Squamiger elegans, Hlaváč, Peter & Baňař, Petr, 2016

Hlaváč, Peter & Baňař, Petr, 2016, The Pselaphinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) of Madagascar. V. Description of Squamiger elegans gen. et sp. nov. from Central Madagascar, Zootaxa 4127 (2), pp. 393-400 : 398-399

Squamiger elegans sp. nov.

( Figs 1–22 )

Type material. Holotype, ♂: “ MADAGASCAR 2011 / AMBOHITANTELY Spec. Res. / S18°11′51.8′′ E47°17′03.5′′ / 1533m; YPT [yellow pan trap] in dense forest / 20.–25.xi.; P. Baňař lgt.”, ( PHPC). Paratypes (3 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀): 2 ♀♀: “ABT/ Nov.2011/10 MADAGASCAR / AMBOHITANTELY Spec. Res.; 18.xi. / 2011; sifting forest litter under palm / tree; Winkler app. extraction; / ~ 1600m; P. Baňař lgt.” ( PHPC, MMBC); 2 ♀♀: “ABT/ Nov.2011/01 MADAGASCAR / AMBOHITANTELY Spec. Res.; 16.xi. / 2011; 18°11′52.7′′ E47°17′0.4′′ / 1603m; sifting forest litter under big / Pandanus, Winkler app. extraction / L.S. Rahanitriniaina & P. Baňař lgt.” ( PHPC). 1 ♂: “ABT/ Nov.2011/13 MADAGASCAR / AMBOHITANTELY Spec. Res.; 1497m / S18°10′56.9′′ E47°17′21.9′′; 18.xi. / 2011; sifting forest litter; Winkler app. / extraction; L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt.” ( PHPC). 1 ♂: “ABT/ Nov.2011/11 MADAGASCAR / AMBOHITANTELY Spec. Res.; 1497m / S18°10′52.6′′ E47°17′22.5′′; 18.xi. / 2011; sifting forest litter; Winkler app. / extraction; L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt.” ( MMBC). 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀: “ MADAGASCAR 2011 / AMBOHITANTELY Spec. Res. / S18°11′51.8′′ E47°17′03.5′′ / 1533m; YPT in dense forest / 20.–25.xi.; P. Baňař lgt.” ( PHPC).

Description. Body length from 1.42 mm (males) to 1.56 mm (females), maximum width in posterior corners of elytra, 0.64 mm (males), 0.68 mm (females). Head length 0.31 mm in males, 0.33 mm in females, much longer than wide, widest across eyes, ration of the length to maximum width 1.65. Head and thorax matt, abdomen shiny, pale reddish-brown. Setae on lateral and dorsal parts of head ( Fig. 2 ), pronotum ( Fig. 3 ) and elytra ( Fig. 5 ) very broad, squamose, setae on abdomen, legs and ventralmost part of thorax fine, normally developped, setae on lateral parts of prosternum, meso- and metaventrite becoming wider, squamose towards their lateral margins ( Fig. 9 ). Clypeus prominent and broadly subtriangular ( Fig. 2 ), ventral part of head ( Fig. 14 ) with strong, mesh-like microsculpture evanescent on gular plate, with excision in front of eyes. Scape, pedicel and antennomere III subequal in length, all three combined about as long as antennomere IV in male ( Fig. 12 ). Pronotum about as long as wide, its median length 0.26 mm in males, 0.29 mm in females, ratio of its legth to maximum width 0.97, 0.82 times as long as head. Venter sparsely covered with setae, venter of head, prosternum and the second visible abdominal sternite nearly bare. Elytra robust, wider than long; maximum length of elytron 0.49 mm in males, 0.50 mm in females. Maximum width across elytra 0.64 mm in males, 0.67 mm in females. Posterior elytral margins with robust trichomes, occupying four external fifths of width of each elytron. Abdomen short, slightly narrower than elytra, maximum width 0.60 mm in males, 0.64 mm in females.

Aedeagus ( Figs 21−22 ) about 0.25 mm long, apical lobe about 1.5 times as long as basal bulb, slightly curved laterally, constricted just before apex, apex bifurcate.

Sexual dimorphism. Males smaller, apex of ventral face of mesotibiae with minute thorn ( Fig. 19 ), thorn absent in females, male antennae longer, with antennomeres IV and V subequal in length, female antennae conspicuously shorter than head, with reduced terminal antennomere, antennomere IV about three times as long as V.

Microhabitat and collecting method. Four specimens were collected using the yellow pan traps and six specimens were sifted from the leaf litter in the mountain forest of Ambohitantely Special Reserve in Central Madagascar.

Etylomogy. The specific name elegans , refers to the beauty of the new species.

Distribution. Central Madagascar.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Squamiger elegans gen. et sp. nov. Hlaváč & Baňař, male paratype: 1, dorsal habitus; 2, head, dorsal view; 3, pronotum, dorsal view; 4, detail of scale-like setae on pronotum; 5, elytra, dorsal view. Scale bars in mm.

FIGURES 6 – 9. Squamiger elegans gen. et sp. nov. Hlaváč & Baňař, male paratype: 6, detail of antennomere V, anterior view; 7, elytral and abdominal trichomes; 8, laterodorsal habitus; 9, lateroventral habitus. Scale bars in mm.

FIGURES 10 – 12. Squamiger elegans gen. et sp. nov. Hlaváč & Baňař, male paratype: 10, abdomen and apex of elytra, lateral view; 11, sternite IV, fovea and wrinkled area; 12, head, lateral view. (III—third antennomere; IV—fourth antennomere; Vfifth antennomere; bc — buccal cavity; gp — gular plate; occ — occipital constriction; pd — pedicel; sc — scape). Scale bars in mm.

FIGURES 13 – 16. Squamiger elegans gen. et sp. nov. Hlaváč & Baňař, male paratype, ventral view: 13, habitus; 14, head; 15, prothorax, ventral view; 16, fused meso- and metaventrite. (bst — basistipes; cd — cardo; cl — clypeus; gp — gular plate; lb — labrum; md — mandible; mn — mentum; occ — occipital constriction; plp — palpomere; tp — tentorial pits). Scale bars in mm.

FIGURES 17 – 20. Squamiger elegans gen. et sp. nov. Hlaváč & Baňař, male paratype: 17, head, anterior view; 18, head, anteroventral view; 19, left middle tibia, inner view; 20, abdomen, ventral view. (bc — buccal cavity; cd — cardo; cl — clypeus; fr — frons; lb — labrum; md — mandible; mn — mentum; pd — pedicel; plp — palpomere; sc — scape). Scale bars in mm.

FIGURES 21 – 22. Squamiger elegans gen. et sp. nov. Hlaváč & Baňař, male paratype, aedeagus: 21, dorsal view; 22, lateral view. Scale bars in mm.