Scaphisoma punctinotum, Löbl, 2023

Löbl, Ivan, 2023, New species and records of Scaphidiinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) from mainland China and Taiwan, Vernate 42, pp. 135-142 : 136-137

Scaphisoma punctinotum sp. nov.

Holotype male: CHINA: YUNNAN PROV. Lushui Co., Gaoligong Mts. Luisahe vill. , Hájek, Hrůzová, Král, Růžička & Sommer lgt. 30.vi.-2.vii.2019 / river valley, mixed forest on dead wood and fungi ; 25°58.3 -7’N, 98°44.4 -45.3’E, 2135-2450 m ( NMPC).

Paratype male, with same data as holotype ( MHNG).

Description. Length 1.70-1.78 mm, width 1.15- 1.23 mm. Head and most of body black, narrow apical stripe of elytra and apex of abdomen light brown, legs rufous, antennomeres I to IV yellowish, following antennomeres light brown. Length/width ratios of antennomeres: III 10/9: IV 15/8: V 30/10: VI 45/10: VII 56/10: VIII 44/14: IX 52/15: X 55/18: XI 65/17. Pronotum and elytra lacking microsculpture. Pronotum with lateral margins arcuate; lateral margin carina visible in dorsal view, punctate; discal punctation rather coarse, visible at 15 times magnification, dense except in middle of disc, puncture intervals at least as large as puncture diameters, mostly two to three times as large as diameters. Exposed tip of scutellum minute. Elytron moderately narrowing apicad, with lateral margin arcuate, lateral margin carina nearly completely concealed in dorsal view, impunctate; apical margin weakly rounded, with very fine crenulation; inner apical angle situated posteriad of level of outer angle; sutural margin not raised; sutural stria moderately deep, parallel, extending along basal margin and forming basal striae reaching nearly outer fourth of basal width; basal and lateral striae separated at level of humerus; adsutural area flat, ca. 0.07 mm wide shortly posteriad of scutellar tip, with single puncture row; discal punctation near bases sparse and about as coarse as pronotal punctation, on prevailing discal surface coarser, with puncture intervals mostly about as large as, to twice as large as, puncture diameters. Hind wings fully developed. Hypomeron smooth. Mesanepisternum very finely and sparsely punctate. Mesoventrite with few fine punctures in middle, densely and rather coarsely punctate along lateral margins. Mesepimeron about 4 times as long as wide and 1.5 times as long as interval between its tip and mesocoxa. Metaventrite lacking microsculpture, convex in middle, lacking impressions, with punctation on apicomedian area rather coarse and conspicuously dense, distinct at 20 times magnification, becoming sparse and very fine anteriad and laterad; antecoxal puncture rows absent; submesocoxal areas ca. 0.05 mm long, about as long as quarter of shortest interval between its margin and metacoxa; submesocoxal lines convex, appearing impunctate. Metanepisternum lacking microsculpture, convex, narrowing anteriad, suture impressed, oblique, slightly rounded at angle. Tibiae straight. Exposed tergites and ventrites with punctulate microsculpture absent from ventrite I. Pygidium not notched. Ventrite I sparsely and finely punctate; submetacoxal areas 0.06 mm long, nearly as long as fourth of shortest interval between its margin and apical margin of ventrite; submetacoxal lines convex, coarsely punctate.

Male. Protarsomeres I to III slightly widened, with short tenent setae, protarsomere I narrower than apex of protibia. Mesotarsomeres I to III not widened. Aedeagus (Figs 5, 6) 0.37 mm long.

Etymology. The species epithet is a Latin adjective meaning punctate pronotum.

Comments. This species falls in the key to the Chinese Scaphisoma (Löbl 2019) under couplets 14/15, to S. pseudorufum Löbl , S. subalpinum ussuricum Pic and S. corneum Löbl, 2019 . The aedeagal characters of the new species suggest a relationship with S. corneum . Scaphisoma punctinotum may be distinguished from S. corneum by its smaller body size, the antennomere IV longer than the antennomere III, the pronotal punctation coarser, the submesocoxal areas narrower, and the aedeagus much smaller, with prominent parameral tubercles.