Corynotopsis omanicus, Hlaváč & Baňař & Stočes, 2024

Hlavac, Peter, Banar, Petr & Stoces, Dominik, 2024, Clavigeritae (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae) of the Arabian Peninsula with the description of a new species of Corynotopsis Jeannel, 1951 from Oman, ZooKeys 1198, pp. 173-184 : 173

Corynotopsis omanicus sp. nov.

Figs 1A , 2A, B

Type material.

Holotype, ♂: Oman: one label "OMAN, DHOFAR PR. / 18 km NW of Sadah / near Lagga Shalyon / 422 m / 17°11'10.046"N, 54°56'34.295"E / Větrovec J. leg. 20.9.2022" [white, printed] (NMPC). Paratypes (8 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀): 2 ♂♂: same data as for holotype. (PCJV, PCPH). 1 ♂: one label "OMAN - DHOFAR PR. / E of Aytin, Wadi Hinnah / wadi - Baobab Forest 300 m / 17°3'12.964"N, 54°36'32.143"E / Větrovec J. leg. 21.9.2022" [white, printed] (PCJV). 1 ♀: one label "Oman, 21.9.2022, Dhofar / Govern. E of Aytin, Wadi / Hinnah, wadi - Baobab Forest / 17.0536011°N, 54.6089286°E, / Lgt. T. Kopecký, 300 m" [white, printed] (PCTK). 5 ♂♂, 1 ♀: two labels "S Oman, Dhofar Gov. / Sadah, 18 km NW / 20.9.2022 / lgt. Jan Pelikan" [white, printed], "near Lagga Shalyon / 17°11'10.046"N, 54°56'34.295" Е wadi / at UV light" [white, printed] (PCJP, PCPH, NMPC, MMBC).

Diagnosis.

Head lacking frontal and vertexal foveae; clypeus massive, well-visible on sides as well as in front of rostrum; eyes prominent; disc of venter part of head smooth, sides with rugose surface, posterior tentorial pits separated; antennae hexamerous; antennomere 3 and 4 subequal; terminal antennomere longest, cylindrical, about five times as long as 5 and three times as long as wide; pronotum lacking antebasal median foveae, with weakly-defined lateral fovea; lacking sulci; elytra lacking basal foveae, with short discal and sutural striae; lateral posterior margin with weak, short trichome; abdomen with basal basin of composite tergite transverse, almost entire but with two small protrusions forming two, small lateral lodges; first visible sternite (III) about half as long as second (IV), sternites (IV-VII) with median impression; legs stout; mesofemur with basal bifurcate thorn; mesotibia with predistal spine; aedeagus about 2.20 times as long as wide; dorsal circular diaphragm well-defined.

Description.

Body (Fig. 1A ) length 2.20-2.30 mm, maximum width of elytra about 0.80-0.85 mm; reddish-brown, elytra slightly lighter, head and pronotum with rugose structure, elytra shiny with sparse short setae, abdomen shiny, glabrous.

Head elongate, about 1.20-1.25 times as long as wide; lacking frontal and vertexal foveae; frontal lateral margins parallel, rostrum narrow, expanded anteriad; clypeus massive, well-visible on sides as well as in front of rostrum; eyes prominent; temples slightly longer than length of eyes and slightly convergent posteriad. Disc of venter part of head smooth, sides with rugose surface, with separated posterior tentorial pits; well-separated gular plate shagreened.

Antenna hexamerous, about 0.5 mm long, slightly longer than head; scape minuscule, completely hidden in antennal cavity; antennomere 2 larger than scape and antennomere 3, slightly expanded distad, partly hidden in antennal cavity; antennomere 3 and 4 subequal, about as long as 2; 5 about as long as wide, 1.5 times as long as 4, strongly expanded distad; terminal antennomere longest, cylindrical, about five times as long as 5 and about three times as long as wide.

Pronotum 1.08-1.13 times as wide as long, about as long as head, widest before midlength, strongly convergent anteriad, slightly convergent posteriad; posterior margin triangular; lacking antebasal median foveae, with weakly-defined lateral fovea; lacking sulci.

Elytra 1.40-1.45 times as wide as long, 1.50-1.60 times as long as pronotum; lacking basal foveae, with short discal and sutural striae, almost reaching anterior third of elytral length; lateral posterior margin with weak, short trichome, sutural posterior margin with one long setae.

Mesoventrite shorter than metaventrite; mesocoxae narrowly separated by confluent posterior mesoventral and anterior metaventral process, isthmus about 0.25 diameter of mesocoxa, mesoventrite with median carina; metaventral disc with short setae, lacking trichome-like macrosetae, elevated, with medium, short, acute spine, in posterior third with large impression; posterior metaventral process wide, with slightly concave margin.

Abdomen long, 1.50-1.60 times as long as and 1.08-1.12 times as wide as elytra; basal basin of composite tergite transverse, almost entire but with two small protrusions forming two, small lateral lodges, basal basin long, in middle its posterior margin reaching half of length of composite tergite length; with lateral trichome born at foot of edge of paratergite I and directed mesad; with three, almost confluent paratergites, paratergite I and II with weakly-defined trichome on upper edge. First visible sternite (III) about half as long as second (IV), third and fourth (V-VI) about as long as first (III), fifth (VII) longer than fourth VI, sternites (IV-VII) with median impression.

Legs stout, all tibiae distally expanded; all femora and tibiae with interlocking ridges; mesofemur with basal thorn; mesotibia with predistal spine.

Aedeagus (Fig. 2A, B ) about 0.53 mm long, about 2.20 times as long as wide, basal capsule about 1.25 times as long as apical lobe; maximum width in distal third; apex of aedeagus sharply pointed, with pair of long setae; dorsal circular diaphragm well-defined.

Sexual dimorphism.

Females with all legs simple, lacking thorn or spines.

Natural history.

All specimens were collected at a UV light placed in a semi-dry habitat on the edge of a sandy wadi with Acacia , and in an open area with a small stream in the Baobab Forest (Fig. 5A, B ); one specimen was beaten from branches of bushes at night. The host ant is unknown.

Etymology.

Locotypic, referring to the country of its type locality, Oman.

Distribution.

Oman (Dhofar Province).

Remarks.

Corynotopsis omanicus sp. nov. is very similar in external morphology to its congener C. scotti from which it can be distinguished only by: the different proportion of antennomeres 3 and 4; antennomere 3 and 4 subequal in length (antennomere 3 about 1.3 times longer than 4 in C. scotti ); and by the different structure of the aedeagus with the distal projection of the median lobe triangular and wide at the base in ventral view, evenly narrowing to the apex (highly variable but much narrower at base and converging somewhat unevenly to apex in C. scotti ).

Figures

Figure 1. Dorsal habitus A Corynotopsis omanicus sp. nov., holotype male B Corynotopsis scotti, male C Corynotopsis sp., female. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figure 2. Aedeagus of Corynotopsis omanicus sp. nov., holotype male A dorsal view B lateral view. Scale bar: 0.2 mm.

Figure 5. Type locality of Corynotopsis omanicus sp. nov.