Scaphobaeocera serpentis, Lobl, 2011

Löbl, Ivan, 2011, On the Scaphisomatini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae) of the Philippines, II, Revue suisse de Zoologie 118 (4), pp. 695-721 : 715-716

Scaphobaeocera serpentis sp. n. Figs 41-43

HOLOTYPE: Ƌ, Philippines: Mt. Makiling , Laguna Prov., 4 km SE Los Banos 9-IV-1977 / berlese leaf litter L. E. Watrous ( MHNG).

PARATYPES: 1 Ƌ, 2 ♀ with the same data as holotype; 1 Ƌ, with the same data but 11-IV-1977 / berlese litter under bark L. E. Watrous (all MHNG) .

DESCRIPTION: Length 0.95-1.05 mm, width 0.58-0.61 mm, dorsoventral diameter 0.53-0.58 mm. Head and most of body uniformly light ochraceous, appendages hardly lighter than body. Pronotum and elytra lacking microsculpture. Punctation extremely fine on pronotum, elytra, hypomera and lateral parts of metaventrite. Length ratio of antennomeres as: III 4: IV 6: V 7: VI 5: VII 11: VIII 4: IX 12: X. 12: XI 16. Segments III and IV evenly narrow, segment IV about twice as long as wide. Segment V slightly wider than segment IV, about 3 times as long as wide. Segment VI about twice as long as wide, wider than segment V. Segment VII much larger than segment VI, not quite 3 times as long as wide. Segment VIII conspicuously small, slightly longer than wide. Segments IX to XI almost even in width, hardly wider than segment VII, segment XI about 3 times as long as wide. Tip of scutellum exposed. Elytra without parasutural striae, sutural striae starting at margin of pronotal lobe, hardly curved at base. Hypomeron not microsculptured, without longitudinal stria. Middle part of metaventrite slighly convex, without impression, densely punctate around smooth center, with fairly long pubescence. Mesocoxal lines with coarse marginal punctures, not extending laterally along mesepimera; submesocoxal areas about 0.03 mm long. Metepisterna flat, exposed portion about 0.08-0.10 mm wide, with suture notably deep, sulciform, weekly arcuate. Abdominal ventrite 1 very finely punctate, lacking obvious microsculpture, with basal punctures coarse, partly elongate. Tibiae straight.

Male characters. Protarsi with segments 1 to 3 strongly widened, about as wide as protibiae. Aedeagus (Figs 41-43) 0.25-0.27 mm long.

HABITAT: Evergreen rain forest, leaf litter.

DISTRIBUTION: Philippines: Luzon.

COMMENTS: This species shares with S. episternalis large metepisterna and mesocoxal lines with conspicuous, coarse marginal punctures. Both species may be distinguished by charaters given in the key above. In addition, the aedeagus is distinctive in S. serpentis .