Ocypus (Pseudocypus) hecato, Published, 2007

Published, First, 2007, Contributions to the knowledge of the “ Staphylinus-complex ” (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini) of China. Part XX. The genus Ocypus Leach, 1819, subgenus Pseudocypus Mulsant & Rey, 1876. Section 1, Zootaxa 1421, pp. 1-72 : 21-23

Ocypus (Pseudocypus) hecato sp. nov.

( Figs. 62–68)

Type material. Holotype (male) and allotype (female): CHINA: Sichuan: “CHINA W-Sichuan Sabde env. prim. forest 29°36.4N 101°22.9'E 3818 m V.2004 Häckel & Sehnal leg.” ( ASC).

Paratypes: CHINA: Sichuan: same data as holotype, 5 ♂♂ ( ASC); Sabde , 27.VI.2001, ♂, 2 ♀♀ ( ASC, YSC) .

Diagnosis. A medium to large sized, entirely black species, with asetose pronotal hypomeron, with piceous-black legs, uniform black pubescence of dorsal side of body, including abdominal tergites, with wide and deep, acutely triangular medioapical emargination of male sternite 8, with large, characteristically shaped aedoeagus, and characteristically shaped tergite 10 of female genital segment.

Description. Entirely black; maxillary and labial palpi brunneous; antennae piceous to piceous-black, becoming gradually indistinctly paler toward apex; legs piceous-black, with front tarsi and dorsal faces of front tibiae slightly paler; pubescence of dorsal side of body uniformly black. Head of rounded quadrangular shape, with rounded posterior angles, wider than long (ratio 1. 34), eyes small and rather flat, tempora considerably longer than eyes from above (ratio 2. 39), dorsal surface of head finely and densely punctate and pubescent, interspaces between punctures on disc about as large as diameters of punctures, punctation gradually becoming denser and coarser toward posterior and lateral margins; impunctate midline rudimentary, traceable only on posterior half of head; interspaces between punctures with relatively coarse submeshed microsculpture. Gular sutures narrowly separated in middle section; postgenae moderately densely punctate, interspaces between punctures near gular sutures about as large as diameters of punctures. Dorsal side of neck with punctation denser than that on head. Antenna short, segment 3 longer than segment 2 (ratio 1. 23), segments 4 to7 longer than wide, becoming gradually shorter, segments 8–10 about as long as wide, last segment shorter than two preceding segments combined. Pronotum vaguely longer than wide (ratio 1.11), almost parallelsided, narrow marginal groove disappearing downwards at about anterior third of pronotal length; disc with narrow, entire impunctate midline; punctation on disc about same as that on disc of head, pubescence and microsculpture on interspaces between punctures similar to that on head. Pronotal hypomeron lacking microsetae. Scutellum finely, densely punctate and setose on entire surface, surface with very fine, rudimentary microsculpture. Elytra short, slightly depressed at base, vaguely dilated posteriad, at suture considerably (ratio 0. 62), at sides distinctly (ratio 0.74) shorter than pronotum at midline; punctation very fine and dense, difficult to observe among dense granulose microsculpture. Wings each reduced to minute, nonfunctional stump. Abdomen with fifth visible tergite lacking pale apical seam of palisade setae; tergite two (in front of first visible tergite) entirely, densely and finely punctate and pubescent; all tergites evenly, finely and densely punctate, puctation gradually becoming slightly sparser toward apex of abdomen; interspaces with very fine, dense microsculpture of irregular, short striae.

Male. Sternite 8 with wide and deep, acutely triangular medioapical emargination. Genital segment with sternite 9 narrow, elongate, with large basal portion, apical portion with deep medioapical emargination ( Fig. 62). Tergite 10 evenly narrowed toward narrowly arcuate apex, setose as in Fig. 63. Aedoeagus large, elongate, shaped as in Figs. 64–67; median lobe elongate, apical portion only slightly asymmetrical, with subacute apex, apical portion, when paramere removed, with fine bilobed formation ( Fig. 65); paramere situated on median lobe slightly asymmetrically, shaped as in Figs. 64, 66, 67, with long carina on face away from median lobe ( Fig. 64), right margin of apical portion curled invards, apex of paramere not quite reaching apex of median lobe; sensory peg setae on underside of paramere large, forming two unequally long lateral groups, joined near apex of paramere ( Fig. 67); four apical setae at left margin far below apex, no apical setae at right margin which is curled mediad.

Female. Tergite 10 of genital segment of characteristic shape, with large medial portion strongly sclerotized, setose as in Fig. 68.

Length 16.0–19.0 mm.

Bionomics. The specimens of the original series were taken from pitfall traps set in a “primary forest”, but no details are available.

Geographical distribution. Ocypus hecato is at present known only from the type locality in west Sichuan .

Recognition and comments. Ocypus hecato may be fairly easily recognized by the characters mentioned in the diagnosis, particularly by the male and female sexual characters. Ocypus palamedes , a similarly colored species, differs abundantly, in addition to the entirely differently shaped aedoeagus, by the markedly larger size and by the microsetose pronotal hypomeron.

The holotype is missing the last three segments of the left antenna and the terminal segment of the right antenna. Most of the paratypes are missing parts of one or both antennae.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the name of Hecato, - onis, m, a philosopher of Rhodes, in apposition.