Antimerus bellus, Solodovnikov, A. & Newton, A. F., 2010

Solodovnikov, A. & Newton, A. F., 2010, Revision of the rove beetle genus Antimerus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylininae), a puzzling endemic Australian lineage of the tribe Staphylinini, ZooKeys 67, pp. 21-63 : 42-43

Antimerus bellus sp. n. Figs 1738, 39

Type locality:

Australia: New South Wales: Royal National Park, near Sydney [ca. 34°07'S, 151°02'E]

Material examined.

AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Holotype, pinned, aedeagus dissected and attached to the specimen in a plastic genitalia vial with glycerin; with labels: "Royal National Park/ near Sydney, NSW/ 12 Feb 1985/ D.K. McAlpine/ B.J. Day)", "Antimerus/ det/ VWH Lorimer/ Oct 96", “AMSA”, "Antimerus/ n. sp.5/ det. A. Newton 2005", "HOLOTYPE/ Antimerus/ bellus sp.n./ A. Solodovnikov des. 2006", "FMNH-INS/ 0000 019 143", ♂ in AMS. Paratype: Glen Innes, Prison Farm, vii.1969-xii.1970 ( “coll.?”), FMNH-INS 0000 019 094, 1♀ in ANIC.

Description.

Measurements (n=2): HL: 1.7-2.2; HW: 2.5-2.9; PL: 2.4-2.7; PW: 2.7-3.0; EL: 3.0-3.5; EW: 3.0-3.5. Total size of the body 14-16 mm.

Head, pronotum and elytra metallic blue with purplish reflection, very glossy; abdomen and appendages dark brown. Disc of head and pronotum without punctuation or pubescence, their surfaces with microsculpture of transverse waves and faint micropunctuation. Elytra with sparse punctuation and brown to black pubescence, interspaces without distinct microsculpture. Abdomen moderately densely punctuated, without distinct metallic reflection, with brown to black pubescence.

Head wider than long, with tempora strongly tapered towards relatively narrow neck, about as long as eye (in lateral view); neck not delimited from head dorsally. Antennae with antennomeres VIII–X distinctly wider than long, transverse.

Pronotum slightly wider than long, as wide as head; pronotal anterior and posterior angles rounded but distinct; pronotum widest behind its middle in the area of its posterior angles, its sides, from posterior angles to middle very gradually and anterior from middle, more strongly, converging anteriad. Pronotal hypomera inflexed, not visible from lateral view except for its translucent postcoxal process,.

Elytron elongate, longer than pronotum.

Wings well developed.

Abdominal tergites III–V (first to third visible) with moderately deep transverse impression in basal part; tergite VII (fifth visible) with whitish seam at apical margin.

Male (Figs 38, 39). Aedeagus with paramere as wide as median lobe (in dorsal or ventral view), distinctly bilobed; lobes separated by deep narrow incision.

Comparison.

Antimerus bellus is most similar to Antimerus jamesrodmani and Antimerus gracilis . From Antimerus jamesrodmani it differs in the shape of the head which has more broadly rounded, indistinct hind angles, and in the coloration of the elytra, which are not red and have a stronger metallic reflection similar to that of head and pronotum. Aedeagi of Antimerus bellus and Antimerus jamesrodmani are very similar; for differences see “comparison” under the latter species. From Antimerus gracilis , Antimerus bellus differs in coloration (cf. Figs 17 and 18) of the body.

Distribution and bionomics.

Antimerus bellus is known only from two specimens collected in different localities in eastern New South Wales (Fig. 55, B, circles). No habitat data are available.

Etymology.

The name of the new species is from the Latin adjective bellus, or beautiful.