Aphaenostemmus distortus, Assing, 2013

Assing, V., 2013, A new species and a new record of Aphaenostemmus from southern Turkey (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 45 (2), pp. 1521-1525 : 1522-1524

Aphaenostemmus distortus nov.sp. ( Figs 1-7 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: " TURKEY - Antalya, Göynuk near Kemer, 36°39'N, 30°31'E, 7.-14.V.2009, Sieber / Holotypus Aphaenostemmus distortus sp.n. det. V. Assing 2013" (cAss). Paratypes: 3: same data as holotype (cAss, cVog).

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Latin, adjective: distorted, twisted) alludes to the asymmetric aedeagus.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Small species; body length 2.2-2.3 mm; length of forebody 1.1-1.2 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: head blackish-brown; pronotum dark-brown; elytra yellowish; abdomen dark-brown to blackish-brown, with the apex (posterior margin of segment VII; segments VIII-X) reddish; legs and antennae yellowish.

Head ( Figs 2-3 ) approximately as long as broad, broadest across eyes; punctation rather coarse and dense; interstices with distinct microreticulation. Eyes large, approximately twice as long as postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna ( Fig. 4 ) 0.6-0.7 mm long, distinctly incrassate apicad; antennomere IV approximately as long as broad; V weakly transverse; VI-X increasingly transverse and of gradually increasing width; X approximately 1.5 times as broad as long.

Pronotum ( Figs 2-3 ) weakly transverse, approximately 1.05 times as broad as long and about 1.1 times as broad as head, maximal width in anterior half; punctation finer than that of head; interstices with distinct microreticulation.

Elytra ( Fig. 2 ) long, 1.3-1.4 times as long as pronotum; punctation fine and dense. Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen narrower than elytra; punctation fine and dense on tergites III-VII, sparser and finer on tergite VIII; interstices with shallow microsculpture and somewhat glossy.

: aedeagus ( Figs 5-7 ) approximately 0.45 mm long and distinctly asymmetric; internal sac with dark coiled tube.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: This species is readily distinguished from all its West Palaearctic congeners by numerous characters, particularly its much smaller size (other species: body length> 3.2 mm; length of forebody> 1.5 mm), the much shorter and more strongly incrassate antennae (other species: at least antennnomeres V-VII oblong), the more pronounced microreticulation on the head and the pronotum, and the morphology of the aedeagus (other species: symmetric; ventral process more strongly curved in lateral view; internal tube much paler and more slender).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: Thetypelocalityissituatedin the west of Antalya province, southwestern Turkey. According to the collector, the specimens were hand-netted on the wing at a road margin, not far from a riverbed, during sunset (VOGEL pers. comm.).

Figures

Figs 1-9: Aphaenostemmus distortus nov.sp. (1-7), A. rhodicus ASSING (Turkey) (8), and A. bordei PEYERIMHOFF (Tunisia) (9): (1) habitus; (2) forebody; (3) postero-median portion of head and median portion of pronotum; (4) antenna; (5, 8, 9) aedeagus in lateral view; (6) aedeagus in ventral view; (7) paramere in ventral view. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2: 0.5 mm; 3-9: 0.2 mm.