Luzea valida, Assing, 2011

Assing, V., 2011, Luzea and Pseudomedon in the Eastern Palaearctic region, with additional records from the West Palaearctic (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (1), pp. 245-252 : 247-249

Luzea valida nov.sp. ( Figs 1-7 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: " China: Zhejiang [ CH 07-40], Hangzhou Pref., Ping-hou island nr. Zhapu, 105 km ENE Hangzhou, 30°36'06''N, 121°08'31''E, 0 m, debris from gravel beach, 18.VI.2007, M. Schülke / Holotypus Luzea valida sp.n. det. V. Assing 2011" (cAss). Paratypes: 1 [slightly teneral]: same data as holotype (cSch).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 4.0- 4.7 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: head blackish-brown to blackish; pronotum reddish-brown to brown; elytra reddish; abdomen blackish-brown with the apex (segments VII-X) reddish; legs and antennae reddish.

Head approximately as broad as long ( Fig. 2 ), behind eyes subparallel or weakly dilated in dorsal view; punctation moderately fine, dense, and defined; interstices with fine microsculpture, distinctly narrower than punctures ( Fig. 3 ). Eyes slightly longer than half the length of postocular region. Antenna as in Fig. 4 .

Pronotum approximately as broad as long, indistinctly (ca. 0.98 x) narrower than head, widest anteriorly ( Fig. 2 ); lateral margins weakly converging posteriad in dorsal view; punctation dense, weakly granulose, finer than that of head; interstices glossy, narrower than diameter of punctures ( Fig. 5 ); midline with narrow impunctate band at least in posterior half.

Elytra moderately long, 1.05-1.10 times as long as, and distinctly broader than pronotum; punctation fine and very dense. Hind wings fully developed. Metatarsomere I distinctly longer than II, but slightly shorter than the combined length of II and III.

Abdomen narrower than elytra, widest at segment V; punctation very fine and very dense; interstices with distinct microreticulation; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

: sternite VII not distinctly modified; sternite VIII broadly and rather shallowly excised posteriorly ( Fig. 6 ); aedeagus as in Fig. 7.

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet (Latin, adjective: strong) alludes to the relatively large body size of the species.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Luzea valida is distinguished from all its congeners particularly by distinctly larger body size, the morphology of the aedeagus, and by its coloration. For illustrations of the external and sexual characters of other Luzea species see ASSING (2010).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: Thetypelocalityissituatedin Zhejiang province, western China, where the specimens were sifted from debris on a gravel beach. The paratype is slightly teneral.

Figures

Figs 1-7: Luzea valida nov.sp.: (1) habitus; (2) forebody; (3) median dorsal portion of head; (4) antenna; (5) median dorsal portion of pronotum; (6) male sternite VIII; (7) aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: 1-2: 1.0 mm; 4: 0.5 mm; 6: 0.2 mm; 3, 5, 7: 0.1 mm.