Orphnebius (Deroleptus) multimpressus, Assing, 2015

Assing, Volker, 2015, On the Orphnebius fauna of the East Palaearctic region. VI. Six new species from China and Taiwan, and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Lomechusini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 47 (1), pp. 101-125 : 116-118

Orphnebius (Deroleptus) multimpressus nov.sp.

( Figs 28-33 )

Type material: Holotype ♀: " China: Yunnan Prov., Xichuanbanna, Guang Ping , 34 km N Jinhong , 28.-29.VIII.2009, 1200 m, leg. S. Murzin / Holotypus ♀ Orphnebius multimpressus sp. n., det. V. Assing 2015" ( cAss).

Etymology: The specific epithet (adjective) alludes to the five impressions on the pronotum.

Description: Large species, body length 8.3 mm; length of forebody 3.2 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 28 . Coloration: body blackish, with the posterior margins of the abdominal segments dark-reddish; legs blackish-brown with black femora and reddishbrown protarsi; antennae blackish-brown with antennomere II and base of III reddish-brown. Head ( Fig. 29 ) distinctly transverse, approximately 1.3 times as wide as long, posteriorly vertically sloping ventrad towards neck, but not angulate (lateral view); behind eyes smoothly curved towards neck (dorsal view), posterior angles completely obsolete; neck approximately 0.3 times as wide as head; punctation fine and rather sparse, absent in antero-median dorsal portion and on frons; microsculpture in median dorsal portion obsolete, very shallow in lateral portion (near eyes). Eyes large, strongly bulging, and of oblong ellipsoid shape, not situated laterally, but dorso-laterally. Antenna not distinctly asymmetric, approximately 2.5 mm long, and slender.

Pronotum ( Fig. 29 ) moderately convex in cross-section, of transversely quadrangular shape, approximately 1.3 times as wide as long and as wide as head; anterior and posterior angles marked; disc posteriorly with five impressions together somewhat resembling a maple leaf; punctation sparse and extremely fine, barely noticeable; pubescence short and depressed; laterally, anteriorly, and posteriorly distinctly margined and without long setae.

Elytra ( Fig. 29 ) distinctly widened posteriorly and nearly as long as pronotum; suture gaping posteriorly; punctation moderately sparse and distinctly granulose; interstices with pronounced microreticulation. Hind wings present. Legs conspicuously long and slender; mesotiba weakly, metatibia more strongly curved; metatibia 1.7 mm long.

Abdomen ( Fig. 30 ) wedge-shaped, distinctly tapering posteriad (lateral sternal processes not considered); sternites III-VI postero-laterally with conspicuous processes, that of sternite IV and particularly that of sternite V enormous and of highly characteristic shape; tergites strongly transverse, disc of tergite V 1.8 times as broad as long (length measured from anterior transverse line to posterior margin; width measured between paratergites); tergites III-VI impunctate, except for some barely noticeable minute setiferous punctures at the posterior margins; integument without microsculpture; posterior 3/5 of tergite VII and tergite VIII with coarse and dense non-setiferous punctures; posterior margin of tergite VII with distinct palisade fringe; sternite VIII posteriorly with pair of lateral processes and pronounced median process.

♀: tergite VIII posteriorly with numerous denticles ( Fig. 31 ); sternite VIII as in Fig. 32 ; spermatheca small in relation to body size, shaped as in Fig. 33.

Comparative notes: According to HLAVÁČ et al. (2011), 13 species have been assigned to Deroleptus , most of them distributed in the Oriental region ( Sri Lanka, Peninsular Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines). One species, O. niger (CAMERON, 1939) , has been recorded from Assam and one, O. draco , from China. The similar external characters suggest that O. multimpressus is closely allied to O. draco , which too was desribed from Yunnan. It differs from this species by the coloration ( O. draco : lateral extensions of abdominal sternites III-V dark yellowish), the shorter antennae ( O. draco : approximately 3 mm long), the punctation of the head ( O. draco : postero-median portion of head without punctures), the less convex (cross-section) and more transverse pronotum ( O. draco : approximately 1.2 times as broad as long), the finer punctation and different impressions on the pronotum ( O. draco : with two impressions on either side of middle and with long transverse impression near posterior margin), the shorter legs ( O. draco : metatibia approximately 2 mm long), the shorter and differently shaped lateral extensions of the abdominal sternite III-V, the broader abdominal tergites ( O. draco : disc of tergite V barely 1.5 times as broad as long), and by the shape of the spermatheca. For illustrations of O. draco see ASSING (2010). The new species is readily distinguished from O. niger by the darker antennae ( O. niger : antennae yellowish-red with the apical three antennomeres black), the shapes of the lateral projections of the abdominal sternites III-VI ( O. niger : lateral projections of sternite IV bifid), and the different shape of the abdominal tergite VIII ( O. niger : posterior margin broadly and deeply emarginate, the middle of the emargination with a stout blunt tooth).

Distribution and natural history: The type locality is situated in southwestern Yunnan at an altitude of 1200 m. Additional data are not available.

Figures

Figs 28-33: Orphnebius multimpressus nov.sp.: habitus (28); forebody (29); abdomen (30); tergite VIII (31); sternite VIII (32); spermatheca (33). Scale bars: 28-30: 1.0 mm; 31-32: 0.5 mm; 33: 0.2 mm.