Lithocharodes dubiosa, 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 : 41

Lithocharodes dubiosa spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A9BFC64A-5AEA-499E-ABB9-94BE1F8F05B6

Figs 6 a-d, 45 C, 49 F

Type material: male, holotype: Peru, Tambopata Prov., Madre de Dios Dpto., 15 km NE Puerto Maldonado, Cuzco Amazônico (12°33'S, 69°03'W), 200 m elev., Plot #Z1 trail 26, flight intercept trap, 26.6.1989, leg. R. Leschen, #280 ( KNHM) .

Diagnosis: Lithocharodes dubiosa can hardly be separated from species with similar size. It can be separated from L. pampana and L. lescheni by sparser punctation of the head. The main separating character is the twisted band of the endophallus with larger teeth and lobes anteriorly and minute teeth posteriorly. The endophallus in L. pampana has a spiral form and the endophallus of L. lescheni forms a thick bulb at base.

Description: Length: 4.5 mm. Colouration: Brown; head darker brown than remaining body; legs and posterior abdominal segments light brown.

Head: 0.79 mm long, 0.65 mm wide; eyes moderately large, postocular sides twice as long as eyes; interantennal furrows convergent; reaching mid of eyes; setiferous punctation on anterior vertex denser than on posterior vertex; on average, interstices at least as wide as diameter of punctures; narrow midline impunctate; surface with extremely weak microsculpture; moderately shiny. Antennae with first antennomere half as long as length of head; second and third antennomere conical; approximately as long as apical width; subsequent antennomeres distinctly wider than long and increasing in width; forth antennomere 2.5 times as wide as long; tenth antennomere three times as long as wide; all antennomeres with long setae; fourth to eleventh antennomeres pubescent. Pronotum: 0.89 mm long, 0.58 mm wide; widest in anterior forth; shortly narrowed toward neck in convex curve; posteriad more strongly narrowed in middle third; nearly parallel in posterior third; posterior margin slightly convex; setiferous punctation moderately dense; on average, interstices as wide as diameter of punctures; close to posterior margin interstices slightly wider; moderately wide midline impunctate; surface with extremely weak microsculpture; moderately shiny. Elytra: 0.87 mm long, 0.73 mm wide; humeral angles sub-rectangular; sides posteriad slightly divergent; posterior angles shortly rounded; posterior margin with wide triangular emargination; setiferous punctation dense; punctures larger than on head and pronotum; on average, interstices between punctures half as wide as diameter of punctures; surface with weak isodiametric microsculpture; less shiny than head and pronotum. Abdomen with setiferous punctation finer and sparser than on fore-body; surface with weak isodiametric microsculpture; posterior margin of sternite VII of male sinuate with short emargination on each side of central process; tergite VII of male straight; both sternite and tergite with longitudinal striae close to posterior margin; meso and metatibia with one subapical ctenidium. Aedeagus oval with sub-rectangular anterior part; endophallus forming one wide band with three torsions; lobes and teeth in anterior part large; tooth size decreasing posteriad; at posterior end of endophallus with minute teeth; paramere slender; curved in anterior third; at inner face with pairs of setae; setae at base longer than at apex.

Etymology: The species name is derived from the same Latin word (meaning doubtful) and refers to the extreme similarity with L. lescheni from the same region.

Figures

Fig. 2–7: L.-verhaaghi-group: Lithocharodes verhaaghi (2), L. pampana (3), L. silvicola (4), L. trinitatis (5), L. dubiosa (6), L. peruana (7); 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.