Dianous ningxiaensis, Tang, Liang & Li, Li-Zhen, 2013

Tang, Liang & Li, Li-Zhen, 2013, Discovery of Steninae from Ningxia, Northwest China (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), ZooKeys 272, pp. 1-20 : 11-14

Dianous ningxiaensis sp. n. Figs 7, 849-52

Type material.

Holotype. China: Ningxia: ♂, glued on a card with labels as follows: "Jinyuan County, Erlonghe Linchang, Xiaonanchuan, 2000 m, 10.VII.2008, Zi-Wei Yin leg." "Holotype / Dianous ningxiaensis / Tang & Li" [red handwritten label] (SHNU).

Diagnosis.

The new species belongs to the Dianous chinensis complex and is similar to Dianous chinensis Bernhauer, 1915 (Fig. 25). It can be easily distinguished from the latter by the extremely large elytral spots and distinctly longer parameres of the aedeagus.

Description.

Body black with a blue to purple metallic luster, antennal club brownish, each elytron with a large elongate orange spot, which is 1/2 as long as and 3 /5 as broad as the respective elytron, and with a coppery luster around the spot, pubescence silvery to golden brown throughout, that of elytral spots golden brown.

BL: 6.7 mm; FL: 3.3 mm.

HW: 1.07 mm, PL: 0.91 mm, PW: 0.87 mm, EL: 1.55 mm, EW: 1.40 mm, SL: 1.28 mm.

Head 0.77 times as wide as elytra; interocular area with deep longitudinal furrows, median portion convex; punctures round, similar in size, diameter of punctures about as wide as basal cross section of antennal segment III; interstices without microsculpture and of variable width, ranging from being narrower than half the diameter of punctures to being of similar width as diameter of punctures. Antennae, when reflexed, extending distinctly beyond posterior margin of pronotum; relative length of antennal segments from base to apex as 16: 9.5: 34.5: 16.5: 18: 15.5: 15.5: 15: 14: 12: 13.

Pronotum 1.04 times as long as wide; disk uneven, with two deep median impressions fused with a distinct basal impression; punctures mostly well delimited, slightly larger than those on head; interstices without microreticulation and of variable width.

Elytra 1.11 times as long as wide; punctation and interstices similar to those of pronotum except for a few larger punctures and partly fainly microsculptured interstices.

Hind tarsi with tarsomeres IV distinctly bilobed.

Abdomen semi-cylindrical with broad, raised and densely punctate paratergites of segments III–VI, paratergites of segment III slightly broader than apical width of metatibiae, punctures minute; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe; punctures on abdominal tergites III–VIII minute, smaller than ommatidia of eyes; interstices without microsculpture, except those of sternite VIII and of variable width.

Pubescence of fore body conspicuously long and suberect, single setae as long as fourth antennal segment.

Male. Sternite VII with posteromedian portion slightly flattened and densely pubescent; sternite VIII (Fig. 49) with deep emargination in the middle of posterior margin; sternite IX (Fig. 50) with apicolateral projections moderately pointed and posterior margin serrate; tergite X (Fig. 51) with posterior margin slightly emarginated. Aedeagus (Fig. 52) with median lobe bilobed at apex; parameres bent inwards, extending distinctly beyond apex of median lobe, with setae on inner side of apical portion.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Ningxia).

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from “Ningxia”, the type locality of this species.