Geostiba (Tropogastrosipalia) perfodens, Assing, 2011

Assing, V., 2011, A revision of Geostiba of the West Palaearctic region. XXI. Eight new species from Turkey and the Caucasus, a new synonymy, and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (2), pp. 1135-1158 : 1137-1139

Geostiba (Tropogastrosipalia) perfodens nov.sp. ( Figs 1-8 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: "TR [2a] - Isparta, Sultan Dağları, SSW Akşehir , 38°15'15''N, 31°24'30''E, 1860 m, under stones, 22.IV.2011, V. Assing / Holotypus Geostiba perfodens sp. n. det. V. Assing 2011" (cAss) . Paratypes: 54, 54: same data as holotype (cAss, MNHUB, OÖLL) ; 78 exs.: same data, but leg. P. Wunderle (cWun, MNHUB) ; 1 ex.: same data as holotype, but "[2] ... 17.IV.2011 " (cAss) ; 5 exs.: same data, but leg. P. Wunderle (cWun) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 2.4-2.9 mm. Coloration: head dark-brown; pronotum and elytra pale-reddish to yellowish-brown; abdomen yellowish-brown, with segments V-VII more or less extensively dark-brown; legs yellowish; antennae yellowish-brown, with the basal antennomere(s) yellowish.

Head approximately as wide as long or weakly oblong; punctation extremely fine, barely noticeable; surface with shallow microreticulation. Eyes very weakly convex, approximately half as long as postocular region in dorsal view, or nearly so ( Fig. 1 ).

Pronotum without appreciable sexual dimorphism; approximately as wide as long or very weakly transverse, and approximately 1.20-1.25 times as wide as head ( Fig. 1 ); posterior margin very weakly and obtusely pointed in the middle; punctation extremely fine, barely noticeable; microreticulation similar to that of head or slightly more pronounced.

Elytra with moderately pronounced sexual dimorphism, approximately half as long as pronotum or even shorter ( Fig. 1 ); microsculpture very shallow, less distinct than that of head and pronotum. Hind wings absent.

Abdomen slightly wider than elytra; punctation very fine and sparse; microreticulation distinct; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe; tergites III-IV and VII with sexual dimorphism; posterior margin of tergite VIII convex in both sexes.

(with fully developed secondary sexual characters): elytra with very short and weakly elevated sutural carinae near apex of scutellum; elytral surface transversely and more or less extensively impressed, with granulose punctation ( Fig. 1 ); tergite III with median tubercle at posterior margin; tergite IV with weaker median tubercle in the middle of tergal surface; tergite VII with relatively short and stout, suberect process near the middle of posterior margin ( Fig. 2 ), apex of this process convex to almost truncate in anterodorsal view ( Fig. 3 ); median lobe of aedeagus approximately 0.24 mm long and with conspicuously large cristal process ( Figs 4-6 ).

: elytra with fine, non-granulose punctation and without impression; tergites III-IV and VII unmodified; posterior margin of sternite VIII broadly convex; spermatheca not distinctive ( Fig. 7 ).

I n t r a s p e c i f i c v a r i a t i o n: As in other species of the subgenus Tropogastrosipalia , the male secondary sexual characters are subject to considerable variation. They are pronounced only in large males and may be nearly or completely absent in small males.

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is the present participle of the Latin verb perfodere (to stab) and alludes to the dagger-like shape of the cristal process of the aedeagus.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: As can be inferred from the morphology of the primary sexual characters, the modifications of the male pronotum and elytra, the shape of the spermatheca, as well as from the general appearance, G. perfodens belongs to the subgenus Tropogastrosipalia . Using the key in ASSING (2009), the species would key out at couplet 91. In order to account for the new species, the key is modified as follows:

91: abdominal tergites III-IV or III-V each with median tubercle ...............................91a

-: tergites III-V unmodified; for three species from Hatay, Gaziantep and Kahramanmaraş with very indistinct and ill-delimited elevations on tergites (III-)IV follow this alternative....................................................................................................94

91a Pronotum without distinct sexual dimorphism.: median lobe of aedeagus with conspicuously broad and dagger-shaped cristal process ( Figs 4-6 ); sutural carinae very short and indistinct ( Fig. 1 ). Isparta: Sultan Dağları................. G. perfodens nov.sp.

- Pronotum with distinct sexual dimorphism.: median lobe of aedeagus with much more slender cristal process; sutural carinae more pronounced. Distribution different..... .......................................................................................................................................92

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: Geostiba perfodens is currently known only from one locality in the Sultan Dağları. As can be inferred from the restricted distributions of other Turkish representatives of the subgenus Tropogastrosipalia , the species is probably endemic to this mountain range. The type specimens were collected in large numbers from under stones in a subalpine pasture ( Fig. 8 ) at an altitude of 1860 m, together with numerous specimens of an undescribed species of Sunius STEPHENS.

Figures

Figs 1-7: Geostiba perfodens nov.sp.: (1) male forebody; (2) male abdominal segments VI-VIII in lateral view; (3) male abdominal segment VII in antero-dorsal view; (4-5) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (6) cristal process of aedeagus in lateral view; (7) spermatheca. Scale bars: 1: 0.5 mm; 2-5, 7: 0.1 mm; 6: 0.05 mm.

Fig. 8: Type locality of Geostiba perfodens nov.sp. (photo: P. Wunderle).