Pseudomedon schuelkei, Assing, 2011

Assing, V., 2011, Luzea and Pseudomedon in the Eastern Palaearctic region, with additional records from the West Palaearctic (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (1), pp. 245-252 : 250-252

Pseudomedon schuelkei nov.sp. ( Figs 8-15 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: " China: Yunnan [CH07-05: Dali Bai Auton. Pref., Diancang Shan W Dali, 25°41'43''N, 100°06'36''E, 2927 m, litter at moist escarpment sifted, under stones, 28.V.2007, M. Schülke / Holotypus Pseudomedon schuelkei sp. n. det. V. Assing 2011" (cAss). Paratypes: 2: same data as holotype (cSch); 2: " China: N- Yunnan [C03-19], Dali Bai Nat. Aut. Pref., Diancang Shan , 3 km W Dali old town, creek valley and pine forest at " Cloud Road ", right upper chairlift station, 25°41.1'N, 100°06.8'E, 2650-2750 m / [CH03-19] litter, pine needles, moss (dry and wet], mushrooms, 29.VIII.2003, leg. M. Schülke " (cSch, cAss); 1, 1: " China: Yunnan [CH07-30], Nujiang Lisu Aut. Pref., Nu Shan , 7 km NNW Coajian, 25°43'29''N, 99°07'57''E, 2420 m, second. pine forest with shrubs, litter, bark sifted, 11.VI.2007, M. Schülke " (cSch).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 4.0- 4.4 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 8 . Coloration: head (except for the yellowish-brown frons), pronotum, and abdomen blackish; elytra blackish-brown, with the anterior and posterior margins of the elytra indistinctly paler brown; legs dark-yellowish to dark-brown with yellowish tarsi; antennae reddish-yellow.

Pronotum weakly oblong, 1.02-1.06 times as long as broad and 1.03-1.10 times as wide as head ( Fig. 9 ); lateral margins subparallel in dorsal view; punctation fine and dense; interstices glossy, without microsculpture ( Fig. 12 ); midline at most with weakly evident impunctate band.

Elytra long, 1.10-1.15 times as long as, and distinctly broader than pronotum; punctation fine and very dense, weakly granulose ( Fig. 13 ). Hind wings fully developed. Protarsomeres I-IV without apparent sexual dimorphism, in both sexes simple (i.e., not dilated). Metatarsomere I as long as the combined length of II and III, or nearly so.

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

: sternite VII not distinctly modified; sternite VIII oblong, its posterior margin evenly convex or truncate in the middle, not concave or distinctly excised ( Fig. 14 ); aedeagus approximately 0.45 mm long, shaped as in Fig. 15.

E t y m o l o g y: The species is dedicated to my friend and colleague Michael Schülke, who collected the types of both species described in the present paper.

Head weakly oblong, 1.03-1.10 times as long as broad ( Fig. 9 ), behind eyes subparallel or weakly dilated posterad in dorsal view; punctation moderately fine, dense, and shallow; interstices without microsculpture, glossy ( Fig. 10 ). Eyes distinctly shorter than postocular region. Antenna as in Fig. 11.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: In order to account for the new species, the key in ASSING (2009) is modified as follows:

9 Male sternite VIII with deeply V-shaped posterior incision. Aedeagus highly distinctive, with sickle-shaped ventral process (ASSING 2009: figure 6). Known only from the northern parts of the Sahara (S-Algeria, Chad).......................... P. mirei COIFFAIT - Male sternite VIII with shallow to moderately deep posterior incision or with simply convex posterior margin. Ventral process of aedeagus not sickle-shaped.........................9a 9a Head and pronotum with moderately dense and moderately fine punctation, distinctly glossy. Protarsomeres I-IV without evident dimorphism, not distinctly dilated.: posterior margin of male sternite VIII simply convex or truncate ; aedeagus as in Fig. 15 . China: Yunnan ................................................................................ P. schuelkei nov.sp. - Head and pronotum with extremely dense and fine punctation, at most with subdued shine. Protarsomeres I-IV with sexual dimorphism, at least moderately dilated in male .

: posterior margin of sternite VIII at least shallowly excised. Unknown from the East Palaearctic east of Middle Asia.........................................................................................10

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: Thenewspecieswascollected in several localities in Yunnan, China. The specimens were sifted from - mostly pine - forest litter at altitudes of 2420-2927 m. Two paratypes collected in June are apparently slightly teneral.

Figures

Figs 8-15: Pseudomedon schuelkei nov.sp.: (8) habitus; (9) forebody; (10) median dorsal portion of head; (11) antenna; (12) median dorsal portion of pronotum; (13) sutural portion of left elytron; (14) male sternite VIII; (15) aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: 8: 1.0 mm; 9: 0.5 mm; 11, 14: 0.2 mm; 10, 12-13, 15: 0.1 mm.