Scaphisoma konvickai

Löbl, Ivan, 2022, - On-new-collections-of-Scaphidiinae- (Coleoptera: - Staphylinidae) - from-China, - with-description-of-two-new-species, Zootaxa 5092 (4), pp. 487-492 : 487-489

Scaphisoma konvickai ­sp.­nov.

(Figs 1–3)

Type­ material. HolotYPE:­ CHINA: male: China, N. Sichuan, Xiao-Zhaizi Nt. Nature Reserve , 7 km of Qingpianxian, Xiaozhaizi, 32°1’25’’N, 103°56’21’’E, 27. VI .–1.VII.2017, 1560– 1700 m, leg. O. Konvička ( NMPC) .

Etymology. Patronymic. The species is named in honour of its collector, the coleopterist Ondřej Konvička (Zlín, Czech Republic).

Description. Length 1.65 mm, width 1.17 mm. Head with blackish frons. Pronotum dark brown on large median area, ochraceous along anterior margin and on lateral areas. Elytra ochraceous, each darkened along base, with dark basal area expanded along suture to form triangular spot reaching sutural mid-length, and with narrow subapical darkened stripe. Hypomera ochraceous. Mesoventrite and metaventrite with anepisterna and epimera dark brown to blackish. Ventrites I to IV dark brown, apical abdominal segments yellowish. Femora and tibiae ochraceous, tarsi and antennae yellowish. Length/width ratios of antennomeres as: III 15/8: IV 25/7: V 30/8: VI 48/9: VII 55/16: VIII 47/11: IX 52/16: X 50/15 (left antennomeres X and XI and right antennomere XI broken off and missing). Pronotum lacking miscrosculpture, with lateral margins nearly evenly rounded, lateral margin carinae concealed in dorsal view, these carinae very finely and densely punctate, discal punctation fine and dense, most puncture intervals usually two to four times as large as puncture diameters, punctures well delimited, clearly visible at 25 times magnification. Exposed point of scutellum minute. Elytra not microsculptured, with lateral margins evenly rounded, carinae of lateral margin exposed in dorsal view, lateral margin striae finely and densely punctate, apical margins rounded, inner apical angles not prominent, about in level with outer apical angles, marginal crenulation absent, sutural margin not raised, sutural striae shallow, parallel, each with single puncture row, bent at bases and extended laterally to form basal striae reaching elytral mid-width; discal punctures fine and dense, coarser than pronotal or adsutural punctures, not forming rows, puncture intervals mostly about as larger to two times as large as puncture diameters. Exposed tergites with punctation hardly visible at 100 times magnification. Hypomera not microsculptured, appearing impunctate. Mesepimon about three times as long as wide and distinctly shorter than interval to mesocoxa. Metaventrite with striate microsculpture on median and apicolateral areas, not microsculptured on most of lateral surface. Median part of metaventrite weakly convex, not impressed apically, lacking separate impressions near metacoxae. Punctation on metaventrite sparse and very fine, consisting of well delimited punctures; antecoxal puncture rows absent. Submesocoxal area 0.05 mm long, about as fourth of shortest interval to metacoxa. Submesocoxal line convex, very finely punctate. Metanepisterna slightly convex, narrowed anteriad, with straight suture. Abdomen with transversely striate microsculpture, except on basolateral areas of ventrite I, and very finely and sparsely punctate. Ventrite I very finely punctate, submetacoxal area 0.10 mm long, nearly as long as interval to apical margin of ventrite. Tibiae straight.

Male characters. Protarsomeres I to III slightly widened. Mesotarsomeres not widened. Apex of ventrite VI gradually narrowed, not forming distinctive lobe. Aedeagus as in Figs 1–3, 0.68 mm long, moderately sclerotized. Basal bulb large, convex and lacking articular tubercle at base of parameres. Apical process of median lobe strongly inflexed, with dorsal branch only moderately shorter than ventral branch, ventral branch gradually narrowed and with acute tip. Parameres weakly arcuate, as long as half of median lobe. Internal sac consisting of convoluted, spinose tube.

Differential­diagnosis. This new species leads to S. latro Löbl, 2000 , couplet 24, in the key to the Chinese Scaphisoma ( Löbl 2019a) . However, the latter species is unrelated (based on aedeagal characters) and differs notably by its colour pattern and the antennomeres V and VI similar in length. The aedeagal characters of S. konvickai suggest relationships to S. invertum Löbl, 2000 from Guangxi and Yunnan, S. invisum Löbl, 1990 from Thailand, S. discretum Löbl, 1986 from Northeast India, and S. binaluanum Pic, 1947 from the Philippines. The new species is distinguished from all of these by the short apical process of the median lobe, compared to the basal bulb, and the complexly convoluted internal sac, similar to that of the Sulawesian S. bugi Löbl, 1983 . It differs in external characters from S. invertum notably by the elytra having basal striae, the mesepimeron shorter than the interval to the mesocoxa, and the strigulate abdominal microsculpture. Scaphisoma invertum possesses elytra darkened along the base, in the middle and near the apices, lacks basal striae, and the exposed abdominal segments have punctulate microsculpture. Scaphisoma invisum differs by its body being only 1.05–1.15 mm long, the antennomere V being longer than the antennomere VI and the submesocoxal area longer than the submetacoxal area. Scaphisoma discretum may be easily distinguished by its antennomeres VI being about as long as the antennomeres III to V, combined with the elytra lacking basal striae. Scaphisoma binaluanum also has elytra without basal striae, and is characterized by the well-defined transverse band posterior to the elytral mid-length, that provides a distinctive colour pattern. Scaphisoma bugi has each elytron with two reddish spots, lacking basal striae and an apicoventrally prominent basal bulb of the aedeagus ( Löbl 1983), by which it may be readily distinguished from S. konvickai .

FIGURES­1–7. Fig. 1–3. Scaphisoma konvicka sp.­nov., (1) aedeagus in dorsal and lateral views, scale = 0.1 mm; (2) apical part of aedeagus; (3) paramere in ventral view; scale = 0.1 mm for (2, 3). Figs 4–7. Toxidium hartmanni sp.­nov., (4, 5) aedeagus in dorsal and lateral views, scale = 0.2 mm; (6) paramere in ventral view, scale = 0.1 mm; (7) internal sac, scale = 0.1mm.