( BMNH).

Z. mortuorum : Holotype ♂: “ PHILIPPINES, SAGADA , 19/12/79, L. Deharveng / En Aval Village, lavage d’humus / Holotypus Zyras mortuorum m., det. R. Pace 1985 / Zyras mortuorum sp. n., det. R. Pace 1985 / Museum Paris 1998, Coll. J. Orousset / Zyras bryanti Cameron , det. V. Assing 2017 ” (MNHNP) .

Z. paederinus : Holotype ♂: “ BORNEO SABAH Mt. Kinabalu N. P. , above Poring Hot Springs , 520 m, 9.V.87, A. Smetana / Holotypus Zyras paederinus mihi, det. R. Pace 2000 / Zyras paederinus n. sp., det. R. Pace 2000 / MHNG ENTO 00010006 / Zyras bryanti Cameron , det. V. Assing 2017” ( MHNG).

Comment: The original description of Z. bryanti is based on a unique holotype from “W. Sarawak: Mt. Matang” ( CAMERON 1943), that of Z. mortuorum on a male holotype and a male paratype from “environs de Sagada” ( PACE 1990), and that of Z. paederinus on a unique male from “ Sabah, Mt. Kinabalu, above Poring Hot Springs” ( PACE 2008). An examination of the holotypes of the three names revealed that they are conspecific. Hence the synonymies proposed above. The holotype of Z. mortuorum has the antennae somewhat darker (antennomeres III–X dark-brown, distinctly contrasting with the reddish-yellow antennomere XI), more extensively infuscate tergites VI and VII, and the ventral process of the aedeagus slightly more acute in ventral view, but otherwise no evidence was found suggesting that it should represent a distinct species.

Additional material examined: Thailand: 1 ♀, Satun Province, Thale Ban National Park, 20 km E Satun, 200–400 m, 1–4.I.1996, leg. Schulz & Vock (cAss). Malaysia: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Kelantan, Gua Musang, 3.VI.2006, leg. Čiampor (cHla, cAss) .

Redescription: Small species; body length 3.8–4.8 mm; length of forebody 1.7–2.1 mm. Coloration ( Figs 6, 23 , 38 ): head brown to blackish-brown; pronotum pale-reddish; elytra yellowish red with the posterolateral portions more or less extensively and more or less distinctly, diffusely infuscate (sometimes leaving only the anterior margin and the scutellar portion paler); abdomen yellowish-red with most to nearly all of tergite VI (except for the anterior and antero-lateral portions) and the posterior two-fifths to four-fifths of tergite VII infuscate; antennae yellowish-red to darkbrown with the basal antennomeres dark-yellowish to reddish and antennomere XI reddish-yellow; maxillary palpi yellowish.

Head ( Fig. 23 ) distinctly transverse, median portion extensively impunctate; punctures in lateral portions rather dense and moderately coarse. Eyes large, approximately twice as long as postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna ( Fig. 6 ) long and very slender, 1.7–2.1 mm long; antennomeres IV–VI approximately twice as long as broad (or nearly so), VII–X distinctly oblong, of gradually decreasing length, and decreasingly oblong, and XI approximately as long as the combined length of IX and X.

Pronotum ( Fig. 23 ) 1.08–1.14 times as broad as long and 1.08–1.17 times as broad as head, broadest near anterior angles, weakly convex in cross-section; punctation very dense and fine; midline without impunctate band.

Elytra ( Fig. 23 ) nearly 0.83–0.89 times as long as pronotum; punctation very dense, slightly coarser than that of pronotum. Hind wings present. Metatarsomere I slender, shorter than the combined length of II–IV.

Abdomen ( Fig. 38 ) narrower than elytra, with deep anterior impressions on tergites III–V; anterior impressions of tergites III–V each with a transverse row of few very large, but weakly defined puncture-like impressions, with a lateral puncture on either side, and with four (tergites III and IV) or six (tergite V) fine setiferous punctures at posterior margin; tergite VI without non-setiferous punctures anteriorly, with a lateral setiferous puncture on either side, and with six setiferous punctures at posterior margin; tergite VII without non-setiferous punctures anteriorly, with two transverse rows each composed of four setiferous punctures posteriorly, posterior margin with palisade fringe; tergite VIII with setiferous punctation only in posterior fourth, posterior margin convex ( Fig. 61 ).

♂: posterior margin of sternite VIII convex ( Fig. 62 ); median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 59–60 ) nearly 0.5 mm long; ventral process slender, ventrally with or without a median carina; paramere slightly longer than median lobe, apical lobe very long and with conspicuously long subapical seta.

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

Comparative notes: Males of Z. bryanti are readily distinguished from all other Zyras sensu strictu species from the Palaearctic and Oriental regions by the morphology of the aedeagus. In addition, this species is characterized by the coloration, small body size, dense punctation of the forebody, the punctation pattern of the abdomen, and the long seta on the apical lobe of the paramere. As can be inferred from the similarly derived punctation of the forebody and the abdomen, as well as from the similarly slender antennae and habitus, Z. bryanti is closely allied to Z. densissimus ASSING, 2017 from Sulawesi Utara, from which it differs by different coloration ( Z. densissimus : whole body of much darker coloration; pronotum blackish), less dense and less fine punctation of the forebody, and a less convex (cross-section) and posteriorly less strongly tapering pronotum (cross-section).

Distribution: Zyras bryanti is currently known from one locality in Borneo, one in Thailand, one in Peninsular Malaysia, and one in the Philippines.

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 53–71: Zyras elegantulus, lectotype (53–55), Z. facundus, lectotype (56–58), Z. bryanti (59–62), Z. matangensis, holotype (63–65), Z. granulipennis, holotype (66–69), and Z. latibasalis (70–71): median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (53–54, 56–57, 59–60, 63–64, 66–67, 70–71); paramere (55, 58); male tergite VIII (61, 65, 68); male sternite VIII (62, 69). Scale bars: 0.2 mm.