Oedichirus flammeus Koch, 1939

Li, Wen-Rong, Xie, Nan-Nan & Li, Li-Zhen, 2015, Redescription of Oedichirus flammeus Koch, and description of two new Oedichirus species from China (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Paederinae, Pinophilini), Zootaxa 3911 (1), pp. 81-90 : 82-85

Oedichirus flammeus Koch, 1939

Figs 1 , 2 A, 2B, 3

Oedichirus flammeus Koch, 1939: 156 .

Type material examined. Holotype, ♂, CHINA: “Tienmuschan, N.W. China Rtt. / Type / Museum Frey Tutzing / Museum Frey Tutzing / Oedichirus flammeus Koch , det. C. Koch / Oedichirus mir unbekannt.” ( NHMB).

Additional material examined. CHINA: Zhejiang (4 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀): 1 ♀, Lin’an City, West Tianmu Shan, 300–500 m, 28–29.vii.2009, Li leg.; 1 ♀, Lin’an City, West Tianmu Shan, 400 m, 20.ix.2009, Li leg.; 1 ♀, Lin’an City, West Tianmu Shan, 300 m, 28–29.vii.2009, Li leg.; 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Lin’an City, Qingliangfeng, Lumingyougu, 850 m, 18.vii.2008, Hu & Tang leg.; 2 ♀♀, Lin’an City, Tianmu Shan, 15–28.vii.2003, Hu & Tang leg.; 1 ♂, Lin’an City, Qingliangfeng, Baibuling, 1100 m, 21.vii.2009, Feng et al. leg.; 2 ♀♀, Lin’an City, Qingliangfeng, Guanlizhan to Baibuling, 1000 m, 15.vii.2009, Yuan & Feng leg; 1 ♀, Lin’an City, Tianmu Shan, 300 m, 15.viii.2010, Hu leg; 1 ♂, Anji City, Longwang Shan, 30°24′28′′N, 119°26′25′′E, mixed leaf litter, sifted, 1050–1200 m, 15.v.2013, Hu leg. ( SNUC).

Redescription. BL: 9.06–10.17 mm, FL: 3.50–3.84 mm, HL: 0.88–1.00 mm, HW: 1.20–1.32 mm, PL: 1.38–1.50 mm, PW: 1.25–1.40 mm, EL: 1.08–1.25 mm, EW: 1.3–1.4 mm. Habitus as in Figs 1 , 2 A, 2B. Body concolorous, reddish brown to dark reddish brown. Legs, antennae, and maxillary palpi pale-yellowish.

Head 1.20–1.34 times as broad as long, broadest across eyes, posterior angles obsolete. Frontoclypeal ridge straight to curved and imcomplete, interrupted medially. Dorsal surface without impression, with coarse, sparse punctation laterally and posteriorly. Eyes strongly convex, 1.67–2.28 times as long as distance from posterior margin of eye to posterior constriction.

Pronotum 1.01–1.14 times as broad as head and 1.01–1.10 times as long as broad, widest anteriorly and distinctly tapering posteriorly. Pronotum glossy, with coarse sparse punctation and moderately large impunctate spots; median portion of pronotum with a series of punctures situated in narrow furrows on either side, these series separated by distance of about 1/3 width of pronotum, area between these series anteriorly with moderately dense coarse punctures and posteriorly impunctate.

Elytra short (EL/PL=0.75–0.83), broader than long (EW/EL=1.08–1.24); surface coarsely and densely punctate. Hind wing completely reduced.

Abdomen with dense and evenly distributed punctation, not arranged in transverse rows, punctures of segments III-VI coarser and denser than those on VII and VIII.

Male. Sternites IV-VI unmodified. Sternite VII ( Fig. 3 D) with postero-median impression, this impression nearly impunctate and laterally delimited by two moderately prominent and symmetric oblique folds, posterior margin weakly concave in the middle. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 3 E) strongly impressed in postero-median portion, in middle with distinct and robust long curved carina on right side (ventral view), but short and not very prominent on left side (ventral view); posterior excision moderately broad, deep and slightly asymmetric. Tergite VIII ( Fig. 3 F) with posterior margin weakly concave in middle, transverse basal ridge not angled in middle. Tergite IX ( Fig. 3 G) with pair of moderately long and acute posterior processes, these processes 0.64–0.83 times as long as median portion of tergite IX. Sternite IX ( Fig. 3 H) asymmetric, anterior margin narrow and strongly rounded; posterior margin wider and lateral margins broadly rounded; right lateral margin slightly sinuate; left lateral margin curved. Aedeagus ( Figs 3 A–3C) asymmetric, ventral process of distinctive shape. Parameres long and apically dilated, right paramere (ventral view) longer than left.

Female. Sternites IV-VIII unmodified. Segment IX of similar shape as that of male, but with vulvar plate embedded in gonocoxal plate ( Fig. 3 I).

Comment. Koch (1939) described Oedichirus flammeus from “Tienmuschan N.W. China ”. The type locality specified in the description is in eastern (not northwestern) China.

Comparative notes. In external characters (body color, habitus, head transverse, elytra depressed), as well as the shape of the male sternites VII and VIII, O. flammeus is similar to O. sp.2 from environs of Dongchuan, Yunnan in press by Assing. It is distinguished from O. sp.2 by the coarser and sparser punctation, the less pronounced impression and folds of the male sternite VII, the deeper and less broad posterior excision of the male sternite VIII, and by the differently shaped ventral process of the aedeagus.

Habitat and distribution. The known distribution is confined to the Tianmu Shan range in northwestern Zhejiang province. The specimens were sifted from leaf litter in mixed deciduous forests at altitudes of 300–1200 m.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Oedichirus flammeus, holotype. A habitus, dorsal view B habitus ventral. C abdomen, ventral. Scales: A – C 1 mm.

FIGURE 2. Oedichirus flammeus, O. damingensis and O. pemgzhongi. A, B O. flammeus habitus, dorsal, ventral C, D O. damingensis habitus, dorsal, ventral E, F O. penzhongi habitus, dorsal, ventral. Scales: A – F 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Oedichirus flammeus. A aedeagus, left lateral B aedeagus, ventral C aedeagus, right lateral D male sternite VII E male sternite VIII F male tergite VIII G male tergite IX H male sternite IX I female segment IX, ventral. Scales: A – I 0.5 mm.