Ocypus (Pseudocypus) vindex, 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 : 14-15

Ocypus (Pseudocypus) vindex sp. nov.

( Figs. 24–31)

Type material. Holotype (male) and allotype (female): CHINA: Sichuan: “CHINA—Sichuan Zhilong VII. 1992 " . Holotype in NMW, allotype in ASC.

Paratypes: CHINA: Sichuan: same data as holotype, 9 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀ ( ASC, NMW); Rilong env., 3500m 10.– 16.VII. 2000, leg. S. Murzin, 4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ ( ASC, NMW) .

Diagnosis. Medium-sized, piceous species with asetose pronotal hypomeron, dark legs, uniformly brownish-piceous pubescence of the body, including abdominal tergites, and a large, characteristically shaped aedoeagus.

Description. Piceous, moderately dull, elytra and abdomen usually paler, rather piceobrunneous, apical margins of abdominal tergites and apex of abdomen more or less paler in most specimens; maxillary and labial palpi brunneous; antennae dark brunneous to piceous, becoming gradually indistinctly paler toward apex, or entirely piceous; legs piceous, with front tarsi and dorsal faces of front tibiae paler; pubescence of dorsal side of body brownish-piceous. Head of rounded quadrangular shape, with rounded posterior angles, wider than long (ratio 1. 21), eyes small and rather flat, tempora considerably longer than eyes from above (ratio 2. 00), dorsal surface of head finely and densely punctate and pubescent, interspaces between punctures on disc slightly larger than 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 sparsely punctate, interspaces between punctures near gular sutures much larger than diameters of punctures. Dorsal side of neck with punctation denser than that on head. Antenna moderately long, segment 3 longer than segment 2 (ratio 1.18), 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 1.1), almost parallelsided, narrow marginal groove disappearing downwards at about anterior third of pronotal length; disc with distinct, complete 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 punctate and setose on entire surface, surface with very fine, rudimentary microsculpture. Elytra short, moderately depressed at base, vaguely dilated posteriad, at suture considerably (ratio 0. 52), at sides distinctly (ratio 0.77) shorter than pronotum at midline; punctation 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 2 (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 rather narrow, moderately deep, obtusely triangular medioapical emargination. Genital segment with sternite 9 elongate, with rudimentary basal portion, apical portion with small, obtusely triangular medioapical emargination ( Fig. 24). Tergite 10 narrowed toward subtruncate apex, with long setae at and near apical margin, otherwise rather sparsely setose ( Fig. 25). Aedoeagus large, shaped as in Figs. 26–30; median lobe elongate, apical portion asymmetrical, with subacute apex; apical portion, when paramere removed, with fine bisinuate formation ( Fig. 28); paramere situated on median lobe slightly asymmetrically, shaped as in Figs. 26, 29, 30, with long carina on face away from median lobe ( Fig. 26), apex about reaching apex of median lobe; sensory peg setae on underside of paramere numerous, forming solid apical field extended posteriad along both lateral margins of apical portion, more so along left margin ( Figs. 29, 30); apical setae numerous, situated as in Fig. 30.

Female. Tergite 10 of genital segment sparsely setose, except at apex, markedly narrowed toward narrowly arcuate apex, apical portion strongly sclerotized ( Fig. 31).

Length 15.0–18.0 mm.

Bionomics. No details are known about the collection circumstances of the specimens of the original series.

Geographical distribution. Ocypus vindex is at present known only from the type locality in central Sichuan .

Recognition and comments. Ocypus vindex may be fairly easily recognized by the characters given in the diagnosis, particularly by the coloration of the body in combination with the characteristic shape of the aedoeagus.

The two different spellings “Rhilong” and “Zhilong” represent the same locality.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the name of Vindex, - dicis, m, the name of C. Iulius Vindex, legatus pro praetore in Gallia Lugdunensis , in apposition.