Amaurodera brevipennis, Assing, 2019

Assing, Volker, 2019, On the Lomechusini fauna of the Palaearctic and Oriental regions. XXVI. New species, a new synonymy, and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 69 (1), pp. 33-70 : 55

Amaurodera brevipennis spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5AB88702-0D52-4B1F-A7AA-0654B71DC14F

(Figs 27–28, 122–123)

Type material: Holotype: “BORNEO, Sabah, ca. 300 m, SAFE Project, xi.–xii.2011, Logged forest, Palm oil, N4°63'50’’ [sic] – N4°77'16’’ [sic], E117°43'83’’ [sic] – E117°70'31’’ [sic], Malaise-Pitfall Combination / SAFE Project , Ewers et al., 111113-227b, 020512 / Holotypus

Amaurodera brevipennis sp. n., det. V. Assing 2017” (cRou).

Etymology: The specific epithet (Latin, adjective) alludes to the conspicuously short elytra.

Description: Small species; body length 3.7 mm; length of forebody 1.7 mm. Other measurements: head width: 0.48 mm; length of pronotum: 0.74 mm; width of pronotum: 0.54 mm; elytral length at suture: 0.27 mm; elytral width: 0.42 mm. Coloration: head and pronotum reddish; elytra pale-reddish with the postero-lateral portions extensively, diffusely darker; abdomen palereddish with segment VI and the posterior margin of segment V blackish; legs: profemora and protibiae pale-brown, meso- and metafemora blackish with the basal portions yellowish, meso- and metatibia and tarsi yellowish; antennae with antennomeres I–II reddish, III–V dark-brown, VI–IX gradually becoming paler, and X–XI yellow; maxillary palpi reddish with the terminal palpomere pale-yellowish.

Head (Fig. 27) weakly oblong; postero-lateral outline between eyes and posterior constriction broadly convex in dorsal view; median dorsal portion not impressed; median and anterior dorsal portions extensively without punctation, lateral and posterior portions of dorsal surface with very fine and sparse punctures; interstices without distinct microreticulation. Eyes rather small, weakly convex, approximately 0.6 times as long as distance from posterior margin of eye to posterior constriction. Antenna (Fig. 28) conspicuously elongate, 2.3 mm long; antennomeres IX and X twice and 1.5 times as long as broad, respectively.

Pronotum (Fig. 27) 1.37 times as long as broad and approximately 1.1 times as broad as head; dorsal surface opaque due to very dense microgranules; midline with long and narrow sulcus reaching neither anterior nor posterior margins; antero-laterally with two long and erect setae on either side.

Elytra (Fig. 27) conspicuously short, 0.36 times as long as pronotum; punctation very fine and very sparse; interstices without distinct microreticulation. Hind wings probably reduced. Metatarsomere I shorter than the combined length of II and III.

Abdomen distinctly broader than elytra; tergites III–V with moderately deep anterior impressions; punctation fine and sparse; interstices with microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with narrow palisade fringe; posterior margin of tergite VIII crenulate.

: posterior margin of sternite VIII in the middle broadly and weakly convex; median lobe of aedeagus 0.36 mm long and shaped as in Figs 122–123.

: unknown.

Comparative notes: The only other Amaurodera species with similarly short elytra is the geographically close A. kinabaluensis PACE, 1989 (Sabah: Mt. Kinabalu), which is distinguished from A. brevipennis by smaller eyes, a larger head (in relation to the pronotum), even shorter and posteriorly distinctly dilated elytra, and by the different shape of the median lobe of the aedeagus. For illustrations of A. kinabaluensis see PACE (1989).

Distribution and natural history: The type locality is situated in Sabah ( Malaysia: Borneo) at an altitude of 300 m. The coordinates are evidently incorrect, as can be inferred from the observation that the minutes and seconds are partly greater than 59.