Ochthephilus uhligi, Makranczy, 2014

Makranczy, György, 2014, Revision of the genus Ochthephilus Mulsant & Rey, 1856 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Oxytelinae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 121 (4), pp. 457-694 : 644-645

Ochthephilus uhligi sp. nov. Figs 431-436, 443-446

TYPE MATERIAL: HOLOTYPE (3): “ CHINA: W-HUBEI ( Daba Shan ), mountain range NE Muyuping, pass 12km Muyuping, 2380m, 31º32'N, 110º26'E, 17.VII.2001, leg. M. Schülke [C01-15], N pass, N-slope with young deciduous forest, bank of small creek, moss (sifted)” ( ZMHB) . – PARATYPES (5): same data as holotype (coll. Schülke, 13, 1♀, 1, MHNG, 1, NHMW, 1) .

OTHER MATERIAL: NEPAL: prov. Bagmati, below Thare Pati , 3300m [*+28.08/+85.54*], leg. I. Löbl & A. Smetana (16B), tamisage de mousses et de feuilles mortes d'érables au pied des roches, près d'un ruisseau ( MHNG, 1♀) .

DESCRIPTION: Measurements (n=6): HW = 0.59 (0.57-0.61); TW = 0.56 (0.53- 0.58); PW = 0.67 (0.66-0.69); SW = 0.78 (0.77-0.80); AW = 0.94 (0.91-0.97); HL = 0.44 (0.41-0.47); EL = 0.16 (0.15-0.17); TL = 0.13 (0.12-0.14); PL = 0.53 (0.51-0.55); SL = 0.87 (0.83-0.91); SC = 0.79 (0.76-0.82); FB = 1.93 (1.83-2.00); BL = 3.88 (3.73- 4.30) mm ( Nepal specimen: HW = 0.65; TW = 0.62; PW = 0.73; SW = 0.88; AW = 1.05; HL = 0.50; EL = 0.22; TL = 0.13; PL = 0.55; SL = 1.03; SC = 0.95; FB = 2.13; BL = 4.13 mm). Head, pronotum and abdomen blackish dark brown. Elytra reddish medium to dark brown but scutellar area to shoulders darker, blackish. Legs reddish medium brown, but mid-tibiae and femora often darker. Antennae and mouthparts slightly reddish dark brown. Body with somewhat greasy lustre in spite of deep punctation on head and pronotum, but indistinct coriaceous microsculpture on most of head and more elevated (shinier) parts of pronotum; elytral punctation deep, surface uneven and setation strong, longer than in closest congeners. Pubescence on elytra regularly spaced, moderately strong and dense, in contrast with somewhat less conspicuous setation of head and pronotum: with rather fine and moderately dense setae. Abdominal tergites with setae just as thick as elytral ones but much longer, especially at apices of tergites and adjacent to laterosternites. Head anteriad eyes and near inner posterior margin of eye with stronger and much longer bristles, as well as pronotal margin; at middle of tibiae with darker bristles. Elytral apex without conspicuous setae. Last tarsomere with a few setae only.

Forebody. Antenna as in Fig. 433. Clypeus (Fig. 431) almost impunctate (colliculate microsculptured), trapezoid, corners rounded, anterior edge gently arched; separated by impressed transversal line (frontoclypeal suture) across a shinier area. Supraantennal prominences well developed, feebly separated from clypeus/vertex by impressions. Vertex with only very slight impressions on both sides. Temples (Fig. 432) slightly bulging, evenly curved, little longer than half of eye length. Neck separated by an impressed transversal groove, microsculpture much stronger than on head, with transverse cells, no setation. Pronotum with a narrow marginal bead, getting inconspicuous anteriorly with pronotal corners strongly curved in ventral direction. Posterior pronotal angles well-formed, just slightly obtuse-angled, sides in posterior 1/3 very gently concave. 'Anchor' fully formed, longitudinal midline as a slightly elevated, impunctate, weakly microsculptured line, parallel to this line two gentle, semi-longitudinal elongate elevations in anterior half of disc. In corners of anchor feeble, oblique impressions directed outwards, in middle at sides of midline two smaller impressions. Elytra (Fig. 434) slightly broadening posteriorly, sutural corners narrowly rounded; apical sides slightly oblique and in inner halves more or less straight. Elytral surface rather even with two shallow, very elongate impressions behind scutellum. Head with fine coriaceous/colliculate microsculpture, fading on elevated parts, stronger in impressions, on pronotum microsculpture slightly stronger and more even. Punctation on head moderately dense and rather rough, more so on posterior part and sides, on pronotum more evenly spaced, average interspaces much larger than puncture diameters; elytral punctation more even and regularly spaced, average interspaces (with indistinct coriaceous microsculpture) about as puncture diameters, punctures discrete.

Abdomen. Compared to forebody, abdomen with much more sparse, finer, less distinct punctation, microsculpture on tergal apices fine coriaceous with moderately transverse cells. Tergite VII (Fig. 435) posterior margin with palisade fringe broadened in middle with more coarse spiniform processes. Tergite VIII basal edge evenly arched, basal sclerotized band straight on a small distance in middle; apical edge with sinuate (protruding) corners, and broad, moderately deep emargination in between. Sternite VIII with rounded apical corners, apex in males (Fig. 436) shallowly concave laterally, gently sinuate in middle; in females slightly more sinuate (convex) in middle. Tergite X unmodified, apex very slightly wider in males than in females. Aedeagus as in Fig. 443. Spermatheca as in Fig. 444, female ringstructures as in Figs 445-446.

ETYMOLOGY: The species is named after Dr. Manfred Uhlig (Berlin, Germany) who greatly encouraged my work in the first years with an inspiring knowledge of literature, and who later initiated the digitization of the bulk of articles on Staphylinidae taxonomy and made them available to many people.

COMPARATIVE NOTES: Details under O. monticola , with remarks on the complex.

DISTRIBUTION: Currently only known from China (western Hubei) and a doubtfully associated specimen from Nepal.

BIONOMICS: Specimens were collected by sifting moss on bank of a small forest stream.