Batraxis gloriosa, Wang, Dan & Yin, Zi-Wei, 2016

Wang, Dan & Yin, Zi-Wei, 2016, New species and records of Batraxis Reitter (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) in continental China, Zootaxa 4147 (4), pp. 443-465 : 445-447

Batraxis gloriosa , new species

( Figs 2 B, 9, 10A‒F, 14A‒B, 14J‒N, 15)

Type material (29 ƋƋ, 37 ♀♀). Holotype: CHINA: Ƌ, labeled ‘ CHINA: Hunan, Liuyang City (浏阳市), Daweishan Town (大围山镇), Dawei Shan (大围山), 28°25'37"N, 114°07'43"E, mixed leaf litter, sifted, 1440 m, 21.vii.2013, Peng, Dai & Xie leg.’ ( SNUC) . Paratypes: CHINA: 4 ƋƋ, 6 ♀♀, same label data as holotype ( SNUC) ; 1 ♂, same data as previous material except ‘ 22.vii.2013 ’ ( SNUC) ; 2 ♂♂, same data as previous material except ‘ 1460 m, 20.vii.2013 ’ ( SNUC) ; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, labeled ‘ China: Fujian Province, Wuyishan City (武夷山市), Tongmu Village (桐木村), Guadun (挂墩), 27°44'01"N, 117°38'13"E, mixed forest, leaf litter, wood, sifted, 1242 m, 4.x.2015, Yan, Tu, Shen, Jiang & Zhou leg.’ ( SNUC) ; 4 ƋƋ, 3 ♀♀, labeled ‘ China: N. Zhejiang, Quzhou City (衢州市), Gutian Shan National Reserve (古田山自然保护区), 29°14'54"N, 118°07'14"E, mixed leaf litter, sifted, 500-800 m, 21.vi.2013, Xie, Lv & Yu leg.’ ( SNUC) ; 5 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, same data as previous material except ‘ 29°14'45"N, 118°06'52"E, 400-500 m, 19.vi.2013, Hu, Song, Lv, Xie & Yu leg.’ ( SNUC) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, labeled ‘ China: W. Jiangxi Province, Yichun City (宜春市), Mingyue Shan National Park (明月山国家公园), 27°35'43- 41"N, 114°16'29-05"E, along path in mixed forest, bamboo, leaf litter, sifted, 700-1150 m, 13.vii.2013, Song, Yin, Yu leg.’ ( SNUC) ; 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, labeled ‘ China: W. Jiangxi Province, Yichun City, Mingyue Shan (明月山), 27°35'13"N, 114°16'53"E, mixed forest, leaf litter, wood, sifted & beating, ca. 1600 m, 22.x.2013, Peng, Shen & Yan leg.’ ( SNUC) ; 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀, labeled ‘ China: W. Jiangxi Province, Yichun City, Fengxin County (奉新县), Niyang Shan (泥洋山), 28°49'12"N, 115°03'26"E, mixed leaf litter, sifted, 1000 m, 24.VII.2013, Hu & Lv leg.’ ( SNUC) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, labeled ‘ China: W. Jiangxi Province, Luxi County (芦溪县), Yangshimu (羊狮幕), 27°35'07"N, 114°15'41"E, mixed forest, leaf litter, wood, sifted & beating, ca., 1360 m, 24.x.2013, Peng, Shen & Yan leg.’ ( SNUC) ; 1 ♂, same data as previous material except ‘ 27°27'59"N, 114°09'54"E, 1050 m, 28.x.2013 ’ ( SNUC) ; 1 ♂, labeled ‘ China: Jiangxi, Pingxiang City , Gaozhou County (高州县), Gao-Tian-Yan (高天岩), 27°23'51"N, 114°00'54"E, broad-leaved & pine forest, mixed litter, sifted, ca. 1025 m, 23.vii.2013, Song, Yin & Yu leg,’ ( SNUC) ; 3 ♂♂, 11 ♀♀, labeled ‘ China: Guangxi, Xing’an County (兴安县), Maoer Shan (猫儿山), Jiuniutang (九 牛塘), 25°53'14"N, 110°29'13"E, mixed leaf litter, humus, sifted, 1180 m, 31.vii.2014, Peng, Song, Yu & Yan leg.’ ( SNUC) ; 1 ♀, same data as previous material except ‘ 25°52'04"N, 110°26'27"E, beech forest, mixed leaf litter, sifted, 1020 m, 28.vii.2014 ’ ( SNUC) .

Diagnosis of male. Body glabrous, elytra and abdomen with sparse, short setae; frons with abrupt subantennal transverse sulcus; antennomeres IX elongate, XI concaved anterolaterally; pronotum with shallow median antebasal fovea and distinct basal impression; all tibiae slender; protrochanters protuberant at ventral margin, profemora simple, protibiae sometimes with preapical protuberance, mesotibiae lacking apical spur; tergite IV with narrow basal sulcus, discal carinae relatively long, close, with short marginal carinae; aedeagus relatively elongate.

Description. Male ( Fig. 2 B). Body reddish-brown, length 1.54–1.74 mm. Head rectangular, as long as wide, HL 0.33–0.40 mm, HW 0.34–0.39 mm, vertex glabrous, apical margin of frons and clypeus sparsely pubescent; vertex moderately convex, with pair of small vertexal foveae; antennal tubercles low; frons flattened, subantennal transverse sulcus abrupt, indistinct at middle, shallow vertexal sulcus merging with subantennal transverse sulcus and connecting foveae; each eye composed of about 20 facets; antennae relatively thin, antennomeres III–IX elongate, X slightly transverse, XI largest, widest at middle, concaved anterolaterally; median gular carina narrow, with two distinct nude gular foveae. Pronotum slightly wider than long, PL 0.30–0.33 mm, PW 0.35–0.39 mm, with indistinct median antebasal fovea and distinct basal impression. Elytra wider than long, EL 0.45–0.55 mm, EW 0.59–0.68 mm, dorsal surface with sparse, minute setae, each elytron with two distinct foveae at base. Protrochanters protuberant at ventral margin ( Fig. 14 J). Abdomen wider than long, AL 0.40–0.57 mm, AW 0.55– 0.62 mm, slightly narrowed at base; tergite IV (first visible tergite) with narrow basal sulcus; discal carinae relatively long, close, extending to apical one-third of tergal length, width between carinae 0.10–0.16 mm at apices; short marginal carinae extending to apical one-ninth of tergal length. Aedeagus ( Fig. 9 A‒C) 0.24–0.27 mm in length, relatively elongate, parameres distinctly exceeding apex of median lobe, apex flattened, each with two preapical setae; endophallus with forked sclerite at middle and numerous weakly sclerotized spine-like structures laterally.

Female. Similar to male in general appearance; protrochanters simple; each eye composed of about 20 facets. Measurements: BL 1.56–1.70 mm; HL 0.34–0.38 mm; HW 0.35–0.38 mm; PL 0.29–0.32 mm; PW 0.35–0.40 mm; EL 0.44–0.49 mm; EW 0.57–0.63 mm; AL 0.44–0.52 mm; AW 0.54–0.60 mm; width between discal carinae of tergite IV 0.10–0.15 mm at apices.

Comparative notes. Batraxis gloriosa is similar to B. nanlingensis sp. n. (described below) and B. minor Wang & Yin by the broad head which is as wide as the pronotum, and aedeagal endophallus with the median sclerites widely separated at the base. The new species can be separated from B. nanlingensis sp. n. by the smaller body size (1.56‒1.59 mm vs 1.7 mm), the antennomeres XI are distinctly notched at the anterolateral margins, and the more slender aedeagus. Batraxis minor has a body size range from 1.35 mm to 1.37 mm, and the apices of the aedeagal parameres are distinctly narrowed.

Comments. The populations from Fujian and Zhejiang have the protibiae each with an indistinct preapical protuberance ( Fig. 14 A‒B), while those from Jiangxi, Hunan, and Guangxi have simple protibiae. This and the slight differences in the aedeagal structures ( Figs 9 , 10 A‒F) are both interpreted as intraspecific variations of the new species.

Distribution. China: Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hunan, Guangxi ( Fig. 15 ). Etymology. The specific epithet ‘ gloriosa ’ means ‘glorious’.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Dorsal habitus of Batraxis males. A. B. robusta, population from Guangxi. B. B. gloriosa, population from Hunan. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 9. Aedeagi of Batraxis gloriosa. (A, B, D, E, G, H. in ventral view. C, F, I. in lateral view). A – C. Population from Hunan. D – F. Population from Fujian. G – I. Population from Zhejiang. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 10. Aedeagi of Batraxis species. (A, B, D, E, G, H. in ventral view. C, F, I. in lateral view). A – C. B. gloriosa, population from Jiangxi. D – F. B. gloriosa, population from Guangxi. G – I. B. antennata. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 14. Legs of male Batraxis species. (A – F. Protibia. G. Mesotibia. H, I. Profemur. J – V. Protrochanter). A, K. B. gloriosa, population from Fujian. B, L. B. gloriosa, population from Zhejiang. C, H, P. B. gesar. D, T. B. ziyueae. E, U. B. bicolor, population from Yunnan. F, I, V. B. tibialis, population from Jiangxi. G, S. B. yifan. J. B. gloriosa, population from Hunan. M. B. gloriosa, population from Jiangxi. N. B. gloriosa, population from Guangxi. O. B. longicornis. Q. B. longithorax. R. B. nanlingensis. Scale bars: A ‒ I = 0.1 mm; J ‒ V = 0.05 mm.

FIGURE 15. Distribution of Batraxis species in China.