Afropselaphus assmanni, 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 : 567

Afropselaphus assmanni nov.sp. ( Fig. 31 , Map 1 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype ♁: " N33°02'20'' E35°25'30'' ISRAEL Upper Galilee Yaʼar Barʼam II.2005 leg. Assmann " / Afropselaphus assmanni spec. nov. ♁ det. Brachat 2021 / Holotypus " (cBra) . Paratypes: 1♁, 1♀: same data as holotype (cBra) ; 1♁: " ISRAEL ( North distr. ) Upper Galilee Yaʼar Barʼam, ca. 1.5 km W Jish (Gush Khaiav) ca. 700 m (pine forest) 9. III.2008 D.W. Wrase [4]" ( MNB) .

E t y m o l o g y: This species is dedicated to Thorsten Assmann, Lüneburg, who collected most of the type specimens.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 1.65-1.75 mm. Other measurements (in mm): HL: 0.34-0.36; HW: 0.25-0.26; AL: 0.74-0.76; PL: 0.30-0.31; PW: 0.25-0.26; EL: 0.38; EW: 0.62-0.63; AedL: 0.36-0.38.

Head slightly more than 1.3 times as long as broad. Eyes composed of 6-7 ommatidia. Antennae rather short, antennomeres IV-VIII as long as broad. Pronotum weakly oblong and slightly broader than head, with a median pair of small ante-basal foveae.

♁: metaventrite more distinctly convex than in female; sternite IV with rather deep oval medio-basal impression extending to middle of sternite; aedeagus ( Fig. 31 ) apically with pronounced concave extension; internal sac with distinctly curved spine.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Afropselaphus assmanni is distinguished from the geographically close A. inaequalis and A. aequalis particularly by shorter antennae and an internal structure of the aedeagus of completely different shape.

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: The type material was found near Yaʼar Barʼam in Upper Galilee, North Israel ( Map 1 ). At least one of the paratypes was collected in a pine forest at an altitude of 700 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 29-31: Afropselaphus inaequalis nov.sp. (29), A. aequalis nov.sp. (30), and A. assmanni nov.sp. (31): aedeagus in dorsal view. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.