Loeblites umphangensis, Jałoszyński, 2024

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2024, Three new species, one subspecies, and new records of the Oriental genus Loeblites Franz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 5471 (4), pp. 422-432 : 426

Loeblites umphangensis sp. n.

( Figs 2, 6 , 14–18 , 30 , 32 )

Material studied. Holotype: THAILAND (Tak Province): ♂, two labels: “ THAILAND: / Mts.n Umphang / Mae sot Umphang / 1250m 10.2.93 / Schwendinger ” [white], “ LOEBLITES / umphangensis m. / det. P. Jałoszyński, 2024 / HOLOTYPUS” [red, printed] ( MHNG) . Paratypes (9 exx.): 5 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, same data as for holotype, each with yellow “PARATYPUS” label ( MHNG, cPJ) .

Diagnosis. Pronotum with fine, inconspicuous punctures; aedeagus ( Fig. 14 ) stout, with short parameres, endophallus ( Fig. 18 ) symmetrical, with strongly oblique lateral sclerites and with sclerotized median structure distal to lateral sclerites strongly transverse, much lighter than lateral sclerites, with anterior margin straight at middle and laterally strongly bent lateroproximally; spermatheca in lateral view ( Fig. 30 ) oval and elongate.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 2 ) slender and strongly convex, light brown, covered with light brown vestiture. BL 2.45–2.48 mm.

Head in dorsal view transverse, broadest at eyes, HL 0.43–0.45 mm, HW 0.55–0.58 mm; vertex strongly transverse and evenly convex, anteriorly confluent with frons; frons flattened between prominent supraantennal tubercles; tempora in dorsal view about as long as eyes; eyes small, oval, with slightly concave posteroventral margin, finely faceted. Vertex and frons covered with fine, inconspicuous punctures and sparse, moderately long, suberect setae. Antennae long and slender, slightly shorter than BL, AnL 1.93–2.08 mm, all antennomeres elongate, as in Fig. 6 .

Pronotum elongate, as broad as head, broadest slightly in front of anterior third; PL 0.70 mm, PW 0.55–0.58 mm. Anterior margin broadly rounded, sides strongly rounded in anterior third, posteriorly broadly and weakly constricted; posterior margin nearly straight. Four dorsal antebasal pits large and deep, two lateral pits at each side distinct. Pronotum with fine, inconspicuous punctures, those behind antebasal pits not differing from those on disc; setae long, sparse and suberect.

Elytra more convex than pronotum, oval, broadest distinctly in front of middle; EL 1.33–1.35 mm, EW 0.83– 0.88 mm, EI 1.56–1.61. Humeral calli weakly elevated, elongate; apex of each elytron subtriangular, sharply-angled but with blunt tip. Punctures slightly more distinct than those on head and pronotum, but superficial, diffuse and inconspicuous; setae similar to those on pronotum.

Legs long and slender; femora abruptly clavate, dorsal longitudinal grooves on femoral clava complete and with distinct glandular opening at highest site of each femur; all tibiae nearly straight.

Aedeagus ( Figs 14–18 ) elongate but relatively stout; AeL 0.45–0.48 mm; median lobe in ventral view equally broad near base and near middle, distal region rapidly narrowing towards broadly subtriangular apex, with its distal margin distinctly angulate; endophallus ( Fig. 18 ) with pair of strongly elongate and oblique lateral sclerites ( Fig. 18 ; lsc) distally connected with small and lightly pigmented median sclerotized structure, the latter strongly transverse and with distal margin straight at middle and laterally strongly bent lateroproximally, proximally lateral sclerites connected with sclerotized median proximal complex, with its proximal margin rounded and strongly convex; parameres shorter than median lobe and their apices only slightly exceeding apex of median lobe, lacking setae.

Female. Externally similar to male, with antennae indistinctly shorter in relation to body; BL 2.45–2.65 mm; HL 0.43–0.45 mm, HW 0.55–0.60 mm, AnL 1.93–2.08 mm; PL 0.70–0.75 mm, PW 0.55–0.60 mm; EL 1.33–1.45 mm, EW 0.88–0.93 mm, EI 1.51–1.57. Spermatheca ( Fig. 30 ) in lateral view 0.063 mm wide, oval, with narrow distal ‘pocket’.

Distribution. Northern Thailand ( Fig. 32 ).

Etymology. After Umphang District, the type locality.

Remarks. Loeblites anaiensis is externally unremarkable (except that all studied specimens are light brown, while in all remaining species fully pigmented adults are dark brown), and the aedeagus must be examined to identify the species. The lightly pigmented and strongly transverse distal median sclerotized endophallic structure allows for unambiguous identification. The spermatheca is most similar to that of L. mastigicornis , except that the distal ‘pocket’ is distinctly shorter.

Figures

FIGURE 32. Distribution of nominal species of Loeblites.

FIGURES 1–8. Males of Loeblites anaiensis sp. n. (1, 5); L. umphangensis sp. n. (2, 6); L. pseudominor pseudominor sp. n. (3, 7); and L. pseudominor sumatrensis subsp. n. (4, 8). Dorsal habitus (1–4) and antenna (5–8).

FIGURES 9–18. Loeblites anaiensis sp. n. (9–13); L. umphangensis sp. n. (14–18). Aedeagus in ventral (9, 11, 14, 16) and lateral (10, 12, 15, 17) views, and close-up of endophallic sclerites in ventral view (13, 18).

FIGURES 29–31. Spermatheca of Loeblites anaiensis sp. n. (29); L. umphangensis sp. n. (30); and L. pseudominor pseudominor sp. n. (31).