Metolinus parvioculatus, Assing, 2009

Assing, V., 2009, A new species of Metolinus from Yunnan, China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Xantholinini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 41 (1), pp. 481-484 : 482

Metolinus parvioculatus nov.sp. ( Figs 1-8 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype Ƌ: " China: Yunnan [CH07-15], Baoshan Pref., Gaoligong Shan , 29 km ESE Tengchong, 2350 m, 24°55'37"N, 98°45'09"E, dev. decid. forest, litter, wood, fungi sifted, 1.VI.2007, leg. A. Pütz / Holotypus Ƌ Metolinus parvioculatus sp.n. det. V. Assing 2009" (coll. A. Pütz).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length from apex of mandibles to posterior margin of segment VII: 4.3 mm; length of forebody from apex of mandibles to posterior margin of elytra: 2.3 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: head dark-brown; antennae brown; elytra and legs yellowish to yellowish-brown; remainder of body reddish-brown.

Head 1.22 times as long as wide, only very weakly dilated posteriad ( Fig. 2 ); punctation well-defined, moderately coarse and moderately sparse; interstices in dorsal median area without, on lateral surfaces with very shallow traces of microsculpture. Eyes reduced to minute rudiments, diameter subequal to that of antennomere III (cross-section), without distinct ommatidia ( Fig. 3 ). Antennae short and distinctly incrassate apically; combined length of antennomeres II-XI 0.7 mm; antennomeres IV-X strongly transverse, 3-4 times as wide as long; III weakly transverse ( Fig. 4 ).

Pronotum 1.55 times as long as wide and 0.97 times as wide as head ( Fig. 2 ); midline broadly impunctate; punctation of lateral areas slightly coarser and denser than that of head; interstices and midline without microsculpture.

Elytra 0.8 times as long as pronotum ( Fig. 2 ); punctation weakly defined, shallow, and much finer than that of head and pronotum. Hind wings reduced.

Abdomen approximately 1.1 times as wide as elytra, widest at segment VII ( Fig. 1 ); punctation of tergites III-V moderately dense, moderately shallow, and moderately fine, that of tergites VI-VII finer, denser, and shallower; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe.

Ƌ: posterior margin of tergite VIII convex ( Fig. 5 ); sternite VIII posteriorly with broad and shallowly triangular excision ( Fig. 6 ); segments IX-X as in Fig. 7 ; aedeagus 0.7 mm long (without parameres); internal sac with row of numerous distinctly sclerotised structures; parameres long and evenly curved ( Fig. 8 ).

♀: unknown.

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Latin, adjective: small-eyed) refers to the reduced eyes, one of the characters distinguishing this species from other congeners known from China.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Metolinus parvioculatus is readily distinguished from all its congeners by the morphology of the aedeagus (internal structures, relatively long curved parameres), from other species known from China also by the smaller eyes, small body size, and pale coloration. For illustrations of the genitalia of other Metolinus species recorded from China see BORDONI (2002).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The type locality is situated in the southern parts of the Gaoligong Shan, some 30 km ESE of Tengchon, western Yunnan, China. The holotype was sifted from the leaf litter in a degraded deciduous forest at an altitude of 2350 m.

Figures

Figs 1-8: Metolinus parvioculatus nov.sp. (holotype): (1) habitus; (2) forebody; (3) head in lateral view; (4) antenna; (5) male tergite VIII; (6) male sternite VIII; (7) male segments IX-X; (8) aedeagus. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2-3: 0.5 mm; 4-8: 0.2 mm.