Pella sultanica, Assing, 2008

Assing, V., 2008, Three new species of Pella STEPHENS from Turkey and Iraq, with a checklist of the species recorded from Turkey (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Lomechusini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 40 (1), pp. 235-243 : 238-241

Pella sultanica nov.sp. ( Figs 8-13 , Map 1 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype ♀: "Petrowitz-Ressl, Reise nach Kleinasien 1960 / Umg. Akschehir, 4.5.1960 / Sultan-Dagh, im Detritus / Holotypus ♀ Pella sultanica sp. n. det. V. Assing 2007 " ( NHMW).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Measurements (in mm) and ratios (holotype): AL: 1.71; HL: 0.77; HW: 0.89; PW: 1.22; PL: 0.86; EL: 0.86; EW: 1.54; AW: 1.42; TiL: 0.95; TaL: 0.72; TL: 6.8; HW/HL: 1.16; PW/HW: 1.37; PW/PL: 1.42; EL/PL: 1.00; EW/PW: 1.26; AW/EW: 0.92; TiL/TaL: 1.31.

Coloration: head blackish brown; pronotum pale reddish; elytra brown, with the humeral angles, the suture, and the posterior margins yellowish; abdominal segments III-V light brown, with the middle part of the tergites darker; abdominal segments VI-VIII blackish, with paler posterior margins; legs and antennae reddish.

Habitus as in Fig. 8 . Head transverse (see ratio HW/HL); puncturation distinct, interstices in median dorsal area on average slightly wider than diameter of punctures; microsculpture absent. Eyes large, somewhat longer than postocular region in dorsal view ( Fig. 9 ). Antenna as in Fig. 10 .

Pronotum strongly transverse (see ratio PW/PL) and distinctly wider than head (see ratio PW/HW; puncturation much finer and sparser than that of head; microsculpture absent ( Fig. 9 ).

Elytra wider than and as long as pronotum (see ratios EW/PW and EL/PL); puncturation slightly denser and somewhat more distinct than that of pronotum, but finer and sparser than that of head; microsculpture absent ( Fig. 9 ). Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen subparallel, slightly narrower than elytra (see ratio AW/EW); puncturation moderately sparse and distinct; microsculpture absent ( Fig. 11 ).

6: unknown. ♀: posterior margin of tergite VIII weakly convex and very finely (almost indistinctly) serrate; sternite VIII of similar length as tergite VIII, posterior margin weakly convex; spermatheca as in Figs 12-13.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: The male sexual characters of this species are unknown, but based on the similarity of the external and the female sexual characters with those of P. cinctipennis and P. discolor , the new species appears to refer to the P. excepta group. From both P. cinctipennis and P. discolor , it is readily separated by much larger size, different coloration, the more transverse and relatively larger pronotum, the more massive antennae, the denser puncturation of the abdomen, the different puncturation of the forebody, as well as by the shape of the spermatheca.

E t y m o l o g y: The name (adjective) is derived from the Sultan Dağı, the name of the mountain where the holotype was discovered.

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 type locality is situated in southwestern Anatolia ( Map 1 ). The holotype was apparently sifted from detritus.

Figures

Map 1: Distributions of the species of the Pella excepta group in Turkey: Pella discolor nov.sp. (filled and open circles), P. sultanica nov.sp. (open circle), and P. cinctipennis (EPPELSHEIM) (square).

Figs 8-13: Pella sultanica nov.sp.: (8) habitus; (9) forebody; (10) antenna; (11) abdomen; (12-13) spermatheca in two different aspects. Scale bars: 8: 1.0 mm; 9-11: 0.5 mm; 12-13: 0.2 mm.