Paederus (Harpopaederus) brevior, Li, Xiao-Yan, Solodovnikov, Alexey & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2014

Li, Xiao-Yan, Solodovnikov, Alexey & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2014, Two new species and a new synonym of the genus Paederus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae) from China, Zootaxa 3847 (3), pp. 431-436 : 432-433

Paederus (Harpopaederus) brevior sp. nov.

Figures 1 A–H

Type material. Holotype ♂, China: Shaanxi, Qinling Shan 6 km, E Xunyangba 1000–1300 m (identified as Paederus gracilacutus Li & Zhou by Willers in 2008), 2000 V.23–VI.13, leg. C. Holzschuh; Paratypes 1♂, 3♀♀, same data as holotype ( NHMW, IZCAS and ZMUC).

Description. Body slender, entire length: 10.4–10.9 mm (N=5); forebody length 4.5–4.8 mm, width: 1.5–1.7 mm. Body glossy, head and two apical segments of abdomen, and the apical third of legs black, elytra dark blue, other parts brownish yellow.

Head slightly wider than long (average HL/HW =0.9). Eyes small (average HL/EyL = 3.85), slightly protruding laterally, diameter of eye shorter than gena or temple (average ratio, gena ׃ eye ׃ temple = 1.17: 1: 1.43).

Surface of head smooth without microsculpture. Vertex and middle of frons glabrous, without punctation. Punctation in lateral portions of head irregularly distributed, dense, shallow but coarse, with punctures of variable size.

Antennae with pubescence starting from antennomere 9. Ventral portion of postoccipital suture forming broad ridge anteriorly.

Pronotum slightly longer than wide (average PL/PW = 1.03). Scutellum glossy with reticulate microsculpture and fine setiferous punctation. Mesoventrite with coarse and dense punctation in median area.

Elytra parallel-sided, longer than wide (average ELL\EW = 1.17 and ESL/ELL = 0.69). Surface with luster and fine reticulate microsculpture, punctation larger, denser and deeper than on pronotum, diameters of puncture longer than interstices. Tergites of abdomen with setiferous punctures coarse and sparse, base of each tergite dull without punctation. Sternites with punctation denser and finer than on tergites, base of each sternite with relatively sparse punctation.

Male. Tergite VIII with rounded apex. Sternites III–VII with setae directed medially in median portions, middle of sternite VII glabrous and slightly depressed. Median excision of sternite VIII shorter than half the length of sternite. Sternite IX with symmetrical inner ridge and slightly rounded apex ( Fig. 1 F).

Aedeagus ( Figs. 1 B–E). Parameres symmetric in shape but of different length, their apices acute and curved ventrally. Dorsal plate strongly sclerotized, slightly sinuate on both sides, apex curved dorsally. Internal sac with one sclerotized spine.

Female. Sternite VIII as in Fig. 1 H. Sternite IX ( Fig. 1 G) with bilobed base, gradually narrowed apicad, posterior margin shallowly emarginated in middle.

Comparison. Based on the external characters, this new species is closely allied to Paederus (Harpopaederus) gracilacutus Li & Zhou, 2007 , from which it is reliably separated by the shape of the female sternite VIII ( Fig.1 H; and Li & Zhou, 2007: figure 14), the relative length of the apex of the aedeagal dorsal plate, and number and size of teeth on the surface of the latter ( Figs 1 C–E; and Li & Zhou, 2007: figures 8–10). As far as known from the available limited material, P. brevior sp. nov. and P. graciliacutus have allopatric but neighboring distributions within Qin Ling mountains.

Etymology. The species name is a comparative form of the Latin adjective “short” meaning “shorter”. It refers to the relatively shorter dorsal plate in this new species.

Distribution. P. (H.) b rev i or sp. nov. is known only from the type locality to the east of Xunyangba in Qinling range in Shaanxi Province, China. According to the available label data, the examined specimens were collected at altitudes between 1000 and 1300 m, from the end of May to the middle of June.

Figures

FIGURES 1. Paederus brevior sp. nov. from Shaanxi. A. habitus; B. aedeagus, ventral view; C. aedeagus, lateral view 1; D. aedeagus, lateral view 2; E. aedeagus, dorsal view; F. sternite IX, male; G. sternite IX, female; H. sternite VIII, female; scale bars: A = 1 mm; B – H = 0.5 mm.