Ochthephilus szeli, 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 : 586-589

Ochthephilus szeli sp. nov. Figs 17, 33, 258, 272-276, 285, 302-304, 355, 358, 381, 542

TYPE MATERIAL: HOLOTYPE (3): “[ AZERBAIJAN:] Lenkoran [area, approx. 38°76'S, 48°60'E], III.1883, [leg.] Leder (Reitter)” ( NHMW) . – PARATYPES (5): same data as holotype ( NHMW, 1♀, 1, MHNG, 13, 1♀, HNHM, 13) .

DESCRIPTION: Forebody as in Fig. 542. Measurements (n=7): HW = 0.53 (0.50- 0.55); TW = 0.49 (0.45-0.50); PW = 0.59 (0.55-0.62); SW = 0.72 (0.65-0.76); AW = 0.77 (0.70-0.83); HL = 0.38 (0.36-0.42); EL = 0.18 (0.17-0.20); TL = 0.065 (0.06- 0.07); PL = 0.45 (0.41-0.49); SL = 0.94 (0.85-1.01); SC = 0.86 (0.78-0.93); FB = 1.83 (1.69-1.96); BL = 3.09 (2.69-3.43) mm. Head blackish dark brown, abdomen dark brown, even darker along basal ridges and occasionally at apices of tergites. Pronotum dark brown, slightly lighter than head, sometimes with slight reddish tint. Elytra reddish dark brown, if lighter, scutellar area to shoulders, broadly along suture and a transversal stripe at apex remaining darker, blackish; leaving the outer central half of elytra somewhat lighter, medium brownish. Antennae, mouthparts and legs reddish medium to dark brown. Body with greasy lustre mostly due to elytral setation plus forebody punctation and microsculpture. Pubescence rather fine and moderately dense, shorter and stronger (regularly spaced) on elytra, abdominal tergites with finer and longer setae, especially adjacent to laterosternites. Head anteriad eyes and near inner

FIGS 360-364 (360-361) TergitesVIII; Ochthephilusandalusiacus (Fagel) (360), O. ashei sp. n. (361). (362-364) TergitesX; O. ashei sp. n., 3 (362), same, ♀ (363), O. andalusiacus (Fagel) , ♀ (364). Scale bar = 0.1 mm for 363-364, 0.2 mm for 360-361.

posterior margin of eye with stronger and darker bristles, as well as pronotal margin and middle of tibiae. Elytral apex with a few slightly longer setae near sutural corners. Last tarsomere with a few setae only.

Forebody. Antenna as in Fig. 381, antennomere 6 shorter and less wide than neighbours (articles 5 and 7). Clypeus (Fig. 302) 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 oblique impressions in middle almost joining in V-shape. Temples bulging, evenly curved, little shorter 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, visible to anterior pronotal corners. Posterior pronotal angles well-formed, just slightly obtuse-angled, sides in posterior 1/2 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. 303) slightly broadening posteriorly, sutural corners narrowly rounded; apical sides slightly oblique and in inner halves gently convex. 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 sparse, mostly confined to 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 posterior margin with palisade fringe unmodified in middle (nearly uniform breadth). Tergite VIII (Fig. 258) basal edge evenly arched, with small concavity in middle of basal sclerotized band; apical edge (Fig. 358) with sinuate (protruding) corners, and broad, moderately deep emargination in between, slight incision in middle. Sternite VIII with rounded apical corners, apex in males shallowly concave laterally, gently sinuate in middle; in females slightly more sinuate (convex) in middle. Tergite X strongly modified, in males as in Fig. 285, in females as in Fig. 304. Aedeagus as in Fig. 272, inner sclerites as in Figs 273-274. Female ringstructures as in Figs 275-276.

ETYMOLOGY: Named after Dr. Győző Szél (Budapest, Hungary), who is a book collector like me and this habit and our connection got me started as a coleopterist and a researcher on Staphylinidae , mostly through an unfinished oxyteline manuscript of the late Dr. László Tóth. Every time I ventured to other fields, other groups, I am eternally thankful for having found Oxytelinae (through the aforementioned manuscript my deceased predecessor left behind).

COMPARATIVE NOTES: This is a sibling species of O. omalinus , and is based on very old material from a poorly collected area; can be reliably separated by the apical formation of the tergite X in both sexes.

DISTRIBUTION: Currently only known from one locality, the larger surroundings of the city Lenkorän, most likely the road to Lerik. It is, therefore, probable that the species also occurs in the northern part of Iran.

BIONOMICS: No bionomical data were recorded for these old specimens.