Sunius aequus, Assing, 2011

Assing, V., 2011, A revision of Palaearctic Sunius XIV. Three new species from Turkey and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (2), pp. 1159-1168 : 1163-1166

Sunius aequus nov.sp. ( Figs 8-15 , 24-25 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: "TR [26b] - Isparta, 10 km SE Sütçüler, 1520 m, 37°24'55''N, 31°02'21''E, calcareous slope, stones, 26.IV.2011, V. Assing / Holotypus Sunius aequus sp. n. det. V. Assing 2011" (cAss) . Paratypes: 28, 29: same data as holotype (cAss, MNHUB, OÖLL) ; 34 exs.: same data, but leg. Wunderle (cWun, MNHUB) ; 1: same data as holotype, but "[26a] ... sifted" (cAss) ; 1 ex., same data, but leg. Wunderle (cWun) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 2.6-3.3 mm. Coloration: forebody reddish; abdomen dark-brown to blackish-brown, distinctly contrasting with the forebody; legs and antennae yellowish to reddish-yellow.

Head weakly oblong, approximately 1.05 times as long as wide ( Fig. 8 ); punctation coarse and moderately dense to moderately sparse, somewhat sparser in median dorsal portion; interstices without microsculpture. Eyes rather small, approximately 1/3 the length of postocular region in dorsal view.

Pronotum weakly oblong, approximately 1.1 times as long as wide and slightly narrower than head ( Fig. 8 ); punctation dense and coarse; midline broadly impunctate.

Elytra short and narrow, approximately 0.70-0.75 times as long as pronotum; humeral angles weakly marked ( Fig. 8 ); punctation dense, rather fine, and weakly defined; interstices without distinct microsculpture. Hind wings completely reduced.

Abdomen broader than elytra; punctation fine and dense; interstices with shallow microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe.

: sternite VII without modified pubescence, posterior margin very weakly concave in the middle; sternite VIII posteriorly with a median cluster of dense pubescence ( Fig. 9 ), but without distinct protuberance ( Fig. 10 ), posterior incision rather broad, but not very deep ( Fig. 9 ); aedeagus approximately 0.40 mm long, ventral process subapically weakly dentate (lateral view), apical portion of ventral process almost straight (lateral view) and rather slender in ventral view; internal sac with row of approximately 5-7 distinctly sclerotised and moderately long spines ( Figs 11-15 , 24-25 ).

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet (Latin adjective: level, flat) alludes to the absence of a distinct protuberance on the male sternite VIII, one of the characters separating S. aequus from the similar S. ulcerosus nov.sp.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Based on the similarly derived morphology of the male primary and secondary sexual characters, S. aequus is closely related to S. ulcerosus nov.sp. (see below). In the key in ASSING (2011a), the species would key out at couplets 69-70, together with S. ulcerosus . For a supplement to the key see the comparative notes in the following section.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: Thetypelocalityissituatedto the southeast of Sütçüler in the Kuyucak Dağı. The specimens were collected on a calcareous, grassy slope at an altitude of 1520 m, together with an undescribed species of Geostiba; for a photo of the habitat see ASSING (2011b: figure 20). The vast majority of specimens was found under stones, some were sifted from grass roots.

Figures

Figs 8-15: Sunius aequus nov.sp.: (8) forebody; (9) male sternite VIII in ventral view; (10) male sternite VIII in lateral view; (11-13) aedeagus in lateral view; (14-15) aedeagus in ventral view. Scale bars: 8: 0.5 mm; 9-15: 0.2 mm.

Figs 16-25: Sunius ulcerosus nov.sp. (16-23) and S. aequus nov.sp. (24-25): (16) male sternite VIII in ventral view; (17) male sternite VIII in lateral view; (18-19) aedeagus in lateral view; (20-21) aedeagus in ventral view; (22-25) internal structures of aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: 16-21: 0.2 mm; 22-25: 0.1 mm.