Lesteva (s.str.) steeli Lohse, 1982 : 203

Shavrin, Alexey V., 2016, New taxonomic and faunistic data on the Himalayan Lesteva Latreille, 1797 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae), Zootaxa 4205 (2), pp. 143-150 : 147

Lesteva (s.str.) steeli Lohse, 1982: 203

( Figs. 1–2 )

Lesteva steeli Lohse, 1982: 203

Type material examined: Holotype of Lesteva steeli Lohse, 1982 , ♂ [The specimen is damaged: without right antennomeres 7–11, and left hind leg; the specimen was reglued on a new card, old card pinned under the new card; abdominal sternite VIII was glued under the beetle; the preparation of the aedeagus is in a microvial and was pinned under all labels]: ‘Holo-| type’ <round label with red margin, printed>, ‘Kashmir | Gulmarg’ <rectangular label, handwritten in black>, M.Cameron. | Bequest.| B.M. 1955-147.’ <rectangular printed label>, ‘HOLOTYPUS’ <red rectangular label, handwritten in black>, ‘ Lesteva | steeli n.sp. | Holotypus [handwritten] | det.Dr.G.A.Lohse’ <rectangular printed label>, ‘ Lesteva (s.str.) | steeli Lohse, 1982 | Shavrin A.V. det. 2016’ (BMNH).

Redescription. Measurements of the holotype: HW: 0.70; HL: 0.50; OL: 0.25; LT: 0.10; AL: 1.62; PL: 0.65; PWMax: 0.82; PWMin: 0.60; ElL: 1.42; EW: 1.37; AW(IV): 1.25; AedL: 0.79; TL: 3.95.

Body brownish black, glossy; legs and antennomeres reddish brown; tarsi, mouthparts and bases of antennomeres 1–3 yellow. Punctation of head deep, distinctly denser on infraorbital ridges; punctation of pronotum regular, slightly deeper than that on head, interspaces between punctures as diameter of 2–3 nearest punctures; scutellum with small irregular punctures; elytra with somewhat larger punctation than that on pronotum; abdomen with small regular punctation. Forebody without microsculpture; abdomen with reticulate microsculpture on abdominal tergite IV and without visible microsculpture on other tergites. Head 1.4 times wider than long, with convex frons and moderately prominent infraorbital ridges, with rather deep depressions between them. Eyes large and convex, two and half times longer than temples. Ocelli poorly visible (same coloration as that of head), distance between ocelli about same length of distance between ocellus and posterior margin of eye. Antennae reaching one-third of elytral length when reclined; measurements of antennomeres (length/width): 1: 0.21 × 0.08; 2: 0.14 × 0.05; 3: 0.15 × 0.06; 4¯6: 0.13 × 0.06; 7¯8: 0.14 × 0.06; 9¯10: 0.14 × 0.07; 11: 0.17 × 0.07. Pronotum cordate, convex, 1.2 times as wide as long, wider in apical third; disc of pronotum without longitudinal impressions; mediobasal portion of pronotum with very weak small transverse depression. Elytra moderately convex, slightly more than twice longer than pronotum and slightly wider than length, insignificantly expanded posteriorly, with rounded hind margins. Metatarsus slightly more than twice longer than metatibia; tarsomere 1 of metatarsus shorter than tarsomeres 2–3, approximately as long as tarsomere 5. Abdomen slightly narrower than elytra; abdominal tergite V with paired tomentose spots.

Male. Abdominal sternite VIII with widely emarginated posterior margin. Aedeagus ( Fig. 1 ) with narrow median lobe and small rounded apex; parameres with wide apical portions, exceeding apex of aedeagus; internal sac moderately long, with strongly sclerotized areas of thorns in basal and median part of aedeagus. Aedeagus in lateral view as in Fig. 2 .

Female unknown.

Comparative notes. Based on the body size and coloration, the punctation, microsculpture and pubescence of the body, the proportions of metatibia and metatarsi, as well as the general structure of the aedeagus, L. (s.str.) steeli is most similar to the Nepalese L. (s.str.) jaegeri Shavrin, 2012, from which it differs by the narrower antennomeres and apical part of the aedeagus, by the narrower and longer elytra, by the wider parameres and by details of the structure of the internal sac. The shape of the median lobe of the aedeagus of L (s.str.) steeli is similar on that of Central Asian L. (s.str.) bucharica Fauvel, 1900 (see Figs. 30¯ 35 in Shavrin 2015b) but differs by the shape of apex of the parameres and structure of the internal sac, as well as by the completely different external characters (L. (s.str.) bucharica is significantly larger, coloration paler, antennae very long, reaching half-length of elytra, etc.).

Remarks. The species, known only on the type material, was described by Lohse (1982) from Kashmir.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Aedeagus of L. (s. str.) steeli: 1 — parameral view, 2 — lateral view. Scale bar: 0.2 mm.