Prespelea myersae Caterino & Vasquez-Velez

Caterino, Michael S. & Vasquez-Velez, Laura M., 2017, A revision of Prespelea Park (Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae), ZooKeys 685, pp. 105-130 : 116

Prespelea myersae Caterino & Vasquez-Velez sp. n. Figs 11, 18, 29, 41, Map 49

Type material.

Holotype male: "USA: SC: Oconee Co., 34.9899°N, 83.0724°W, Indian Camp Ck, V.04.2015, M.Caterino & S. Myers, Sifted leaf litter" (CUAC000010576); deposited in FMNH. Paratypes (8): 1 male: "USA:SC: Oconee Co., 34.9886°N, 83.0729°W, Indian Camp Ck, V.04.2015, M.Caterino & S. Myers, Sifted leaf litter" (CUAC000010698, DNA Extract MSC-2408); deposited in CUAC. 2 males and 1 female: "USA:SC: Oconee Co., 34.9903°N, 83.0723°W, Indian Camp Ck, V.04.2015, M.Caterino & S. Myers, Sifted leaf litter" (CUAC000010645, CUAC000010631, CUAC000010647); deposited in FMNH, LSAM & CUAC. 1 female: "USA:SC: Oconee Co., 34.9846°N, 83.1018°W, East Fork, V.04.2015, M.Caterino & S. Myers, Sifted leaf litter" (CUAC000010746); deposited in CUAC. 2 females: "USA:NC: Macon Co., 35.0096°N, 83.1245°W, Ellicott Rock Trail, VII.18.2015, S. Myers, Sifted litter" (CUAC000011201, DNA Extract MSC-2421; CUAC000011216); deposited in CUAC. Other material: 13 specimens from Macon & Jackson Cos., NC, and Rabun Co., GA; for full details see Suppl. material 1.

Diagnosis.

Distinguishable from P. quirsfeldi only by the following characters of the male: metaventral process more distinctly laminate and anteriorly projecting than in P. parki , weakly to strongly apically cleft; metatrochanter apically produced, with strong, scooplike apical hook; mesofemora somwhat swollen; aedeagus with sides convergent to near apex, then weakly divergent to apical corners; apicodorsal ridges strong, divergent subapically, converging short of apex to weakly closed apical foramen, apical margin subtruncate to weakly emarginate; internal sac with six distinct teeth. Female pygidium weakly depressed, apical ventrite with median transverse carina strongly bilobed, elevated, defining posterior face coplanar with pygidium; neck ventrally flattened, but without median or lateral carinae. TL 1.54-1.84mm; Max. width (EW) 0.57-0.63mm.

Distribution.

This species is known from a limited area around the point where North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia meet, centered on the Ellicott Rock Wilderness.

Remarks.

There is slight variability in the form of the metatrochanteral process in specimens from around Highlands, North Carolina, where its apex is slightly widened and truncate. We have dissected one male from this locality and find its aedeagus to be basically similar in overall shape to that of the type, as well as in the distinctive teeth of the internal sac. There is also considerable variation in the widening and emargination of the metaventral process, even among specimens from near the immediate type locality. The female pygidium of this species shows commonalities with the ' copelandi - like’ (fully-eyed) species of the genus, suggesting that the reduction of male eyes may be quite labile. In addition to several 'leaf litter’ labels, some specifically mention rhododendron and hemlock as important elements of the sampled microhabitats.

The species is named to recognize the contributions of former Caterino lab postdoc Dr. Shelley Myers, collector of many of the specimens of this and others of the new species described in this paper. Several specimens from the John Wagner collection (FMNH) bear ‘type’ and ‘paratype’ labels, and the manuscript name P. suteri . We have left these labels on the specimens, though we do not recognize these as types and the name ' P. suteri ' has no formal status.