Pseudotyphlopasilia pertinax, Assing, 2023

Assing, Volker, 2023, On the taxonomy and zoogeography of the Caucasian genus Pseudotyphlopasilia (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae). V. A new species and additional records from Georgia, Linzer biologische Beiträge 54 (2), pp. 403-406 : 404-406

Pseudotyphlopasilia pertinax nov.sp. ( Figs 1-5 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype ♀: " GEORGIA [27] – Kvemo Svaneti, E Lentekhi, S Panaga, 42°49'46''N, 42°55'09''E, 1160 m, 1.VIII.2021, V. Assing / Holotypus Ƌ Pseudotyphlopasilia pertinax sp. n., det. V. Assing 2022" (cAss). Paratype Ƌ [forebody missing]: " GEORGIA [77a]– Kvemo Svaneti, E Lentheki, S Panaga, 42°49'46''N 42°55'09''E, 1160 m, 10.VIII.2022, V. Assing" (cAss).

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet (Latin adjective: tenacious) alludes to the efforts required to collect the above two type specimens.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 2.9 mm; length of forebody 1.1 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Colouration: body reddish, with the abdominal apex yellow; legs yellow; antennae reddish.

Head ( Fig. 2 ) transverse and somwhat wedge-shaped; punctation extremely fine, visible in the distinct microreticulation only at high magnification (100 x).

Pronotum ( Fig. 2 ) 1.4 times as broad as long, broadest approximately in the middle, and 1.3 times as broad as head, posterior angles marked; punctation moderately dense and fine, but more distinct than that of head; interstices with distinct microreticulation.

Elytra (Fig. 7) 0.68 times as long as pronotum; punctation moderately dense and somewhat asperate; interstices without microsculpture. Hind wings completely reduced.

Abdomen: tergites III–V with anterior impressions; punctation fine and moderately dense on anterior tergites, decreasing in density towards posterior tergites, rather sparse on tergite VII; interstices with microreticulation composed of transverse meshes; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe; tergite VIII without sexual dimorphism, posterior margin weakly convex.

Ƌ: sternite VIII with triangularly produced posterior margin; median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 3-4 ) 0.29 mm long; ventral process distinctly sinuate in lateral view; internal sac with short flagellum.

♀: posterior margin of sternite VIII strongly convex; spermatheca ( Fig. 5 ) with very long proximal portion forming numerous coils.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Regarding the shape of the aedeagus, P. pertinax is most similar to P. egrisica ASSING, 2022 from the Egrisi Range, from which it is distinguished by a basally strongly produced median lobe of the aedeagus (lateral view) and by a significantly longer proximal portion of the spermatheca. For illustrations of P. egrisica and other species of the genus see ASSING (2021, 2022).

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: The type locality is situated to the south of Panaga at the base of the southern slope of the Lechakhumi Range, to the east of Lentekhi. The specimens were collected by soil-washing on a slope with deciduous forest at an alittude of 1160 m.

Figures

Figs 1-5: Pseudotyphlopasilia pertinax: (1) habitus; (2) forebody; (3-4) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (5) spermatheca. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2: 0.5 mm; 3-5: 0.1 mm.