Lomechusoides poppiusi Jászay, Hlaváč & Baňař, 2023

Jászay, Tomáš, Hlaváč, Peter & Baňař, Petr, 2023, A taxonomic revision of the myrmecophilous genus Lomechusoides Tottenham, 1939 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae). Part II. The revision of the strumosus species group, Zootaxa 5343 (6), pp. 539-593 : 552-554

Lomechusoides poppiusi Jászay, Hlaváč & Baňař sp. nov.

Figs 30–33

Etymology. The species is named after the collector of the new species, a well-known Finnish entomologist Bertil Robert Poppius, who had been working as a custodian at the Zoological Museum in Helsinki.

Type material: HOLOTYPE, ♀: RUSSIA: (p) Batylim /(p) Fl. Lena /(p) B. Poppius /(h) 27 /(h) Z (p) 981/ (h) inflata Zett. Var. (major) (p) determ. Bernh. / (p) http://id.luomus.fi/GAC.26893/ Lomechusoides inflatus ( Zetterstedt, 1828) , Bernhauer det. / red label (p) HOLOTYPE ♀ Lomechusoides poppiusi sp. nov., det. T. Jászay, P. Hlaváč & P. Baňař det., 2021 ( MZHF). PARATYPE, 1♀: RUSSIA: (p) Batylim / (p) Fl. Lena /(p) B. Poppius / (h) L. inflata Zett. Var. (major) Det. Brnh. /(h) (same hand writing as for holotype) Lomechusa inflata Zett. /(p) http:// id.luomus.fi/GAC.26894, Lomechusoides inflatus ( Zetterstedt, 1828) , B. Poppius det. / red label (p) PARATYPE ♀ Lomechusoides poppiusi sp. nov., det. T. Jászay, P. Hlaváč & P. Baňař det., 2021 ( MZHF).

Note: The exact location of the type locality: Russia, Yakutia, „Fl. Lena (Batylim after Frey, 1955: 504)“ [= Lena River , somewhat below the junction of the Aldan River, 62°01′38″N 129°43′55″E] ( Shamshev 2016).

Description. Body light reddish-brown ( Fig. 30 ) except head light reddish and anterior margin of visible tergites II–IV, larger part of anterior margin of visible tergites V–VII and larger part of anterior margin of visible sternites V–VII brown.

Head rectangular, dull, slightly longer than wide, ratio HW/HL: 0.88, with deep, broad, round frontal median impression which is unevenly microsculptured by scarce, larger and shallow punctures; disc of head microsculptured and with fine punctures, dull; length of eyes 0.26x of length of head; eyes slightly protuberant, temples behind of eyes straight, subparallel.

Antennae long, scape 1.66x as long as wide and 2.50x as long as pedicel, pedicel as long as wide, antennomere III: 1.37x, antennomeres IV–VIII oval elongate, IV: 1.10x, V: 1.44x as long as wide, terminal antennomere slender and acute, 1.45x as long as scape, relative length of antennomeres from base to apex: 20: 8: 11: 11: 13: 13: 13: 13: 13: 13: 29.

Pronotum ( Fig. 31 ) rectangular, ratio PW/PL: 1.50, with short concave anterior margin, anterior corners obtuse, lateral sides in anterior two thirds broadly rounded, in posterior third concave, posterior corners 90 degree angled, bearing deep lateral microsculptured, sparcely punctate impressions, pronotal disc unevenly microsculptured, with sparse, uneven puncturation, tubercles well defined; median line well-defined, narrow; in lateral view lateral margins in anterior half thick, narrowed anteriad, in posterior half gradually narrowed posteriad, lacking visible sharp edge; maximal width of pronotum before posterior corners, here as wide than elytra at humeri; pronotum with reduced number of macrosetae, anterior margin with two macrosetae, lateral margins in posterior corners with one macroseta.

Anterior and lateral margins of metaventral process ( Fig. 32 ) concave, anterior part with lateral lines, convergent anteriad, anterior margin of metaventral process with transverse ridge, posterior part in median line with small excentric lentil-like impression, metaventral process microsculptured and punctate, disc of metaventrite with shallow longitudinal impressions on sides of median line which are divergent posteriad, metaventrite microsculptured and sparsely punctate, discal setae short, not reaching margin of adjacent puncture.

Elytra finely punctate, 0.90x as long as pronotum, ratio EW/EL: 2.02; with three macrosetae in anterior part, humeral part lacking macrosetae, distance between punctures on disc about two to three times of diameter of puncture.

Abdomen with visible tergite II densely punctate and setaceous, visible tergites III–IV with dense and V–VI with sparse puncturation and setation only on posterior margin, visible tergite VI with fine puncturation on posterior margin and on lateral parts, posterior part lacking punturation,VII with puncturation on whole surface, visible tergites II–VIII with uneven microsculpture.

Male unknown.

Spermatheca ( Fig. 33 ) with apical part 1.54x as long as basal part and 1.25x broader than basal extended part and 3.40x as long as wide, apical part slightly curved, subparallel, apex rounded.

Measurements. (♀, Holotype): TL 5.10 mm; FB 2.70 mm; HL 0.85 mm; HW 0.75 mm; antennal length 2.57 mm; PL 1.00 mm; PW 1.50 mm; EL 0.90 mm; EW 1.82 mm; FTL 0.90 mm; MTL 1.15 mm; HTL 1.35 mm.

Differential diagnosis. L. poppiusi differs from L. chekanovskiyi and L. drobovi by entirely light reddish head and pronotum. From L. inflatiformis and L. inflatus it differs by the unicoloured pronotum.

Host ant. Unknown.

Distribution. Russia (Yakutia).

Figures

FIGURES 30–33. Lomechusoides poppiusi sp. nov., female holotype. 30, dorsal habitus; 31, pronotum in dorsal view (L: 1.00 mm, W: 1.50 mm); 32, metaventral process; 33, spermatheca. Scale bar in mm.