Xantholinus (Helicophallus) bitlisicus, Assing, Volker, 2007

Assing, Volker, 2007, On the Xantholinini of Turkey and adjacent regions (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae), Zootaxa 1474, pp. 1-54 : 35-37

Xantholinus (Helicophallus) bitlisicus sp. n.

( Figs. 85–91 , 93 )

Type material. Holotype: ɗ, "Tatvan, Asm. or., 1900 m, 20.5.69, leg. F. Schubert / Holotypus ɗ Xantholinus bitlisicus sp. n. det. V. Assing 2006" ( NHMW). Paratypes: 7ɗɗ, 4ΨΨ, same data as holotype ( NHMW, cAss); 3ɗɗ, 1Ψ, "Tatvan Asm, V/76, 1800 m, leg. F. Schubert ( NHMW).

Description. Measurements (in mm) and ratios (range, arithmetic mean; n=16): AL: 1.74–2.07, 1.93; HL: 1.22–1.48, 1.38; HW: 0.98–1.16, 1.08; PW: 0.88–1.06, 0.99; PL: 1.28–1.54, 1.44; EL: 0.79–1.03, 0.93; EW: 1.03–1.28, 1.20; AW: 1.07–1.36, 1.19; TiL: 0.59–0.71, 0.66; TaL: 0.59–0.71, 0.66; ML: 1.27–1.54, 1.42; TL: 7.6–10.1; HL/HW: 1.24–1.31, 1.27; PW/HW: 0.88–0.95, 0.92; PL/PW: 1.41–1.51, 1.45; EL/PL: 0.60–0.68, 0.64; EW/PW: 1.13–1.27, 1.19; AW/EW: 0.94–1.07, 1.01; TiL/TaL: 1.15–1.28, 1.22.

Habitus as in Fig. 85 . Coloration: head and pronotum reddish brown to dark brown, with the head sometimes somewhat darker than pronotum; elytra bright reddish; abdomen brown to blackish brown; legs dark yellowish; antennae reddish to brown.

Head strongly oblong (see measurements and ratio HL/HW), weakly dilated posteriorly; lateral margins weakly convex in dorsal view ( Fig. 86 ); eyes small ( Fig. 87 ), not distinctly projecting from lateral outline of head, approximately 1/5 the length of postocular region in dorsal view; dorsal surface with sparse, welldefined, and relatively fine puncturation, median dorsal area almost without punctures; microsculpture present only in posterior and lateral areas of head ( Fig. 87 ). Antenna with preapical antennomeres weakly transverse, at most 1.5 times as wide as long ( Fig. 88 ).

Pronotum distinctly narrower than head (see ratio PW/HW), distinctly tapering posteriad; lateral margins almost straight in dorsal view; dorsal series composed of 9–12 punctures; microsculpture absent ( Fig. 86 ).

Elytra somewhat wider than pronotum and of variable length, at suture distinctly shorter than pronotum (see ratios EL/PL and EW/PW), weakly dilated posteriad ( Fig. 86 ); puncturation of variable density and more or less well-defined. Hind wings at least in some specimens of reduced length. Legs relatively short (see measurements).

Abdomen approximately as wide as elytra, widest at segments VI/VII; puncturation variable, usually fine and moderately dense; all tergites with distinct transverse microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with narrow palisade fringe.

ɗ: posterior margins of tergite and sternite VIII weakly convex and narrowly semitransparent; aedeagus ( Fig. 89 ) with internal structures composed of a proximal series of approximately 15–20 relatively short and distinctly slerotised spines, a distal series of approximately 20 long and distinctly sclerotised spines, a distal series of approximately 20 moderately long and distinctly sclerotised spines, distally continued in a series of approximately 25 very short and weakly sclerotised spines, an intermediate distal series composed of 10–15 moderately sclerotised spines of gradually decreasing length, and a distal brush-like cluster of long and weakly sclerotised spines ( Figs. 90–91 ).

Comparative notes. The new species is characterised especially by the internal structures of the aedeagus. From the southern Anatolian representatives of Helicophallus , it is additionally separated by the paler coloration of the head, pronotum, and abdomen, and by the presence of microsculpture in the lateral and posterior areas of the head. From the northeastern Anatolian X. korgei , it is also distinguished by the distinctly longer elytra and by the paler coloration of the whole body, especially of the elytra (in X. korgei dark brown). The aedeagus of X. korgei differs from that of X. bitlisicus— even without squeeze preparation—in the darker and wider proximal series, as well as in the distinctly separate additional distal series of spines (see Fig. 92 ).

Etymology. The name (Lat., adj.) is derived from the province Bitlis, where the type locality is situated.

Distribution and bionomics. The types were collected in the surroundings of Tatvan, Bitlis province, eastern Anatolia ( Fig. 93 ), at an altitude of 1800–1900 m.

Figures

FIGURE 93. Distributions of Xantholinus korgei Coiffait (filled circles;?: doubtful record from Sinop), X. heinzi Coiffait (open circles), X. bitlisicus sp. n. (filled square), and X. ilgazensis Coiffait (open square) in Turkey.

FIGURES 85 – 92. Xantholinus bitlisicus sp. n. (85 – 91) and X. korgei Coiffait (92): 85 — habitus; 86 — forebody; 87 — head in lateral view; 88 — antennomeres II – XI; 89, 92 — aedeagus in dorsal view; 90 — internal structures of aedeagus in squeeze preparation; 91 — median and distal part of internal structures of aedeagus in squeeze preparation. Scale bars: 85 – 87: 1.0 mm; 88 – 90, 92: 0.5 mm; 91: 0.2 mm.