Quedius (Raphirus) zetes, Smetana, Aleš, 2012

Smetana, Aleš, 2012, Contributions to the knowledge of the Quediina (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylinini) of China. Part 42. Genus Quedius Stephens, 1829. Subgenus Raphirus Stephens, 1829. Section 10, Zootaxa 3156, pp. 43-68 : 63-64

Quedius (Raphirus) zetes sp. nov.

( Figs. 69–76 )

Type locality. People’s Republic of China, Sichuan, Xiangcheng 2700m 29°00N 99°46E.

Type material. Holotype (male) and allotype (female) : China: CHINA Sichuan Xiangcheng 2700m 29°00N 99°46E 29.VI. 1996 [C46] /collected by A. Smetana, J. Farkač and P. Kabátek . In the Smetana collection, Ottawa, Canada (to be eventually deposited at the Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Genève, Switzerland).

Paratypes: China: [Sichuan]: same data as holotype, 5 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ ( ASC, MSC).

Description. Black, head, pronotum and elytra with slight metallic lustre, elytra piceous in some specimens, abdomen markedly iridescent. Palpi, antennae and legs pale testaceous, medial faces of hind tibiae darkened. Head rounded, wider than long (ratio 1.13); eyes very large and convex, tempora quite short, considerably shorter than length of eyes seen from above (ratio 0.15); no additional setiferous punctures between anterior frontal punctures; posterior frontal puncture touching posteriomedial margin of eye, one puncture between it and posterior margin of head; temporal puncture touching posterior margin of eye; surface of head with dense, fine microsculpture of transverse and oblique waves, becoming submeshed on clypeus. Antenna moderately long, segments 2 and 3 subequal in length, segments 4–6 longer than wide, becoming gradually shorter, segment 7 vaguely longer than wide, segments 8–10 about as long as wide, last segment as long as two preceding segments combined. Pronotum about as long as wide, broadly arcuate basally, evenly transversely convex, vaguely narrowed anteriad; dorsal rows each with three punctures; sublateral rows each with one or two punctures, with posterior puncture situated before level of large lateral puncture; surface of pronotum with microsculpture similar to that on head, but vaguely finer and denser. Scutellum with microsculpture of rudimentary waves, except for basal third punctate and golden-yellowish pubescent. Elytra relatively long, at suture as long as, at sides somewhat (ratio 1.18) longer than pronotum at midline; punctation moderately coarse, very dense, transverse interspaces between punctures mostly as large as diameters of punctures; surface between punctures without microsculpture; pubescence yellowish-golden. Wings fully developed. Abdomen with tergite 7 (fifth visible) with distinct whitish apical seam of palisade setae; tergite 2 (in front of first fully visible tergite) with a few very fine, scattered punctures; first two visible tergites each with inconspicuous impression at each side; punctation of tergites considerably finer than that on elytra, moderately dense, but becoming markedly sparser toward apical margin of each tergite, and in general toward apex of abdomen; pubescence piceous on middle portion of each tergite, but becoming golden-yellowish toward lateral portion of each tergite, without forming appreciable patches of denser hairs there; surface between punctures with excessively fine and dense microsculpture of striae.

M a l e. First four segments of front tarsus markedly dilated, sub-bilobed, each densely covered by tenent setae ventrally, segment 2 slightly wider than apex of tibia (ratio 1.14), segment 4 narrower than preceding segments. Sternite 8 with two long setae on each side, with moderately deep and wide medioapical emargination ( Fig. 69 ), small triangular area before emargination flattened and smooth. Genital segment with tergite 10 narrowly triangular, arcuate apically, with several longer setae at and near apical margin, otherwise sparingly setose ( Fig. 70 ); sternite 9 with moderately wide, long basal portion, apical portion with slightly differentiated subapical seta at each side before arcuate apex, otherwise sparingly setose ( Fig. 71 ). Aedoeagus ( Figs. 72–75 ) moderately narrow and elongate, median lobe parallelsided, anteriorly narrowed into short apical portion with acute apex, on face adjacent to paramere, when paramere removed, with minute medial carina below apex, appearing as minute dent in lateral view ( Figs 73, 74 ); paramere large, broadly fusiform, with narrowly arcuate apex not quite reaching apex of median lobe; four setae at apical margin, medial pair conspicuously long, lateral pair fine, two setae similar to lateral pair of apical setae at each lateral margin below apex ( Fig. 75 ); sensory peg setae on underside of paramere quite numerous, forming a long, rather wide, irregular longitudinal row along each lateral margin of apical portion of paramere ( Fig. 75 ).

F e m a l e. First four segments of front tarsus not appreciably dilated. Tergite 10 of genital segment relatively narrow, with narrowly arcuate apex, with several long setae at and near apical portion, otherwise with only a few setae ( Fig. 76 ).

Length 4.0– 4.5 mm.

Geographical distribution. Quedius zetes is at present known only from the type locality in western Sichuan.

Bionomics. The specimens of the original series were taken by sifting wet moss, leaf litter and other debris under dense bushes growing in small seepages at the base of an escarpment along a river.

Recognition and comments. Quedius zetes is in all characters very similar to Q. meilixue . It differs from it mainly by the pronotum which is dark in both sexes, by the differently shaped aedoeagus ( Figs. 65 , 72 ), and by the conspicuously long medial pair of apical setae on the paramere ( Fig. 75 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is the name of Zetes , - is, m, the son of Boreas , one of the Argonauts, in apposition.

Figures

FIGURES 66 – 76. 66 – 68. Quedius meilixue: 66, apical portion of median lobe, ventral view, paramere removed; 67, apical portion of undereside of paramere with sensory peg setae; 68, tergite 10 of female genital segment. 69 – 76. Quedius zetes: 69, apical portion of male sternite 8; 70, tergite 10 of male genital segment; 71, sternite 9 of male genital segment; 72, aedoeagus, ventral view; 73, apical portion of median lobe, ventral view, paramere removed; 74, apical portion of median lobe, lateral view, paramere removed; 75, apical portion of underside of paramere with sensory peg setae; 76, tergite 10 of female genital segment.

FIGURES 55 – 65. 55 – 61. Quedius tergimpressus: 55, tergite 10 of male genital segment; 56, sternite 9 of male genital segment; 57, aedoeagus, ventral view; 58, apical portion of median lobe, ventral view, paramere removed; 59, apical portion of median lobe, lateral view, paramere removed; 60, apical portion of underside of paramere with sensory peg setae; 61, tergite 10 of female genital segment. 62 – 65. Quedius meilixue: 62, apical portion of male sternite 8; 63, tergite 10 of male genital segment; 64, sternite 9 of male genital segment; 65, aedoeagus, ventral view.