Afropselaphus cilicicus, Brachat & Assing, 2021

Brachat, Volker & Assing, Volker, 2021, The Afropselaphus fauna of South Turkey and the Middle East (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 53 (2), pp. 545-568 : 559-560

Afropselaphus cilicicus nov.sp. ( Fig. 16 , Map 1 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype ♁: "TR - Mersin, ca. 30 km NNW Tarsus , 430 m, No.7 37°08´43N, 34°44´29E, Pinus, Q. ilex, Juglans 26.12.2000, V.Assing / Afropselaphus cilicicus spec. nov. ♁ det. Brachat 2021 / Holotypus " (cBra) . Paratypes: 1♁: same data as holotype (cBra) ; 2♀♀: "TR - Mersin NNW Tarsus Str. Çamalan/Çamlɪyayla 430 m; 5.V.2002 N37°8'42'' E34°44'29'' leg. Meybohm /Brachat" (cBra) .

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is an adjective derived from Cilicia, the ancient name of the region where the species was discovered.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 1.85-1.90 mm. Other measurements (in mm): HL: 0.38-0.40; HW: 0.26; AL: 0.94-96; PpL: 0.40-0.44 mm; PL: 0.31-0.32; PW: 0.30; EL: 0.40; EW: 0.68; AedL: 0.38.

Head approximately 1.5 times as long as broad. Eyes composed of 4-6 ommatidia. Antennae slender; all antennomeres distinctly oblong. Apical club of maxillary palpomere IV half as long as total length of palpomere IV. Pronotum broader than head, with medially weakly pronounced ante-basal sulcus, without median ante-basal fovea.

♁: metaventrite more distinctly convex than in female; sternite IV with distinct medio-basal impression extending beyond middle of sternite; aedeagus ( Fig. 16 ) apically curved ventrad; dorsal phragma large, approximately 3/5 as long as total length of aedeagus; internal sac with basally broad and apically acute spine.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: The shape of the internal spine of the aedeagus is most similar to that of A. clavigeroides , from which A. cilicicus differs by more slender antennae with more distinctly oblong antennomeres and a broader aedeagus with a large dorsal phragma.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: Thisspecieswascollectedin a locality to the north-northwest of Tarsus, Mersin province, South Turkey ( Map 1 ). The specimens were sifted from litter in a mixed forest at an altitude of 430 m.

Figures

Map 1: Distribution of Afropselaphus muglanus (black triangle), A. pisidicus (white triangle), A. tenuispinosus (grey triangles), A. wolfi (black stars), A. frederici (white star), A. cilicicus (grey star), A. longispinosus (white circles), A. spoliatus (black circles), A. bispinosus (grey circles), A. clavigeroides (black diamonds), A. assmanni (white diamond), A. aequalis (black square), and A. meybohmi (white square).

Figs 9-16: Afropselaphus pisidicus nov.sp. (9), A. wolfi nov.sp. (10), A. sinuatus nov.sp. (11-12), A. tenuispinosus nov.sp. (13), A. frederici nov.sp. (14-15), and A. cilicicus nov.sp. (16): (9-11, 13-14, 16) aedeagus in dorsal view; (12) aedeagus in ventral view; (15) internal structures of aedeagus. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.