Lithocharodes obscura, Irmler, 2021

Irmler, Ulrich, 2021, The Neotropical species of the genus Lithocharodes SHARP, 1876 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Xantholinini), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 71 (1), pp. 29-85 : 53

Lithocharodes obscura spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F520ED25-EB0D-4CFB-AD03-F8322592C96C

Figs 10 a-d, 43 P,47 G

Type material: male, holotype: Bolivia, Santa Cruz Dept, 3.7 km SSE Buena Vista Hotel Flora y Fauna (63°33.15'W, 17°29.95'S), 400-440 m elev., secondary forest, flight intercept trap, 2.- 9.11.2002, leg. R. Leschen, #BOL1L02- 055 ( KNHM) .

Diagnosis: The species is unique by its shape and structure of the aedeagus. It likely represents another related genus to Lithocharodes . But our actual knowledge about the aedeagal variation in this genus is too poor to establish a new genus for the species. The species can be also distinguished from the other species of the genus by the rectangular shape of the head in combination with the moderately dense setiferous punctation.

Description: Length: 5.2 mm. Colouration: Dark brown to blackish; legs and antennae brown.

Head: 0.95 mm long, 0.81 mm wide; eyes small; not prominent; postocular sides slightly divergent; approximately three times as long as eyes; posterior angles shortly rounded to straight posterior margin; interantennal furrows reaching anterior third of eyes; setiferous punctation moderately deep and dense; on average, interstices between punctures as wide as diameter of punctures; surface partly with extremely weak microsculpture; partly without microsculpture; shiny. Antennae with first antennomere as long as halflength of head; second and third antennomere conical and 1.5 times as long as wide; subsequent antennomeres wider than long and increasing in width; fourth antennomere 1.5 times as wide as long; tenth antennomere twice as wide as long; all antennomeres pubescent. Pronotum: 1.07 mm long, 0.71 mm wide; widest in anterior fourth; anteriad, conically narrowed toward neck; narrowed in middle third; nearly parallel in posterior third; posterior angles obtuse; posterior margin slightly convex; setiferous punctation moderately deep and dense; interstices between punctures at least as wide as diameter of punctures; mostly 1.5 times to twice as wide as diameter of punctures; wide midline impunctate; surface without microsculpture; shiny. Elytra: 0.94 mm long, 0.84 mm wide; humeral angles obtuse; sides slightly divergent posteriad; posterior angles subrectangular; posterior margin distinctly triangularly retreated toward suture; setiferous punctation moderately deep and dense; surface with irregular ground sculpture. Abdomen with weaker and sparser setiferous punctation than fore-body; surface of segments with weak and sparse microsculpture at base and nearly without microsculpture in apical part; posterior margin of sternite VII of male convexly prominent and with central triangular incision; tergite VII of male with nearly straight posterior margin. Meso- and metatibia with two subapical ctenidia each. Aedeagus slightly convergent posteriad; anterior half sub-rectangular; anterior angles and central orifice slightly prominent; dorsal plate small and restricted to posterior third; endophallus short; small anterior part and thicker posterior part covered by minute teeth; contorted; paramere slender; basic half straight; apical half distinctly curved; at apex, short setae confined to inner face at curved part; more setae at base.

Etymology: The species name is derived from the same Latin word (meaning dark) and refers to the dark colouration.

Figures

Fig. 8–12: L.-hanagarthi-group and L.-sordida-group:Lithocharodes boliviana (8), L. hanagarthi (9), L. obscura (10), L. bicornis (11), L. sordida (12); aedeagus (a), paramere (b), sternite VII of male (c), tergite VII of male (d); scale bare: A – D: 0.2 mm; B: 0.1 mm.