Pseudophanias furcilobus Y.-Q. Zhang, Z.-W. Yin, 2023

Zhang, Yong-Qin & Yin, Zi-Wei, 2023, The genus Pseudophanias Raffray (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae) from Nanling Priority Area for Biodiversity Conservation, China, ZooKeys 1179, pp. 231-241 : 231

Pseudophanias furcilobus Y.-Q. Zhang, Z.-W. Yin sp. nov.

Figs 1 , 4A Chinese common name: 叉茎隐须蚁甲

Type material

(4 exx.). Holotype: China: ♂: 'China: Guizhou, Libo County, Maolan N. R., 25°16′52″N, 107°54′18″E, 850-890 m, 20.vii.2015, Chen & Zhao leg. ( 贵州荔波茂兰自然保护区)’ (SNUC). Paratypes: China: 1 ♀, same collecting data as for holotype; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 'China: Guangxi, Hechi City, Mulun N. R., 25°3′12″N, 107°57′59″E, 450-600 m, 26.vii.2015, Chen, He & Hu leg. ( 广西河池木论自然保护区)’ (SNUC).

Diagnosis.

Male. Body moderately elongate, length approximately 2.1 mm. Vertex coarsely punctate, with punctiform vertexal and slightly larger frontal fovea. Antennomeres 5-11 modified, each distinctly transverse, antennomeres 5 as broad as 6, 7 and 8 much narrower than 6, 9 and 10 successively larger, 11 largest, semiglobular, truncate at base. Pronotum with finely punctate disc, coarsely punctate at basal part. Legs simple. Tergite 1 (IV) about 2.4 times as long as 2 (V), lacking discal carinae. Median lobe of aedeagus at middle greatly projected ventrally, projection deeply forked apically; parameres each with three long setae at apex. Female. Similar to male in external morphology; antenna lacking modifications.

Description.

Male. Body (Fig. 1A ) length 2.10-2.12 mm; color reddish-brown, tarsi and mouthparts lighter. Dorsal surface finely punctate, covered with long pubescence.

Head (Fig. 1B ) much longer than wide, length 0.43-0.45 mm, width across eyes 0.41-0.42 mm, sub-hexagonal; vertex coarsely punctate, with narrowly separated, punctiform foveae (dorsal tentorial pits); tempora much longer than eyes; moderately convergent posteriorly; frons broadly and shallowly impressed at middle, with small frontal fovea, rostrum approximately half as wide as head, clypeus sharply descending, smooth, anterior margin carinate and raised, setose C-shaped sulci broad, clearly visible in dorsal view. Eyes moderately prominent, each composed of approximately 30 ommatidia. Maxillary palpi symmetric, palpomere 1 minute, 2 elongate, curved, lengthily pedunculate in basal 2/3, 3 short, sub-trapezoidal, widest at apex, 4 fusiform, widest before base. Antenna elongate, length 0.99-1.01 mm; club formed by enlarged antennomeres 5-11 (Fig. 1C ); antennomere 1 approximately as long as 2 and 3 combined, subcylindrical, 2-4 each short, 5 and 6 greatly transverse, subequal in width, 6 along axis twice length of 5, 7 to 9 narrower and shorter than 6, 8 shortest, 10 much larger than 9, transversely subquadrate, 11 largest, semiglobular, truncate at base.

Pronotum (Fig. 1B ) slightly wider than long, length 0.42-0.44 mm, width 0.45-0.46 mm, widest at middle; lateral margins rounded, convergent anteriorly and posteriorly; anterior margin smoothly curved, posterior margin evenly convex posteriorly; disc moderately convex, finely punctate, with tiny, asetose median and lateral antebasal foveae, basal collar roughly punctate. Prosternum with anterior part slightly shorter than coxal part, with small lateral procoxal foveae; hypomera fused with sternum, smooth; margin of coxal cavity non-carinate.

Elytra much wider than long, length 0.51-0.54 mm, width 0.85-0.86 mm; roundly trapezoidal, dorsal surface with dense, long pubescence; each elytron with two large, asetose, basal foveae; discal striae shallow and wide, extending from outer basal foveae posteriorly for 5.6/10 elytral length. Humeral denticles absent, humeri almost flat, lacking subhumeral foveae or marginal striae; posterolateral margins shortly oblique with row of dense setae. Metathoracic wings greatly reduced, short.

Mesoventrite short, laterally fused with metaventrite; median mesoventral foveae widely separated, originating from shared setose, transverse opening, large lateral mesoventral foveae unforked internally, with short, apically truncate mesoventral process. Metaventrite (Fig. 4A ) finely punctate, convex medially, area anterior to posterior margin roundly and shallowly impressed at middle; posterior margin at middle roundly and moderately deeply emarginate.

All legs elongate and slender; femora coarsely punctate; each tarsus with one major and one reduced setiform pretarsal claw.

Abdomen widest at lateral margins of tergite 1 (IV), length 0.71- 0.72 mm, width 0.84-0.85 mm. Tergite 1 longest, approximately 2.4 × as long as 2 (V), with broad, setose basal sulcus and pair of basolateral foveae, lacking discal carinae; tergites 2-4 (V-VII) each lacking basal sulcus or fovea, 2 and 3 successively shorter, 4 distinctly longer than 2 and 3; tergite 5 (VIII) transverse, posterior margin evenly rounded. Sternite 2 (IV) at middle slightly longer than 3-5 (V-VII) combined, with deep, setose basal impression and pair of basolateral sockets, 3 and 4 each short at middle, combined longer than 5 (VII), 3-5 each lacking sulcus or fovea at base, 6 (VIII) transverse, posterior margin slightly convex at middle.

Aedeagus (Fig. 1D, E ) 0.46 mm in length, moderately sclerotized, dorso-ventrally almost symmetric; median lobe strongly curved in lateral view, at middle greatly projected ventrally, projection deeply forked apically, parameres elongate, each with three long, curved setae at apex.

Female. General external morphology similar to male; antenna slightly shorter, unmodified; each eye composed of about 30 ommatidia; humeral flat; metathoracic wings similar to male, reduced. Measurements (as for male): body length 2.09-2.11 mm, length/width of head 0.44-0.46 mm/0.39-0.40 mm, length/width of pronotum 0.43-0.44 mm/0.43-0.44 mm, length/width of elytra 0.48-0.49 mm/0.83-0.88 mm, length/width of abdomen 0.74-0.82 mm/0.83-0.89 mm.

Comparative notes.

The male of this species is morphologically similar to Pseudophanias excavatus Inoue, Nomura & Yin from Taiwan, China by the antennal modification composed of apical seven antennomeres ( Inoue et al. 2020), i.e., antennomeres 5-11 greatly transverse and distinctly larger than 1-4. They can be readily separated by the different shapes of the antennal modification and aedeagus. In P. excavatus the antennomeres 5 and 10 have their ventral surfaces greatly projected ( Inoue et al. 2020: fig. 10B) (projection lacking in P. furcilobus sp. nov.), and the median lobe of the aedeagus lacks a ventral projection, and the apical part in lateral view is greatly extended, twisted, and more strongly recurved ( Inoue et al. 2020: fig. 13B).

Distribution.

Southwestern China: Guizhou, Guangxi.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is a combination of Latin stem furc, meaning, “fork”, and noun lobus, meaning, “lobe”, referring to the apically forked ventral projection of median lobe of the aedeagus.

Figures

Figure 1. Habitus and morphological details of Pseudophanias furcilobus sp. nov., male A dorsal habitus B head and pronotum C antennal club D, E aedeagus, ventral (D), and lateral (E). Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A); 0.3 mm (B, C); 0.2 mm (D, E).

Figure 4. Male metaventrite A Pseudophanias furcilobus B P. leigong C P. mulun. Scale bars: 0.3 mm.