Himallaphus, Löbl & Kodada, 2021

Löbl, Ivan & Kodada, Ján, 2021, On the Himalayan Pselaphini (Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Biodiversität und Naturausstattung im Himalaya VII, Erfurt: Naturkundemuseum, pp. 349-368 : 351-352

Himallaphus n. gen.

Type species Himallaphus pahilo n. sp. Gender masculine.

Etymology. The name is derived from Himalaya, combined with “laphus”, a meaningless part of the generic name Pselaphus .

Description. Length 1.60-1.95 mm. Pubescence sparse, except for patches of white squamous setae covering anterior parts of frontal sulcus, venter of head posterior gular mound, most of proventrite, mesoventrite anterior mesocoxae, apices of elytra, apical margin of metaventrite and base of ventrite II. Head narrow, elongate, with frontal rostrum prominent and with setose patch between prominent antennal tubercles. Frontal ridges extending to near anterior eyes margins, impressed posteriad and from level of posterior eye margins replaced by sulci joined on posterior inclined part of vertex. Mesal area of frons raised to form low ridge. Eyes small, situated at about mid-length of head. Vertex with mesal sulcus. Vertexal foveae obscured, situated behind level of posterior eye margin. Temple with impressed stria extending from upper eye margins to neck constriction. Contours of temples rounded or oblique in dorsal view. Gular-mandibular carinae conspicuous, forming lateroventral head margin. Antennae 11-segmented, antennomeres Iand II reticulate, club 3-segmented, weekly formed, segment XI asymmetrical. Maxillary palpi elongate, segment Inarrow, cylindrical, bent near base, segment II long, pedunculate, about 3 times as long as segment I, exceeding half of head length, with peduncle much longer than enlarged apical part, slightly swollen at base, segment III short, about long as wide, segment IV glabrous, pedunculate, bent, sensory area in apical triangular notch with sharply delimited margins extending bycarinae on lateral side of palpomere. Gula strongly swollen, gular mound longitudinal, narrowed posteriad, delimited laterally and posteriad by impression completely covered by setose patch. Gular foveae obscured. Pronotum rounded laterally, convex dorsally, widest about at mid-point, anterior antebasal sulcus with dense row of longitudinal striae, with antebasal lateral foveae and antebasal median fovea joined with antebasal sulcus, narrow basal area uneven. Elytra short, strongly widened apically, impressed basally, with rounded or oblique lateral margins, three basal and one antebasal foveae, discal carinae close to adsutural carinae. Hind wings atrophied. Proventrite withsetose patch reaching nearly lateral margins, obscuring foveae. Foveae of mesoventrite obscured by setose patch. Metaventrite afoveate. Legs without spines. Femora clavate, reticulate. Tibiae straight, thickened apically. Tarsomeres III cylindrical, longer than tarsomeres II. Abdomen with tergite Imuch longer than rest of tergites combined, convex, widened apically, with rounded lateral margins, deep basal sulcus and large foveae near lateral margin obscured by rows of flat setae; apical margins of tergites broadly rounded. Ventrite II with deep basal sulcus obscured by rows of flat setae. Aedeagus symmetrical, median lobe sub-oval, with strongly sclerotized ventral process, parameres weakly sclerotized, bearing apical setae.

Diagnosis. Head with frontal sulcus approaching vertexal foveae. Vertex transversely carinate, with mesal sulcus. Maxillary palpomere IV pedunculate, bent, about long as head, lacking tubercles, with sensory area in apical notch extended by carinae. Pronotum rounded, with deep longitudinal striae separated by carinae, except on area between antebasal sulcus and basal margin, antebasal sulcus not interrupted in middle, antebasal mesal and lateral foveae present. Elytra short, strongly widened apically, with three basal foveae, sutural and discal carinae.

Comments. Members of Himallaphus resemble Nabepselaphus by their body-shape, the pattern of the frontal carinae and sulci, the small eyes situated about at head mid-length, the long maxillary palpi with margins of the sensory organs V-shaped, the presence of antebasal pronotal sulcus joined with foveae, the short and apically strongly widened elytra, and the pattern of patches or stripes of widened setae. Himallaphus differs markedly from Nabepselaphus , and from all other Pselaphini , by its densely striate pronotum.