Bertiscapha burlischi, Leschen & Lobl, 2006

Leschen, Richard A. B. & Löbl, Ivan, 2005, Phylogeny And Classification Of Scaphisomatini Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae With Notes On Mycophagy, Termitophily, And Functional Morphology, The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 3) 59, pp. 1-63 : 21-22

Bertiscapha burlischi new species

( Figs. 8, 11 )

Holotype (male). E. Madagascar, 23.xii. 1998, 30 km SEE of Betroka 1,400–1,670 m, Vohitrosa forest 2 km E of peak, P. Burlisch ( MHNG).

Paratype. With same data as holotype, female ( MHNG) .

Description. Length 1.7 mm. Body short and broad, basal width of pronotum exceeding sutural length of elytra. Head, body, femora and tibiae almost uniformly dark reddish-brown. Antennae and tarsi lighter than body. Lateral contours of pronotum and elytra continuously arcuate, pronotum lacking microsculpture, very finely punctate, pubescence hardly visible, anterior angles broadly rounded, basal lobe very short. Upper central part of hypomera not impressed. Elytra widest at basal margin, weakly narrowed toward mid-length, strongly narrowed apically, with apical margins rounded and narrow, sutural striae present in basal half of elytra, diverging anteriorly and somewhat curved outward at base, absent from apical half of elytra, lateral carinae not visible in dorsal view. Elytral disc lacking microsculpture and extremely finely punctate. Epipleura and supra-epipleura in same plane as metepisterna, epipleura gradually narrowed apically, supra-epipleura almost twice as wide as epipleura in level of metacoxa, gradually narrowed posteriorly. Metathoracic wings reduced. Mesoventrite with short median sulcus, lacking carina. Mesepimera about as long as interval to mesocoxae, reaching metaventral suture. Metaventrite conspicuously short, slightly convex in median part. Mesocoxal lines arcuate outward, oblique posterior coxae, subangulate internally, each arcuate near margin of intercoxal process and narrowly separated. Submesocoxal areas about 1.5 times as long as shortest interval between them and metacoxae. Metaventral-metepimeral suture sulcate, almost straight. Metepisterna not narrowed apically, flat, in ventral view about in plane of lateral edges of metaventrite. Thoracic venter very finely punctate and lacking obvious microsculpture, metaventrite along mesocoxal lines with few large, shallow, punctiform impressions and along anapleural line with one or two large, elongate impressions. Ventrite 1 with basal punctures extended by striae or elongate impressions, normal punctation extremely fine, hardly visible, microsculpture absent. Basal margins of ventrites 2 to 5 impressed. Tibiae short, each shorter than respective femora, robust, weakly curved.

Male. Protarsomeres and mesotarsomeres 1 to 3 slightly widened. Aedeagus 0.39 mm long. Median lobe abruptly narrowed apically, with tip strongly flattened, truncate in dorsal view, curved dorsally (lateral view). Internal sac with single, very long and narrow rod, membranes scalelike subapically.

Etymology. The species name is a patronymic for the collector P. Burlisch.

Figures

Figs. 8–13. Bertiscapha aedeagi. 8, 9) Dorsal and left lateral views of B. compacta n. sp.; 10, 11) dorsal and left lateral views of B. burlischi n. sp.; 12, 13) dorsal and left lateral views of B. striata.