Pseudoligota nozakii Hashizume, Yamamoto & Maruyama, 2023

Hashizume, Takuto, Yamamoto, Shûhei & Maruyama, Munetoshi, 2023, Taxonomic notes on the genus Pseudoligota Cameron (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae) from Japan, Zootaxa 5227 (1), pp. 100-108 : 104-106

Pseudoligota nozakii Hashizume, Yamamoto & Maruyama , sp. nov.

( Figs 1B , 3A–C , 5C )

Type material. Holotype: male ( KUM), “JAPAN: Okinawa-ken, / Ishigaki-shi, Sakieda, / Maese-dake, / 26 III 2022, / T. Nozaki leg. // HOLOTYPE / Pseudoligota / nozakii / des. T. Hashizume, / S. Yamamoto & / M. Maruyama, 2022” . Paratypes. JAPAN: [Okinawa-ken]: 4 males, 2 females, 4 unsexed, same data as holotype. ( KUM) .

Diagnosis. This species is similar to P. antennata , it can be distinguished by its smaller body, the male tergite

VIII without a broad blunt tooth at the posterior margin, and the abparameral lobe of the parameral process of median lobe of aedeagus not reaching the flexure of the parameral lobe of parameral process. This species can also be distinguished from other Pseudoligota spp. by a combination of the black body coloration, the unmodified elytra, male tergite VII, and male tergite VIII, the relatively complicated general shape of the median lobe of the aedeagus, and the absence of inward protrusion on the wall of distal end of the spermatheca.

Description. Measurements. (n = 5): BL 0.84–0.96; FBL: 0.51–0.58; HL: 0.16–0.18; HW: 0.25–0.26; PL: 0.20–0.22; PW: 0.38; EL: 0.19–0.21; EW: 0.41–0.46.

Body ( Fig. 1B ) black; legs and antennae excluding terminal segment yellow; antennal terminal segment darker than proximal segments.

Head. Transverse, about 1.53 times as wide as long. Sparsely punctured with indistinct shallow punctures. Antenna 11-segmented, segments I–III longer than wide, segments IV–X transverse, segment XI about 1.5 times as long as wide.

Thorax. Pronotum transverse, about 1.85 times as wide as long, widest at posterior angles, base rounded; punctures somewhat denser, more distinct than those of head; microsculpture indistinct. Elytra transverse, slightly wider than pronotum; punctures larger than those of pronotum; microsculpture slightly stronger than that on pronotum, composed of transverse reticulation; carinae or granules on sutural margins absent. Hind wings developed.

Abdomen narrowed posteriad, with punctures finer than those on elytra, with diamond-shaped sculpture. Tergite VII unmodified.

Male. Tergite VIII ( Fig. 3A ) without broad blunt tooth at posterior margin. Median lobe of aedeagus ( Fig. 3B ) of complicated shape; parameral process bilobed, parameral lobe of parameral process long, apex pointed, bending paramerally in the apical 2/5; abparameral lobe short, apex rounded, not reaching the flexure of parameral lobe; long thin lobe on left side in abparameral view; flagellum very long, emerging to outside from behind the parameral process, basal part of flagellum large and slightly oval.

Female. Similar to male in general appearance. Spermatheca ( Fig. 3C ) simple; distal bulb rounded with tongueshaped lobe, wall of the distal end without inward protrusion; duct curved.

Distribution. Japan: Ryukyus: Ishigaki-jima Is.

Etymology. This specific name of the new species is dedicated to Tsubasa Nozaki who is the collector of the type series.

Bionomics. All specimens were obtained from fungi on dead wood in evergreen forest ( Fig. 5C–D ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus of two species of Pseudoligota from Japan. (A) Pseudoligota antennata comb. nov. (B) Pseudoligota nozakii sp. nov. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 3. Pseudoligota nozakii sp. nov. (A) male tergite VIII in dorsal view. (B) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view. (C) spermatheca. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 5. The living habitus and habitat of Pseudoligota spp. (A) P. antennata comb. nov. on fruiting body of fungi. (B) fruiting body of fungi from Fig. 5A on dead wood. (C) habitus of P. nozakii sp. nov. (D) fruiting body of fungi on dead wood from which P. nozakii sp. nov. was obtained. (C–D: photo by T. Nozaki, used with permission).