Amarochara hamulata, Assing, 2010

Assing, V., 2010, A revision of Amarochara of the Holarctic region. IV. Three new species from China, a new synonymy, additional records, and an updated key to species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Oxypodini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 42 (2), pp. 1139-1154 : 1144-1146

Amarochara hamulata nov.sp. ( Figs 9-16 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: " China - Zhejiang Prov., Lin'an Co., W Tianmu Shan, 30°21'N, 109°25'E, 1200 m, mixed forest, VI-VII.2008, C. Huschke / Holotypus Amarochara hamulata sp.n. det. V. Assing 2010" (cAss). Paratypes: 1, 1: same data as holotype (cAss).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 3.2-3.6 mm. Coloration: body blackish-brown, with the elytra and the abdominal apex paler brown; legs brown to dark-brown with paler tarsi; antennae blackish-brown.

Head ( Fig. 9 ) posteriorly without distinct neck, weakly transverse, widest across eyes, and of subquadrate shape, lateral margins behind eyes subparallel in dorsal view; punctation very fine; interstices without distinct microsculpture; eyes large and bulging, distinctly longer than the distance from posterior margins to posterior carina of head; genal carina very fine and short, in lateral view visible only posteriorly. Maxillary palpus slen- der, preapical palpomere approximately 4 times as long as wide. Antenna massive; antennomere I less than twice as long as wide and with pronounced dorso-apical furrow; II approximately as long as I and more slender than I, approximately twice as long as broad; III slightly shorter than II, distinctly coniform, and more than 1.5 times as long as wide; IV approximately twice as wide as long; V-X slightly wider than IV, of subequal width, of gradually increasing length, and decreasingly transverse; X much less than twice as wide as long; XI of ovoid shape and slightly longer than the combined length of IX-X ( Fig. 10 ).

Pronotum ( Fig. 9 ) relatively large, approximately 1.10-1.15 times as wide as long and 1.30-1.35 times as wide as head, posterior angles weakly marked; lateral margins weakly convex, maximal width in anterior half; punctation dense and fine; interstices without distinct microsculpture and glossy ( Fig. 11 ); pubescence depressed.

Elytra ( Fig. 9 ) approximately 1.25 times as wide and at suture approximately 0.80-0.85 times as long as pronotum; posterior margin weakly sinuate near posterior angles; punctation dense and fine, but somewhat more distinct than that of pronotum; interstices without distinct microsculpture; pubescence depressed. Hind wings fully developed. Mesoventrite coarsely and densely punctate, without median carina; process of meso-

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ventrite moderately long and apically distinctly truncate, reaching approximately halfway between mesocoxae. Metatarsus approximately 0.9 times as long as metatibia; metatarsomere I elongated, approximately as long as the combined length of II-IV.

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Abdominal tergites III-V with moderately deep anterior impressions, these impressions conspicuously densely and coarsely punctate, but not carinate; remainder of tergal surfaces with moderately dense and fine punctation; punctation of tergites VII-VIII somewhat sparser than that of tergites III-VI; interstices without distinct microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe; posterior margin of tergite VIII weakly convex, without appreciable sexual dimorphism.

: posterior margin of sternite VIII broadly convex and with dense long marginal setae; median lobe of aedeagus slender, 0.38 mm long; ventral process slightly longer than basal capsule, straight in lateral view, and apically rounded in ventral view ( Figs 12-13 ); internal sac with moderately long flagellum and apical structures of distinctive shape ( Fig. 14 ); paramere not distinctly modified, apical lobe small and with four long setae ( Fig. 15 ).

: posterior margin of sternite VIII slightly less convex than in; spermatheca as in

Fig. 16.

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is an adjective derived from the Latin noun hamulus (small hook) and refers to the distinctive shape of the apical internal structures of the aedeagus.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Amarochara hamulata is distinguished from the similar A. schuelkei by slightly smaller body size, the distinctly larger eyes, the different morphology of the antenna (particularly the much less transverse antennomere IV), the finer and denser punctation of the forebody, the shorter elytra, the weakly sinuate posterior elytral margin, the darker coloration of the legs, the different morphology of the mesoventrite, the different punctation of the abdomen (particularly of tergites VI-VII), as well as by the smaller, less slender aedeagus with internal structures of different shape. The aedeagus somewhat resembles that of Amarochara heterogaster CAMERON 1939 from the Himalaya. From this species, A. hamulata is separated by the larger average body size, larger eyes (shorter than postgenae and less strongly bulging in A. heterogaster ), the more distinctly subquadrate head with more pronounced posterior angles, the larger pronotum ( A. heterogaster : 1.13-1.25 times as wide as head), the larger aedeagus ( A. heterogaster : approximately 0.32 mm), the practically straight ventral process in lateral view ( A. heterogaster : ventral process curved in lateral view), the broadly rounded apex of the ventral process in lateral view ( A. heterogaster : apex almost acute), and by the differently shaped internal structures of the aedeagus. For illustrations of A. heterogaster see ASSING (2002a).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The type locality is situated in the Tianmushan region, Zhejiang province, China. The specimens were captured with a flight interception trap at an altitude of 1200 m.

Figures

Figs 9-16: Amarochara hamulata nov.sp.: (9) forebody; (10) antenna; (11) postero-median portion of pronotum and antero-median portion of elytra; (12-13) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (14) apical portion of median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (15) paramere; (16) spermatheca. Scale bars: 9: 0.5 mm; 10-16: 0.1 mm.