Loeblites pseudominor pseudominor sp. n. & subsp. n, 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 : 427-429

Loeblites pseudominor pseudominor sp. n. & subsp. n .

( Figs 3, 7 , 19–23 , 31 , 32 )

Material studied. Holotype: MALAYSIA (Sabah): ♂, two labels: “ SABAH: Poring Hot / Springs , 500 m / 7.V.1987 / Burckhardt - Löbl” [white], “ LOEBLITES / pseudominor / pseudominor m. / det. P. Jałoszyński, 2024 / HOLOTYPUS” [red, printed] ( MHNG) . Paratypes (9 exx.): 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, same data as for holotype; 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, “ Thailand, 1.2.1991 / Banglang Nat. Park / Than To Waterfall / Than To Dist. 150m / P. Schwendinger ” [white] .

Each paratype with yellow “PARATYPUS” label ( MHNG, cPJ) .

Diagnosis. Pronotum with small but sharply marked and distinct punctures separated by spaces as wide as 1–2 puncture diameters; aedeagus ( Fig. 19 ) moderately slender, with short parameres, endophallus ( Fig. 23 ) symmetrical, with strongly oblique lateral sclerites and with sclerotized median structure distal to lateral sclerites strongly transverse, darker than lateral sclerites, with anterior margin weakly and broadly rounded; body small (BL ~ 2.5 mm and smaller) and uniformly brown; distribution: Borneo and Thailand.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 3 ) slender and strongly convex, moderately dark brown, covered with light brown vestiture. BL 2.33–2.50 mm.

Head in dorsal view transverse, broadest at eyes, HL 0.40–0.45 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 indistinctly shorter than 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 1.93–2.15 mm, all antennomeres elongate, as in Fig. 7 .

Pronotum elongate, indistinctly narrower than head, broadest slightly in front of anterior third; PL 0.68–0.70 mm, PW 0.50–0.55 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 small but sharply marked and distinct punctures, on central area separated by spaces as wide as 1–2 puncture diameters; setae long, sparse and suberect.

Elytra more convex than pronotum, oval, broadest distinctly in front of middle; EL 1.25–1.35 mm, EW 0.80– 0.88 mm, EI 1.43–1.63. Humeral calli weakly elevated, elongate; apex of each elytron subtriangular, sharply-angled but with blunt tip. Punctures more diffuse and less conspicuous than those on pronotal disc; 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 19–23 ) elongate but relatively stout; AeL 0.48–0.50 mm; median lobe in ventral view equally broad near base and near middle, distal region rapidly narrowing towards truncate apex; endophallus ( Fig. 23 ) with pair of strongly elongate and oblique lateral sclerites ( Fig. 23 ; lsc) distally connected with large and conspicuously darkly pigmented median sclerotized structure, the latter strongly transverse and with distal margin weakly and broadly rounded, 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; BL 2.38–2.50 mm; HL 0.40–0.43 mm, HW 0.55–0.58 mm, AnL 1.88–2.05 mm; PL 0.68–0.73 mm, PW 0.53–0.58 mm; EL 1.28–1.35 mm, EW 0.80–0.90 mm, EI 1.50–1.63. Spermatheca ( Fig. 31 ) in lateral view 0.075 mm wide, nearly spherical, with short distal ‘pocket’.

Distribution. Northern Borneo and southern Thailand ( Fig. 32 ).

Etymology. The specific adjective refers to the superficial similarity to L. minor .

Remarks. Loeblites pseudominor has the aedeagus most similar to that of L. mindanaoensis known to occur in Mindanao, Philippines. Both species share a similar endophallic structures. However, in L. pseudominor , the lateral sclerites are more oblique in relation to the long axis of the aedeagus, and the entire sclerotized endophallus is distinctly shorter. Moreover, the general shape of the aedeagus is different. In L. pseudominor , the median lobe in ventral view is rapidly narrowing distally from near middle, whereas in L. mindanaoensis the median lobe is slenderer and gradually narrowing. In addition, in L. pseudominor the antennomere 5 is longer than 6, and in L. mindanaoensis these antennomeres are equally long.

Although populations of L. pseudominor pseudominor in Sabah and southern Thailand are separated, it is not possible to distinguish them (based on the examined sample) using morphological characters.

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 19–28. Loeblites pseudominor pseudominor sp. n. (19–23); and L. pseudominor sumatrensis subsp. n. (24–28). Aedeagus in ventral (19, 21, 24, 26) and lateral (20, 22, 25, 27) views, and close-up of endophallic sclerites in ventral view (23, 28).

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