Anabaxis brevis Oke, 1928

Shen, Jia-Wei & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2018, Review and clinal variation of New Zealand Anabaxis Raffray (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae: Goniaceritae), Zootaxa 4382 (3), pp. 531-552 : 535-536

Anabaxis brevis Oke, 1928

Fig. 3

Rybaxis brevis Oke, 1928: 9 .

Anabaxis brevis ( Oke, 1928) . Combination by Chandler, 2001: 298.

Type locality. Warburton and Belgrave, Victoria, Australia.

Diagnosis. Body length around 1.5 mm, body compressed. Tergite IV (visible tergite I) with discal carinae from as long as to longer than half length of tergite IV; median antebasal fovea much smaller than lateral antebasal foveae. Mesotrochanters bearing slender spine around three-fourths ventral length of trochanter. Aedeagus with symmetrical and strongly elongate parameres, widened basally, and well separated, bearing 2 subapical pairs of setae, apical setae curved mesally and longer than basal setae; internal sac with several slender sclerites near base.

Redescription (n = 8). Body length 1.45‒1.53 mm, compressed; color reddish-brown, palpi, and tarsi lighter. Dorsal vestiture uniseriate, average length shorter than length of eye. Head square, slightly wider than long at eye level ( Fig. 3A ); frontal fovea and vertexal foveae asetose. Eyes well-developed, rounded and protuberant with 22‒ 30 facets. Pronotum flat and subglobular, slightly wider than long, about 1.1X as long as wide (PL/PW = 0.32‒ 0.34/ 0.37‒0.39 mm), wider than head at eye level, widest at anterior two-fifths; lateral antebasal foveae setose; median antebasal fovea much smaller than lateral antebasal foveae; antebasal sulcus weakly impressed. Elytra slightly wider than long, about 1.1X as long as wide (EL/EW = 0.54‒0.56/ 0.61‒0.63 mm), widest near middle; each elytron with 4 basal foveae with outer 2 merged ( Fig. 3C ); posterior margins slightly sinuate. Abdomen compressed, slightly narrower than elytra at base; tergite IV (first visible tergite) with discal carinae extending from half to three-fifths of tergal length. Male. Eyes with 26‒30 facets. Mesotrochanters with slender spine around three-fourths ventral length of trochanter ( Fig. 3B ); mesotibiae modified by large spear-shape apical spine about 1.2X length of mesotarsal claw ( Fig. 3D ). Aedeagus ( Figs 3E ‒ 4G ) 0.35‒0.37 mm long; with symmetrical and strongly elongate parameres, widened basally, and well separated, bearing 2 subapical pairs of setae, apical setae curved mesally and longer than basal setae; internal sac with several slender sclerites near base. Female. Eyes with 22‒24 facets. Mesotrochanters and apical mesotibiae unmodified.

Comments. Oke (1928) described this species from a male and a female from Warburton and Belgrave, and based on an image of a male supplied by the MVMA labeled as ‘Holotype’ there must be additional syntype material. We designate the specimen imaged as the lectotype. This species is most similar to A. electrica by sharing the small body size and tergite IV with long discal carinae extending more than half of tergal length. It can be distinguished from A. electrica by its compressed body and males with the mesotibiae modified by large spearshape apical spine.

Distribution. New Zealand: ND, AK, CL, NN; Australia: Victoria.

Type material examined ( Fig. 6A ). Anabaxis brevis . Lectotype (here designated) (MVMA): ‘929 [hand], Holotype ♂ [printed], 931 Allotype ♀, 930 ♂ 932 ♀ Parat. [hand, on red rectangular label] // Rybaxis brevis, Oke type. [hand] // WARBURTON, Vic [printed], 27.12. 25 [hand], C. Oke [printed]’.

Additional material examined. 7 exs (all NZAC): 1 ex. (♂), North Island: AK: J. C. Watt, C. F. Butcher, Malaise trap, Noises Is., Otata Is., 7–10.Dec.1979; 1 ex. (♀), Waitakere, T. Broun Collection, A. E. Brookes Collection; 2 exs (1 ♂, 1 ♀), Titiranga, 1869, A. E. Brookes Collection; 1 ex. (♀), CL: Broun Collection, Tairua, E. coast North Is., T. Broun Collection; 1 ex. (♂), South Island: NN: Glenhope Nelson,? 1869, T. Broun Collection, A. E. Brookes Collection, Entomology Division. Unknown locality: 1 ex. (♀), 1869, T. Broun Collection, A. E. Brookes Collection;

Figures

FIGURE 3. Diagnostic features of Anabaxis brevis Oke, 1928. A) Habitus. B) Mesoventrite and mesocoxae. C) Elytra. D) Mesotibia. E) Aedeagus, in dorsal view. F) Same, in ventral view. G) Same, in lateral view. Scales: 0.15 mm, except A = 0.3 mm.

FIGURE 4. Diagnostic features of Anabaxis chathamensis sp. n. A) Habitus. B) Elytra. C) Mesoventrite and mesocoxae. D) Mesotibia. E) Aedeagus, in dorsal view. F) Same, in ventral view. G) Same, in lateral view. Scales: 0.15 mm, except A = 0.3 mm.

FIGURE 6. Primary type specimens and labels of Anabaxis Raffray, 1908. A) Lectotype, Anabaxis brevis Oke, 1928. B) Lectotype, Anabaxis foveolata Broun, 1880. C) Lectotype, Anabaxis electrica King, 1863. D) Lectotype, Anabaxis inusitata Blackburn, 1891. Scale bar: 0.3 mm.