Paederus (Harpopaederus) deplectens, Assing, 2015

Assing, Volker, 2015, On the Harpopaederus fauna of China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 47 (1), pp. 163-190 : 180-183

Paederus (Harpopaederus) deplectens nov.sp. ( Figs 63-72 , Map 2 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype 3: " CHINA - NW Sichuan, 20 km NW Maowen [= Weizhou], 2150 m, Jiuding Shan , coniferous wood, 7-28.VI.2004, leg. R. Fabbri / Holotypus 3 Paederus deplectens sp.n. det. V. Assing 2015" (cAss) . Paratypes: 3♀♀: same data as holotype (cSch, cAss) ; 2♀♀: " CHINA W. Sichuan (Aba Tibet. Aut. Pref. , Weizhou Co.) Quionglai Shan , Wolong valley , 40 km W Dujiangyan, 1500 m, 31°03N, 103°12E (brook bank) 14.VII.1999 D.W. Wrase / Paederus chinensis Bernh. , det. Willers 11.99" (cSch, cAss) ; 13, 8♀♀ [communicated by Zhong Peng ]: " China: Sichuan Province, Aba, Wolong, Wuyipeng, 31°01'N, 103°11'E, 2500 m, 11- 12.VII.2012, Living & MC Chen leg." ( SNUC) ; 1 ♀: same data, but " 30°59'N, 103°08'E, 2100 m, 28.VII.2001, Li & Zhao leg." ( SNUC) .

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is the present participle of the Latin verb deplecti (to claw) and alludes to the claw-like denticles on the dorsal plate of the aedeagus.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 11.0- 12.5 mm; length of forebody 5.1-5.3 mm. Coloration: head black; pronotum reddish; elytra metallic-blue; scutellum reddish; abdomen bicoloured with segments III-VI pale-reddish and segments VII-X black; legs blackish, with the apices of the mesotibiae more or less distinctly paler and the tarsi brown to dark-brown; antennae and palpi yellowish.

Head ( Fig. 63 ) transverse, approximately 1.15 times as broad as long; punctation rather fine and sparse in median and anterior dorsal portions, less sparse and with interspersed coarser punctures in lateral and posterior dorsal portions; interstices without microsculpture. Eyes 0.6-0.7 times as long as postocular region from posterior margin of eye to posterior constriction of head. Antenna 3.3-3.4 mm long; antennomere IV more than twice as long as broad; antennomere X approximately 1.5 times as long as broad. Anterior margin of labrum in the middle with broadly U-shaped excision, on either side of this incision with a more or less distinct tooth ( Fig. 64 ).

Pronotum ( Fig. 63 ) approximately 1.1 times as long as broad and as broad as head, strongly convex in cross-section; dorsal series each composed of approximately 10 punctures; lateral portions with sparse and moderately fine punctation.

Elytra ( Fig. 63 ) approximately 0.7 times as long as pronotum; punctation moderately coarse and dense; interstices without microsculpture. Hind wings completely reduced. Protarsomeres I-IV with pronounced sexual dimorphism. Metatarsomere I approximately as long as the combined length of II and III, or nearly so.

Abdomen 1.05-1.10 times as broad as elytra; punctation moderately fine and moderately dense; pubescence moderately short and brownish; interstices with fine and transverse microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe; tergite VIII with pronounced sexual dimorphism.

3: protarsomeres I-IV strongly dilated ( Fig. 63 ); tergite VIII strongly tapering posteriad and very strongly convex posteriorly; posterior margin of sternite VII weakly concave in the middle; sternite VIII ( Fig. 70 ) weakly transverse, posterior incision 0.53 times as deep as length of sternite; aedeagus ( Figs 65-69 ) 2.4 mm long; ventral process very weakly sclerotized; dorsal plate apically far from reaching apices of parameres, with one large apical and two pairs of large subapical denticles; internal sac with a basal clipshaped structure and a broad and somewhat asymmetric apical internal structure ( Fig. 69 ).

♀: protarsomeres I-IV moderately dilated; tergite VIII ( Fig. 71 ) triangularly projecting posteriorly, middle of posterior margin obtusely pointed; sternite VIII shaped as in Fig. 72.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Based on the male and female sexual characters, particularly the large claw-shaped denticles on the dorsal plate of the aedeagus, P. deplectens is closely allied to P. chinensis , from which it differs by slightly smaller size, the slightly paler average coloration of the pronotum, the smaller aedeagus ( P. chinensis : approximately 2.7 mm long), the presence of five ( P. chinensis : two) claw-like denticles of the dorsal plate, and the apically slightly narrower female tergite VIII. For illustrations of P. chinensis see Figs 73-79.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: The known distribution is confined to two localities in northwestern Sichuan ( Map 2 ). The examined type specimens were collected in a coniferous forest and on a stream bank. The altitudes range from 1500 to 2500 m.

Figures

Map 2: Distributions of Harpopaederus species in Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi (some doubtful female-based literature records omitted): Paederus chinensis (filled triangles); P. deplectens (filled stars); P. antennocinctus (open circles); P. agnatus (filled circles); P. minicus (open diamond); P. edentulus (filled diamonds); P. gracilacutus (open stars).

Figs 63-69: Paederus deplectens nov.sp.: (63) forebody; (64) anterior portion of head; (65-67) aedeagus in lateral, ventral, and dorsal view; (68) apical portion of aedeagus in lateral view; (69) internal structures of aedeagus in dorsal view. Scale bars: 63-64: 1.0 mm; 65-69: 0.5 mm.

Figs 70-72: Paederus deplectens nov.sp.: (70) male sternite VIII; (71) female tergite VIII; (72) female sternite VIII. Scale bar: 1.0 mm.

Figs 73-79: Paederus chinensis BERNHAUER: (73-74) aedeagus in ventral and in lateral view; (75) apical portion of aedeagus in dorsal view; (76) apical portion of aedeagus in lateral view; (77) male sternite VIII; (78) female tergite VIII; (79) female sternite VIII. Scale bars: 77-79: 1.0 mm; 73-76: 0.5 mm.