Pseudophanias excavatus Inoue, Nomura & Yin, 2020

Inoue, Shota, Nomura, Shuhei & Yin, Zi-Wei, 2020, Three new species of Pseudophanias Raffray from Japan and Taiwan Island, and synonymy of Chandleriella Hlavac with Pseudophanias (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae), ZooKeys 987, pp. 135-156 : 135

Pseudophanias excavatus Inoue, Nomura & Yin sp. nov. Figs 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13

Type material.

Holotype (NSMT): ♂, "Tengshih (1400 m, litter) / Kaosiung Hsien / [M-Taiwan] / 台湾高雄縣藤枝 / 20-22. iv. 2001, H. Sugaya leg. // HOLOTYPE (red) /♂, Pseudophanias excavatus sp. nov., / det. Inoue, Nomura & Yin, 2020" Paratypes: (NSMT, KUM, NMNS) 1 ♂, 3 ♀, same data as holotype; 6 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as holotype, but 29-30 IV 2001; 1 ♂, 2 ♀, same data as holotype, but 30 IV 2001. Each paratype pinned with the following label: "PARATYPE (yellow) / ♂ (or ♀), Pseudophanias excavatus sp. nov., / det. Inoue, Nomura & Yin, 2020".

Diagnosis.

This species is readily distinguished from other members of Pseudophanias by the clasping formed antennae in the male, frontal sulcus indistinct, and the rounded pronotum.

Description.

Male (Figs 9A , 10A ). Body length 2.21-2.48 mm. Dorsal surface with dense setae.

Head (Fig. 11A ) as long as wide, HL 0.45-0.50 mm, HW 0.43-0.50 mm, densely punctate, with dense, long setae; frontal rostrum broad, with frontal fovea nude; antennal tubercles distinct; vertex flat, with pair of glabrous foveae; eyes prominent, small; occiput with dense setae; postocular margin two times longer than eyes; small areas just posterior to U-shaped setose sulci finely punctate. Antennae (Figs 10B , 12A-E ) strongly modified, 0.98-1.12 mm in length; antennomeres 1 elongate, as long as 2-4 combined; 2-4 each transverse, successively shorter; 5-11 strongly excavated on ventral side, with tufts of setae on ventral surface, modified to form clasping, each excavated on ventral surface; 5-9 each two times wider than 4, each transverse; 9 longer than 8; 10 as long as 9, asymmetrical; outer side strongly produced ventrally in 9; 11 enlarged, with glabrous areas on ventral side. Maxillary palpi (Fig. 11B ) symmetrical; palpomeres 1 minute; palpomeres 2 elongate, narrowed in basal halves; palpomeres 3 small, widest at apices; palpomeres 4 fusiform. Pronotum (Fig. 11C ) about as long as wide, PL 0.47-0.55 mm, PW 0.50-0.55 mm, broadly rounded, widest at middle, finely punctate on dorsal surface, with a median and pair of lateral antebasal foveae; antebasal area strongly punctate. Metaventrite (Figs 10D , 11D ) finely punctate, strongly convex, but area just above metaventral apex roundly impressed; that impression 2/3 as long as metaventral length, occupying 1/4 metaventral width; anterior margin of that impression sharply rounded, distinct. Elytra (Fig. 11E ) much wider than long, EL 0.57-0.65 mm, EW 0.90-0.98 mm, trapezoidal, finely punctate, each elytron with two basal fovea; discal stria shallow, extending from basal fovea placed middle to posterior 1/3. Legs. All legs moderately short; each femora broadest near middle; protibiae, mesotibiae with dense yellow setae at apices; protibiae, metatibiae moderately straight; mesotibiae slightly arcuate at apical fourth; tarsi (Fig. 11G ) each with tarsomere 2 half as long as tarsomere 3; tarsal claws (Fig. 11H ) asymmetrical; anterior claws long, posterior claws thin, short. Abdomen (Fig. 11F ) much wider than long, widest at tergite IV, AL 0.64-0.81 mm, AW 0.97-1.05 mm, lacking discal carinae; tergite IV longest, twice as long as V, with setose depression at base. Tergite and sternite VIII as in Fig. 13D, E . Aedeagus (Fig. 13A-C ) 0.60-0.63 mm in length, well-sclerotized, slightly asymmetrical in dorsal and ventral view, tubular in lateral view; parameres symmetrical, extremely elongate, reaching apical third, each with five setae at apex; median lobe roundly curved, C-shaped in lateral view; apical part widely opened, narrowed towards basal part to connect ovoidal dorsal diaphragm; apical lobe extending downward, curved to form S-shaped in lateral view, widely opened at base, strongly produced laterally at apex; endophallus indistinct.

Female (Fig. 9B ). BL 2.21-2.27 mm; HL 0.44-0.48 mm; HW 0.44-0.48 mm; PL 0.47-0.55 mm; PW 0.46-0.51 mm; EL 0.56-0.63 mm; EW 0.90-0.94 mm; AL 0.67-0.70 mm; AW 0.94-0.96 mm. Antennae (Fig. 10C ) with antennomeres 11 simple, successively widened towards apices; antennomeres 2-10 each transverse; 11 ovoid, largest. Metaventrite convex, lacking metaventral impression.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the strongly excavated antennae in the male of the new species.

Distribution.

China (Taiwan).

Biology.

This species was collected from leaf litter.

Figures

Figure 9. Dorsal habitus of Pseudophanias excavatus A male B female. Scale bar: 1.0 mm.

Figure 10. Morphological details of Pseudophanias excavatus A habitus in lateral view B male antenna C female antenna D male metaventrite. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (A); 0.5 mm (D); 0.2 mm (B, C).

Figure 11. SEM images of Pseudophanias excavatus, male A head B maxillary palp C pronotum D metaventrite E elytra F abdomen G protarsus H protarsal claws. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A, C-F); 0.1 mm (B, G); 0.05 mm (H).

Figure 12. Male antenna of Pseudophanias excavatus by SEM images A lateral view B ventral view C antennomere 11 in ventral view D antennomeres 5 - 10 in ventral view E special setae on antennomere VIII in ventral view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A, B); 0.1 mm (C, D); 0.01 mm (E).

Figure 13. Male genitalia of Pseudophanias excavatus A ventral view B lateral view C dorsal view D tergite VIII E sternite VIII. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.