Orphnebius effeminatus, Assing, 2016

Assing, Volker, 2016, On some Lomechusini of the Palaearctic and Oriental regions (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 66 (1), pp. 13-111 : 61-62

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.21248/contrib.entomol.66.1.13-111
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5903436
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/766F7C36-FF81-FFDA-FCEE-7634DC38FE62
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Orphnebius effeminatus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Orphnebius effeminatus View in CoL spec. nov.

( Figs 21 View Figs 1–26 , 41 View Figs 40–53 , 287–292 View Figs 277–295 )

Type material: Holotype ♂: “ Malaysia, Pahang, 2003, Cameron Highlands; Tanah Rata , 1500–1700 m, P. Pacholátko leg., 24.–31.i. / Holotypus ♂ Orphnebius effeminatus sp. n., det. V. Assing 2015” ( NHMB).

Etymology: The specific epithet alludes to the long male hemi-tergites IX, which resemble the condition found in females of other revised representatives of the O. hauseri group.

Description: Body length 5.6 mm; length of forebody 2.2 mm. Coloration: head blackish; pronotum and elytra blackish-brown; abdomen yellowish-red, with the middle of tergite VII slightly darker; legs pale-brown; antennae distinctly bicoloured, with antennomeres I–V yellowishred and VI–XI black; maxillary palpi yellowish, with palpomere III slightly darker.

Head ( Fig. 41 View Figs 40–53 ) moderately transverse, 1.15 times as broad as long; posterior angles completely obsolete; dorsal surface practically impunctate, except for some fine punctures at dorsal margins of eyes. Eyes large and bulging, nearly twice as long as distance from posterior margin of eye to posterior constriction of head. Antenna ( Fig. 21 View Figs 1–26 ) 1.4 mm long, weakly incrassate, and not distinctly asymmetric; antennomeres IV–V small, of equal size, and weakly oblong, VI much larger than V and approximately as long as broad, VII–IX gradually and weakly increasingly in width and weakly transverse, X approximately as long as broad, and XI strongly elongate, longer than the combined length of VIII–X.

Pronotum ( Fig. 41 View Figs 40–53 ) large in relation to head, 1.15 times as broad as long and 1.3 times as broad as head; lateral and posterior margins nearly forming a semi-circle, posterior angles completely obsolete; disc impunctate; anterior angles each with a long, stout, and erect seta.

Elytra ( Fig. 41 View Figs 40–53 ) 0.73 times as long as pronotum; disc with sparse and extremely fine and shallow punctation, seemingly impunctate at lower magnification. Hind wings fully developed. Metatarsomere I slightly shorter than the combined length of II and III.

Abdomen: sternites and paratergites III–VI strongly developed and together forming sharp edges; tergites III–VI seemingly impunctate, only with minute lateral punctures; tergite VII smooth in anterior third, with non-setiferous punctation in median third, and with longitudinal striae in posterior third, near posterior margin with a transverse row of setiferous punctures, posterior margin with palisade fringe; posterior margin of tergite VIII ( Fig. 290 View Figs 277–295 ) broadly convex; sternite VIII with convex posterior margin; both tergite and sternite VIII with conspicuously dense fine gland openings ( Fig. 291 View Figs 277–295 ).

♂: hemi-tergites IX ( Fig. 292 View Figs 277–295 ) conspicuously long (of similar condition as the female hemi-tergites IX of other revised species of the O. hauseri group); hemitergites IX and tergite X with very dense and long pubescence; median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 287–288 View Figs 277–295 ) elongate and slender, 0.95 mm long; crista apicalis very small; internal sac with two sclerotized basal structures of distinctive shapes; paramere ( Fig. 289 View Figs 277–295 ) 0.65 mm long, condylite slender and somewhat longer than the flattened paramerite.

♀: unknown.

Comparative notes: Based on the modifications of the abdominal tergites IX and X, on the morphology of the median lobe of the aedeagus and of the parameres, as well as the shapes and chaetotaxy of tergite and sternite VIII, O. effeminatus belongs to the O. hauseri group. It is distinguished from all the revised species of this group particularly by the coloration of the antennae, the practically impunctate disc of the pronotum, much longer male hemi-tergites IX, the shape and internal structures of the median lobe of the aedeagus, and the shape of the parameres. In addition, it is characterized by large eyes, the nearly impunctate dorsal surface of the head, a large pronotum (in relation to the head), and the strongly developed and sharply edged sternites and paratergites III–VI. This species represents a subgroup of its own within the O. hauseri group. The similar shape and internal structures of the median lobe of the aedeagus suggests that O. effeminatus may be closely allied to O. biapicalis PACE, 2007 from Borneo, a species described from a single male without head. However, the short original description of this species fails to mention important other characters that would confirm this hypothesis.

Distribution and natural history: The type locality is situated in Peninsular Malaysia at an altitude of 1500–1700 m.

3.1.3.9. Unnamed species of the Orphnebius hauseri group

The following species of the O. hauseri group are represented exclusively by females. Since, with few exceptions, a reliable identification of representatives of this group is possible only based on the male primary sexual characters, they remain unnamed.