Orsunius spathulatus, Assing, 2014

Assing, V., 2014, On Orsunius II. Eight new species and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Medonina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 46 (1), pp. 461-479 : 464-466

Orsunius spathulatus nov.sp.

( Figs 1-6 , Map 2 )

Type material: Holotype: " Mindanao, Malaybay env., 6 Jan 1991, Bolm lgt 1200 m / Holotypus Orsunius spathulatus sp.n. det. V. Assing 2013" ( NHMB).

Etymology: The specific epithet is an adjective derived from the Latin noun spathula (spattle) and refers to the shape of the ventral process of the aedeagus.

Description: Body length 3.3 mm; length of forebody 1.95 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: head and pronotum reddish; elytra reddish-brown, with the posterior fourth yellowish and the humeral angles reddish; abdomen reddish-brown; legs yellowish; antennae reddish.

Head ( Fig. 2 ) transverse, 1.12 times as broad as long, weakly dilated behind eyes, and with marked posterior angles; posterior margin weakly concave in the middle; punctation dense and fine, very sparse in median dorsal portion; interstices without microsculpture. Eyes large, approximately 0.8 times as long as postocular portion in dorsal view. Antennae 0.9 mm long; antennomeres VIII-X transverse. Anterior margin of labrum with Ushaped excision in the middle.

Pronotum ( Fig. 2 ) 1.15 times as wide as long and 0.95 times as broad as head; posterior angles rounded, weakly marked; punctation fine and dense; midline without impunctate band; interstices without microsculpture.

Elytra ( Fig. 2 ) 1.06 times as long as pronotum; punctation dense, more distinct than that of pronotum; interstices without microsculpture. Hind wings present. Protarsomeres I-IV weakly dilated. Metatarsomere I longer than II, but shorter than the combined length of II and III.

Abdomen slightly narrower than elytra; punctation fine and dense; interstices with distinct isodiametric microreticulation; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

: sternite VII with weakly concave posterior margin; sternite VIII ( Fig. 3 ) transverse, approximately 1.2 times as broad as long, and with shallow posterior excision ( Fig. 4 );

aedeagus ( Figs 5-6 ) 0.45 mm long, ventral process long, weakly curved in lateral view, and somewhat spattle-shaped in ventral view.

Comparative notes: This species is distinguished from other Orsunius species (see ASSING 2011) particularly by the shape of the male sternite VIII and by the morphology of the aedeagus.

Distribution and natural history: The type locality is situated in the environs of Malaybalay (8°09'N, 125°08'E) in Mindanao, Philippines ( Map 2 ), at an altitude of 1200 m.

Figures

Map 2: Distributions of Orsunius gladiator (white and black circles), O. latexcisus (black circle), O. flavovirgatus (black circle), O. heissi (black star), O. stimulans (black and grey triangles), O. granulosus (white and grey triangles), O. cuneatus (white diamond), and O. spathulatus (black square).

Figs 1-9: Orsunius spathulatus nov.sp. (1-6), O. stimulans nov.sp. (7-8), and O. gladiator nov.sp. (9): (1) habitus; (2) forebody; (3, 8, 9) male sternite VIII; (4) posterior portion of male sternite VIII; (5) aedeagus in lateral view; (6) ventral process in ventral view; (7) male sternite VII. Scale bars: 1- 2: 1.0 mm; 3-9: 0.2 mm.