Oxypoda telifera, Assing, 2008

Assing, V., 2008, Nine new species and additional records of Staphylinidae from southern Spain, with new synonymies (Insecta: Coleoptera), Linzer biologische Beiträge 40 (2), pp. 1301-1325 : 1318-1320

Oxypoda telifera nov.sp. ( Figs 54-57 , 64-66 , Map 4 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: "E - Andalusien, Umg. Cortez de la Frontera, Meybohm 19.2.2000 / N 36°37' W 5°26', Penon del Berrueco, 700 m, Korkeichenw. / Holotypus Oxypoda telifera sp.n. det. V. Assing 2008" (cAss). Paratype: same data as holotype (cAss).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 2.8-3.2 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 54 . Coloration: head blackish-brown; pronotum and elytra brown to reddish-brown; abdomen blackish-brown, with the apex yellowish-brown; legs yellowish; antennae dark-brown, with antennomeres I-III yellowish-brown.

Head ( Fig. 55 ) approximately as wide as long or weakly oblong; punctation moderately sparse and extremely fine, barely noticeable in the distinct microreticulation; eyes large, but weakly convex, approximately as long as postocular region in dorsal view, or slightly longer. Maxillary palpi slender, with the penultimate palpomere approximately 3.5 times as long as broad. Antennae gradually incrassate apically; antennomere III shorter than II; IV weakly transverse; X somewhat longer than IX and approximately 1.5 times as wide as long; XI approximately as long as the combined length of IX and X ( Fig. 56 ).

Pronotum ( Fig. 55 ) approximately 1.25 times as wide as long and 1.35 times as wide as head, widest slightly behind middle; posterior angles weakly marked; punctation and microsculpture similar to those of head.

Elytra approximately 1.05 times as long and 1.2 times as wide as pronotum ( Fig. 55 ); punctation dense and fine, slightly more distinct than that of pronotum; interstices with shallow, but distinct microsculpture and with subdued luster. Hind wings fully developed. Legs of moderately length; metatarsus approximately 0.85 times as long as metatibia, the latter approximately 0.38 mm long; metatarsomere I somewhat longer than the combined length of II-III, but shorter than the combined length of II-IV.

Abdomen with lateral margins of segments III-VI subparallel, segments VII-VIII weakly tapering; punctation fine, but distinct, rather dense on anterior tergites and sparse on posterior tergites; microsculpture shallow, but distinct; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe; tergite VIII with strongly convex posterior margin ( Fig. 57 ).

: posterior margin of sternite VIII strongly convex, but not distinctly pointed in the middle; median lobe of aedeagus of distinctive morphology, ventral process rather long and almost straight in lateral view and apically rounded in ventral view; internal sac with moderately long and basally curved flagellum, and with apical sclerotised structures of characteristic shape ( Figs 64-65 ); apical lobe of paramere as in Fig. 66 .: unknown.

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Latin) is composed of the nouns telum (weapon, gun) and fera (carrier) and refers to the shape of the apical internal structures of the aedeagus.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Oxypoda telifera is distinguished from the highly similar O. haemorrhoa (MANNERHEIM 1830) , which is currently attributed to the subgenus Bessopora THOMSON 1859, which is widespread and common in the Palaearctic region, and which is also present in Spain (material from northern and southern Spain examined), particularly by larger average size, longer and more massive antennae with less transverse antennomeres IV-X, larger eyes (in O. haemorrhoa usually shorter than postocular region in dorsal view), longer elytra (in O. haemorrhoa usually slightly to distinctly shorter than pronotum), and by the completely different shape and internal structures of the aedeagus (see Fig. 75 for an illustration of the aedeagus of a male of O. haemorrhoa from northern Spain).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The new species is known only from one locality in the environs of Cortez de la Frontera, Andalucía ( Map 4 ), where the two type specimens were sifted from leaf litter in a cork tree forest at an altitude of 700 m.

Figures

Map 4: Distributions of Oxypoda telifera nov.sp. (square), O. imminuta nov.sp. (filled and open circles), and O. incurvata nov.sp. (open circle) in southern Spain.

Figs 54-63: Oxypoda telifera nov.sp. (54-57), O. imminuta nov.sp. (58-60), and O. incurvata nov.sp. (61-63): (54, 58, 61) habitus; (55, 59, 62) forebody; (56, 60, 63) antenna; (57) abdomen. Scale bars: 54, 58, 61: 1.0 mm; 55, 57, 59, 62: 0.5 mm; 56, 60, 63: 0.2 mm.

Figs 64-75: Oxypoda telifera nov.sp. (64-66), O. imminuta nov.sp. (67-70), O. incurvata nov.sp. (71-74), and O. haemorrhoa (MANNERHEIM) (75): (64, 68, 72, 75) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (65, 69, 73) apical portion of median lobe of aedeagus in ventral view; (66, 70, 74) apical lobe of paramere; (67, 71) abdomen. Scale bars: 67, 71: 0.5 mm; 64-66, 68-70, 72-75: 0.1 mm.