Baeocera paucivestis, Löbl, 2022

Löbl, Ivan, 2022, Supplement to the knowledge of the Scaphidiinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) of the Moluccas, Revue suisse de Zoologie 129 (1), pp. 103-118 : 107-108

Baeocera paucivestis sp. nov.

Figs 11-13

Materiel examined: Holotype; MHNG; male; MALUC: Tanimbar Isl. , Yamdena , 22 km N Saumlaki, 11.IX.81, D. Agosti F 911111 .

Paratypes; MHNG; 1 male, 1 female MALUC: Tanimbar Isl ., Yamdena, Bomaki , NW Saumlaki , 18.IX.81, D. Agosti F911148 .

Etymology: The species epithet is a Latin adjective meaning poorly ornamented.

Diagnosis: The species is defined by the following characters in combination: Body-length about 1.20 mm, body light reddish-brown with darkened pronotum; lateral margins of pronotum and elytra separately arcuate; elytron entirely coarsely punctate, with uninterrupted basal stria joined to lateral stria, sutural stria not shortened; hypomeron and mesepimeron impunctate; mesanepisterum with hardly visible punctation; metaventrite and ventrite I fairly coarsely punctate; ventrite I without basal striae or wrinkles; aedeagus symmetrical, with apical process gradually narrowed apically, bent near tip (lateral view), parameres straight, nearly evenly broad, internal sac with complex sclerites as in Fig. 13 , lacking membranous scale or denticle-like structures.

Description: Length 1.18-1.22 mm, width 0.83- 0.85 mm. Head and body light reddish-brown, pronotum sometimes darkened. Femora as elytra, tibiae, tarsi and antennae yellowish. Head with interocular distance about as dorsoventral eyes diameter. Antennomere II about 1.3 times as long as antennomere III. Length/ width ratios of antennomeres as: III 22/7: IV 23/7: V 28/7: VI 24/7: VII 29/9: VIII 23/8: IX 30/12: X 30/13: XI 37/14. Pronotum and elytra separately arcuate. Pronotum not microsculptured, pronotal punctation hardly visible at 100 times magnification; lateral carinae of pronotum not visible in dorsal view. Point of scutellum exposed. Elytra nearly covering apex of abdomen. Elytron weakly narrowed apically, with lateral margin rounded near base and apex, oblique in middle; lateral margin carinae concealed or hardly visible in dorsal view, adsutural area flat and narrow; sutural stria punctate, not shortened, curved along pronotal lobe and extended to form basal stria; basal stria very shallow, uninterrupted, joined with lateral stria; lateral stria punctate. Elytral disc not microsculptured; punctation on humeral area very fine and similar to pronotal punctation, much coarser than that on pronotum on prevailing surface, nearly regular, punctures well delimited, puncture intervals mostly about two to three times puncture diameters. Hind wings fully developed. Hypomeron impunctate, with punctulate microsculpture. Mesoventrite punctate, without median ridge, fused with metaventral process. Mesanepisternum extremely finely punctate, punctures hardly visible at 100 times magnification. Mesepimeron impunctate, nearly four times as long as wide and nearly four times as long as interval to mesocoxa. Median part of metaventrite flattened, fairly finely and sparsely punctate. Lateral area of metaventrite with punctation coarse and very dense; punctures well delimited, to part as large or larger than puncture intervals, nearly touching metacoxal margin. Submesocoxal lines slightly convex, with marginal punctures smaller than punctures on lateral area of metaventrite and not extended laterally along margin of metaventrite. Submesocoxal areas about 0.03 mm long, as third of shortest interval to metacoxae. Metanepisternum flat, fused with metaventrite, its margin indicated by outer puncture row of metaventrite. Tibiae straight. Abdomen not microsculptured. Ventrite I very densely and rather finely punctate, punctures much smaller than those on lateral area of metaventrite, basal punctures not enlarged and not elongate, basal striae or wrinkles absent. Following ventrites very finely punctate.

Male characters: Protarsomeres I to III slightly widened. Aedeagus ( Figs 11-13 ) 0.32 mm long, weakly sclerotized, symmetrical.Apical process gradually narrowed apically, with tip bent and acute in lateral view. Parameres straight, nearly evenly broad. Internal sac with complex sclerites, as in Fig. 13 , with flagellar guide-sclerite widened apically, distinct accessory lateral sclerite, lacking membranous scale- or denticle-like structures.

Habitat: Melaleuca open forests on limestone, via Aram, Desa Lorulun; leave litter heavily infested with mycorrhiza, and rotten logs and primary forest at the northern end of the bay, in thick leave litter and rotting logs.

Distribution: Indonesia: Moluccas, Yamdena Island.

Remarks: The species is also member of the B. lenta group. It falls in the key to the Moluccan species ( Löbl, 2015a) to B. vafra Löbl, 2015 and B. variata Löbl, 2015 , but may be easily distinguished from them by the elytra having uninterrupted basal striae. The shape of the parameres and the internal sac are similar to those of B. variata . The Papuan B. bacchusi ( Löbl, 1975) is similar in aedeagal characters and has also uninterrupted basal striae of the elytra. It may be readily distinguished from B. paucivestis by the body significantly smaller and black.

Figures

Figs 10-18. Baeocera notata sp. nov. (10) Aedeagus in lateral view, scale bar = 0.1 mm. Figs 11-13. Baeocera paucivestis sp. nov. (11, 12) Aedeagus in dorsal and lateral views, scale bar = 0.1 mm. (13) Internal sac, scale bar = 0.05 mm. Figs 14-16. Baeocera punctigera sp. nov. (14, 15) Aedeagus in dorsal and lateral views, scale bar = 0.1 mm. (16) Internal sac, scale bar = 0.05 mm. Figs 17, 18. Baeocera punctiventris sp. nov. (17) Aedeagus in dorsal view, internal sac extruded, scale bar = 0.1 mm. (18) Paramere in dorsal view, scale bar = 0.05 mm.