Liotesba malaisei Scheerpeltz, 1965

Zhou, Yu-Lingzi & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2013, Taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Liotesba Scheerpeltz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Xantholinini) with descriptions of four new species, Journal of Natural History 47 (45 - 46), pp. 2869-2904 : 2893-2894

Liotesba malaisei Scheerpeltz, 1965

Scheerpeltz, 1965: 201 [type locality: northeast Burma, Kambaiti, 7000 ft (2134 m)]; Herman, 2001: 3692 (catalogue); Bordoni, 2002: 320 (characters; Thailand, 19.27 N, 98.20 E, 1500 m, Mae Hong Son Prov., Soppong); Smetana, 2004: 691 (catalogue); Bordoni, 2005a: 9 (characters; first record in China, Yunnan, 65 km east Tengchong, humid forest, 2200–2350 m); Bordoni, 2007b: 71 (catalogue).

Material examined. female, with labels as follows: “ Holotypus ”/“N. E. BURMA, Kambaiti , 7000 ft, 4–8.VI.1934, R. Malaise”/“ Liotesba Malaisei , det. Scheerplftz. 1941”/“Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm Loan no 261/93”/“4473 E91”/ “ Liotesba malaisei , det. Bordoni, 1993.”/“NHRS-COLE 000008104”/. ( NHRS) .

Description

Measurement. BL = 8.94 mm, FL = 5.19 mm, HL = 1.47 mm, HW = 1.14 mm, PL = 1.65 mm, PW = 1.11 mm, EL = 1.80 mm, EW = 1.29 mm.

Body elongate, medium-sized. Body entirely dark brown, except elytra and posterior margin of each abdominal segment reddish. Legs reddish brown, except tarsi yellowish. Antennae reddish brown, basal three antennomeres smoother than remaining antennomeres. Maxillary and labial palpi brown.

Head. Distinctly oblong (HL to HW ratio 1.3), tempora subparallel, posterior angles rounded. Dorsal integument shiny, rather smooth, extensively bearing micropunctures, with few sparsely scattered punctures in large size at the lateral one-third and the posterior one-quarter surface of head, without any punctures on deflexed portion of tempora. Each side of cranium with anterolateral puncture near antennal insertion, midlateral puncture approximately the distance of two punctures’ diameter from dorsal margin of eye, temporal puncture at the posterior one-quarter, and occipital puncture at the lateral one-third. Frontal furrows and anteocular furrows absent. Eye small, subequal to one-third times the length of tempora (eye: tempora = 0.30: 0.83 mm), slightly protruding laterad; two large and one small puncture next to dorsal margin of eye. Epistoma distinctly narrow, subrectangular. Distance between antennal insertions 0.30 mm being shorter than distance from antenna to eye (0.39 mm).

Antennae. Scape stout, thickened apically, slightly longer than three subsequent antennomeres combined, 0.53 mm; antennomere II elongate, 0.15 mm; III distinctly elongate, slightly longer than II, 0.18 mm; IV and V subequal in length, 0.09 mm; last antennomere missing.

Mouthparts. Labrum transverse, with a pair of median teeth and a lateral tooth on each side; median teeth distinctly protruding anteriad, and lateral teeth not distinctly protruding. Mandibles falciform, right one with a sharp tooth on inner edge. Maxillary palpus elongate, last segment fusiform, apex subtruncated.

Neck. Narrow (0.45 mm), slightly wider than one-third the width of head.

Pronotum. Subrectangular (PL to PW ratio 1.4), longer than head, but same in width. Distinctly widened anteriad, lateral margins convergent backwards, anterior angles well defined, posterior angles broadly rounded. Integument extensively covered with micropunctures, with two large punctures on each anterolateral corner, one large puncture on each posterolateral corner, and also with other irregular punctures near anterior and lateral margins of pronotum.

Mesoscutellum. Shiny, with three pairs of punctures lined in two rows.

Elytra. Subrectangular, distinctly elongate (EL to EW ratio 1.4), longer, wider than pronotum. Humeri well developed, lateral margins divergent posteriorly, hind margin rounded. Dorsal integument shiny, flattened, without microsculpture; each elytron with a row of dense punctures along median suture, a row along midwidth, also with three or four rows of punctures on deflexed portion.

Legs. First four segments of protarsi heart-shaped, dilated, and those of mesotarsi and metatarsi slender. Last segment shorter than the II–IV combined, respectively.

Abdomen. Cylindrical, broadest at segment VI. Tergites III–VII shiny, each segment covered with distinct transverse microstriae and large scattered punctures, distance between punctures about two punctures’ diameter. Each tergite with a basal impression near anterior margin, rugose, with larger and denser punctures. All abdominal sternites shiny, with microstriae and punctures as those on tergites.

Distribution. China (Yunnan); Myanmar (Kachin State); Thailand (Mae Hong Son Prov.).

Remarks. This species can be easily distinguished from its congeners by the very slender body shape, small eyes and large but few punctures on dorsal surface of head.