Lomechusoides rossii 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 : 574-576

Lomechusoides rossii Jászay, Hlaváč & Baňař sp. nov.

Figs 102–108

Etymology. Named after Walter Rossi, the collector of the new species and an Italian specialist of Fungi:Ascomycota: Laboulbeniomycetes from the University of L’Aquila, Coppito, Italy.

Material studied. HOLOTYPE, 1 ♁: ITALY: (h) Rocca di M. [=Rocca di Mezzo] ( AQ), Val Cordora, 18.V.1975, W. Rossi / red label (p) HOLOTYPE ♁ Lomechusoides rossii sp. nov., det. T. Jászay, P. Hlaváč & P. Baňař det., 2021 ( NMPC) . PARATYPES, 2 ♁♁: same locality as for holotype. Both paratypes are bearing printed red label: PARATYPE ♀ Lomechusoides rossii sp. nov., det. T. Jászay, P. Hlaváč & P. Baňař det., 2021 ( NMPC, PCPB) .

Description. Body lighter reddish-brown ( Fig. 102 ) except clypeus, labrum, anterior margin of visible tergites II–IV, larger part of anterior margin of visible tergites V–VII, lateral part of visible sternites III–IV, posterior margin of visible sternite V, larger part of anterior margin of visible sternites VI–VII, metaventrite except its narrow posterior margin and epimeral and episternal sclerites brown.

Head rectanglular, longer than wide, ratio HW/HL: ♁ 0.94, ♀ 0.97, with deep, U-shaped frontal median impression which is equally microsculptured with well-defined punctures, dull; disc of head microsculptured and finely punctate, dull; length of eyes ♁ 0.24x, ♀ 0.28x of length of head; eyes not protuberant, temples behind eyes straight and convergent posteriorly.

Antennae long, scape ♁ 1.46x, ♀ 1.41x as long as wide and ♁ 1.83x, ♀ 2.18x as long as pedicel, pedicel ♁ 1.09x, ♀ 1.00x as long as wide, antennomere III: ♁ 1.27x, ♀ 1.36x, IV: ♁ 1.08x, ♀ 1.16x, V: ♁1.14x, ♀ 1.50x as long as wide, antennomeres V–VIII ovaly elongate, terminal antennomere slender and acute, ♁ 1.36x, ♀ 1.45x as long as scape, relative length of antennomeres from base to apex: ♁: 22: 12: 14: 12: 12: 14: 15: 15: 14: 15: 30; ♀: 24: 11: 15: 14: 18: 17: 18: 18: 17: 17: 35.

Pronotum ( Fig. 103 ) trapezoidal, ratio PW/PL: ♁ 1.68, ♀ 1.69, with concave anterior margin, anterior corners obtuse, first two thirds of lateral sides broadly rounded, posterior third slightly concave and divergent posteriad, posterior corners rectangular, bearing deep lateral microsculptured impressions which are equally wide through its whole length, slightly deeper in posterior part, anterior part more densely punctate than posterior part; pronotal disc unevenly microsculptured and sparsely, unevenly punctate, tubercles slightly defined; median line well defined; lateral margins thick, sligthly narrowed anteriad, and slightly curved posteriad, lacking visible sharp edge in lateral view; maximal width of pronotum just before posterior corners, here as wide as elytra at humeri; pronotum with macrosetae, anterior margin with about five macrosetae.

Anterior and lateral margins of metaventral process ( Fig. 106 ) concave, with lateral lines strongly convergent anteriad, anterior part with fine transversal grooves; in median line with roof-like elevation, posterior part in median line with deep lentil-like impression, metaventral process microsculptured and punctate; metaventral disc with narrow and deep straight, divergent posteriad lines on sides of median line, metaventrite microsculptured and densely punctate, with long setae exceeding margin of adjacent puncture.

Elytra finely and densely punctate, elytra ♁ 0.86x, ♀ 0.98x as long as pronotum, ratio EW/EL: ♁ 2.10, ♀ 2.00, anterior part with about seven–eight macrosetae, humeral part with about two macrosetae, distance between punctures on disc about twice as long as diameter of puncture.

Abdomen with visible tergite II finely punctate and setaceous, visible tergites III–V finely punctate and setaceous only on posterior margins, anterior part with very fine punturation, visible tergites VI–VII with sparse puncturation, punctures larger on lateral sides, visible tergites II–VII unevenly microsculptured.

Aedeagus ( Figs 104–105 ) with robust median lobe, apical lobe tube-like, apical part slightly shorter and sharp with scattered pseudopores, ventral side in lateral view slightly convex, apex sharp, lateral sides of apical lobe in ventral view subparallel. Apical lobe of parameres at apex subparallel-sided ( Fig. 107 ), at apex slightly bottle-neck shaped, bent backwards, apex with about five setae, with few pseudopores lacking minute microsetae.

Spermatheca ( Fig. 108 ) apical part 1.06x as long as basal part and 1.14x (on widest part) broader than basal extended part and 2.88x as long as wide, curved, slightly divergent apically, apex rounded.

Measurements. (♁, Holotype): TL 5.50 mm; FB 2.00 mm; HL 0.90 mm; HW 0.85 mm; antennal length 2.91 mm; PL 1.10 mm; PW 1.85 mm; EL 0.95 mm; EW 2.00 mm; FTL 1.12 mm; MTL 1.50 mm; HTL 1.57 mm. (♀, Paratype): TL 6.40 mm; FB 2.05 mm; HL 0.95 mm; HW 0.95 mm; antennal length 3.10 mm; PL 1.12 mm; PW 1.92 mm; EL 1.10 mm; EW 2.20 mm; FTL 1.30 mm; MTL 1.55 mm; HTL 2.00 mm.

Differential diagnosis. L. rossii is separated from L. folgaricus , L. primoricus , L. strumosus and L. wellenii , by the trapezoidal pronotum. L. rossii is separated from L. dudkorum , L. fallax , L. richteri and L. siculus by narrow lateral impressions on the pronotum, which are of equal width throughout their whole length, slightly deeper in posterior part, microsculptured, its anterior part is more densely punctate than posterior part with visible tubercles, and by the very weakly defined tubercles on the pronotal disc, the pronotal disc clearly convex. From L. dlabolai and L. reitteri , it differs by the large, bicoloured body. From L. penicillatus , it differs by the shorter antenomeres. From L. zeyai and L. sibiricus it differs by the presence of humeral mascrosetae on elytra, from L. sibiricus , L. zerchei and L. zeyai by the lack of a sharp visible edge on the lateral margin of the pronotum in the lateral view, and by the elongate and slender tibiae. From the similar L. teres , it differs by the more robust antennae with shorter antennomeres, antennomeres IV and V equal in the length and by the dull frontal median impression of the head, which is similar in microsculpture to the rest of the head.

Host ant. Unknown.

Distribution. Italy (Abruzzi)

Figures

FIGURES 102–108. Lomechusoides rossii sp. nov. 102–107, male holotype. 102, dorsal habitus; 103, pronotum in dorsal view (L: 1.10 mm, W: 1.85 mm); 104, aedeagus, lateral view; 105, aedeagus, ventral view; 106, metaventral process; 107, apex of paramere; 108, female paratype, spermatheca. Scale bars in mm.