Smetanabatrus ghecu

Zi-Wei Yin & Li-Zhen Li, 2015, A second species of Smetanabatrus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 122 (2), pp. 377-380 : 377-380

Smetanabatrus ghecu , new species

Figs 1- 2

Type locality: Central Myanmar, southern Shan State, Carin Asciuii Ghecù .

Type material (3 ♂♂, 16 ♀♀): Holotype [ MSNG]: MYANMAR: ♂, labeled ‘ Carin Asciuii Ghecù [approximate coordinate: 19 ° 41 ’N, 97 °00’E, ( Schillhammer , pers. comm.)], 1400-1500 m, L. Fea. III-IV. [18] 88. / Museo Civico di Genova’. Paratypes [ MSNG]: MYANMAR: 2 ♂♂, 14 ♀♀, same data as holotype; 2 females, same data, except ‘ 1300-1400 m’ .

Diagnosis: Body large-sized, average length 3.3 mm. Head and pronotum coarsely granulate, vertex with a distinct median carina, pronotum with discal carinae and distinct median and lateral sulci; maxillary palpi IV greatly broadened; tergite IV largest, about four times as long as tergite V. Male with large ocular canthi, and abdominal sternite V possessing a trapezoidal protuberance at middle. Tergite VII of female shorter than that of male, and posterior margin at middle more emarginate than in male; genital complex weakly sclerotized, transverse.

Description: Male ( Fig. 1 A). BL 3.29-3.31 mm. Body reddish brown, tarsi lighter in color; most part of dorsal surface densely setose. Head distinctly transverse, HL 0.63-0.69 mm, HW 0.77-0.82 mm; surface coarsely granulate; vertex slightly convex, foveae below level of posterior margins of eyes, with reverse U-shaped sulcus connecting foveae, median carina present from base toward apex of frons; eyes relatively large, each composed of about 55 facets; with large ocular canthi ( Fig. 2 A); maxillary palpi ( Fig. 2 E) with greatly broadened palpomeres IV; antennomeres each elongate, clubs indistinct ( Fig. 1 A). Pronotum nearly cordiform, wider than long, PL 0.69-0.71 mm, PW 0.74-0.78 mm, coarsely granulate; with large antebasal spines, with deep median sulcus, thin, curved discal carinae, and sinuate lateral sulci; lateral margins rounded, gradually narrowed from middle toward base. Elytra slightly wider than long, EL 1.03-1.05 mm, EW 1.17-1.20 mm; surface finely punctate; with three large, deep basal foveae. All legs simple, except protibiae ( Figs 1 A, 2 D) slightly expanded at mesal margins near middle. Abdomen slightly wider than long, AL 0.88-0.92 mm, AW 1.10-1.12 mm; tergite IV largest, simple, about four times as long as tergite V, tergites VI-VII successively shorter, tergite VII ( Fig. 2 F) shallowly emarginate at middle of posterior margin, tergite VIII ( Fig. 2 G) semicircle; sternite V with trapezidal protuberance at middle ( Fig. 2 B, C), sternite VIII ( Fig. 2 H) transverse. Aedeagus ( Fig. 2 N-P) asymmetric, length 0.37 mm; transverse basal bulb with large foramen; ventral lobe elongate, broad at base, apex split to three thin sclerites ( Fig. 2 M); ventral membrane transverse, lamellate.

Female ( Fig. 1 B). Similar to male with the exception of the following: antennae shorter ( Fig. 1 B), lacking ocular canthi; protibiae straight at mesal margins; sternite V lacking protuberance; each eye composed of about 45 facets. Tergite VII ( Fig. 2 I) with posterior margin more emarginate at middle than in male; tergite VIII ( Fig. 2 J) semicircular, sternite VIII ( Fig. 2 K) transverse. Genital complex ( Fig. 2 L) 0.36 mm wide, transverse, lacking lateral sclerites. Measurements: BL 3.29-3.32 mm, HL 0.67-0.68 mm, HW 0.78-0.79 mm, PL 0.69-0.71 mm, PW 0.74-0.76 mm, EL 1.02-1.03 mm, EW 1.18-1.20 mm, AL 0.88-0.93 mm, AW 1.07-1.08 mm.

Comparative notes: Both sexes of the new species can be separated from members of its congener, S. kinabalu , by the coarsely granulate dorsal surfaces of the head and pronotum, the median carina of the head and median sulcus of the pronotum are more distinct, the maxillary palpomeres IV are more robust, the tergite IV is relatively much longer, and the structures of the male and female genitalia are distinctly different. The males of Smetanabatrus ghecu have unmodified profemora, metatibiae, and abdominal tergites ( Fig. 1 A), while those of S. kinabalu have the profemora greatly spinose at ventral margins, the metatibiae angularly expanded at basal third of the lateral margins, and possess dramatically modified abdominal tergites IV-VII (Yin & Li, 2013: figs 1-2).

Distribution: Myanmar: southern Shan State.

Etymology: The specific name is taken from the type locality, Carin Asciuii Ghecù.