Leptusa (Roubaliusa) flagrifera, Assing, 2009

Assing, V., 2009, New species, new synonymies, and additional records of Leptusa from Turkey and Iran (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 41 (2), pp. 1285-1305 : 1301-1302

Leptusa (Roubaliusa) flagrifera nov.sp. ( Figs 39-40 , 44-45 , Map 4 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype 3: " Iran, Gilan [IR08-29], Fuman County, Tales Mts., N- Slope, Masuleh-Khalkhal road, 4 km NW Masuleh, leaves debris, sifted, 1404 m, 37°10'34.8"N, 48°58'76.6"E [recte: 37°10.348'N, 48°58.766'E], 1458 m, 08.VI.2008, leg. A. Pütz / Holotypus 3 Leptusa flagrifera sp. n. det. V. Assing 2009" (cPüt). Paratypes: 2♀♀: same data as holotype (cPüt, cAss).

C o m m e n t: Since the holotype of L. flagrifera was found in the same locality as that of the highly similar L. piciformis , the females were identified only based on their coloration.

D e s c r i p t i o n: External characters highly similar to those of L. soriciformis , distinguished only by the male sexual characters:

3: posterior margin of sternite VII strongly and broadly concave in the middle, on either side of this concavity weakly produced and with conspicuous long setae ( Fig. 39 ); posterior margin of sternite VIII convexly produced (not pointed or angled) in the middle and with dense marginal setae ( Fig. 40 ); median lobe of aedeagus large, approximately 0.50 mm long, with conspicuously long and apically strongly curved flagellum and apical structures of characteristic shape.

♀: spermatheca as in Fig. 45.

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Latin; carrier of a whip) alludes to the conspicuously long flagellum in the internal sac of the aedeagus.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Leptusa flagrifera is reliably distinguished from other Iranian representatives of Roubaliusa by the morphology of the aedeagus (much larger, flagellum much longer, shape of apical internal structures), as well as by the shapes of the male sternites VII and VIII. It is separated from L. sengleti , with which it shares the similar morphology of the male sternite VII, by the completely different morphology of the aedeagus.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: Thetypematerialwascollectedinthe same locality ( Map 4 ) and under the same circumstances as that of L. piciformis .

Figures

Map 4: Distributions of the Leptusa species of the subgenus Roubaliusa SCHEERPELTZ in northern Iran: L. sengleti PACE (filled square), L. piciformis nov.sp. (open circle), L. flagrifera nov.sp. (open circle), L. delphiniformis nov.sp. (filled circle), and L. soriciformis nov.sp. (open square). Localities where only females were found are omitted.

Figs 31-40: Leptusa delphiniformis nov.sp. (31-34), L. piciformis nov.sp. (35-38), and L. flagrifera nov.sp. (39-40): (31, 35) habitus; (32, 36) forebody; (33, 37, 39) male sternite VII; (34, 38, 40) male sternite VIII. Scale bars: 31, 35: 1.0 mm; 32, 36: 0.5 mm; 33-34, 37-40: 0.2 mm.

Figs 41-48: Leptusa delphiniformis nov.sp. (41-42), L. piciformis nov.sp. (43), L. flagrifera nov.sp. (44-45), and L. soriciformis nov.sp. (46-48): (41, 43-44, 46-48) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (42, 45) spermatheca. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.