Geostiba (Tropogastrosipalia) nifica, Assing, 2006

Assing, V., 2006, Thirteen new species and additional records of Eastern Mediterranean Geostiba THOMSON (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 38 (2), pp. 1179-1215 : 1179-1215

Geostiba (Tropogastrosipalia) nifica sp.n. ( Figs 1-12 , Map 3 )

Holotype 3: TR - Izmir [9], 20 km E Izmir, Nif Dağı, 1370-1400 m, Pinus , grass, 38°22'55N, 27°21'30E, 26.XII.2005, V. Assing / Holotypus 3 Geostiba nifica sp.n. det. V. Assing 2005 (cAss). Paratypes: 333, 8♀♀: same data as holotype (cAss) ; 433, 8♀♀: N38°23'30, E027°24'01 (16), Türkei, Izmir, Nif Dagi , 1010 m, 23.4.2006, l. Brachat & Meybohm ( OÖLL, cAss) ; 13, 1♀: TR Prov.: Izmir (16), Umgeb.: Kemalpasa, Nif Dagi , 1010 m, 23.IV.2006, N38°23'30", E027°24'01", leg. Meybohm & Brachat (cAss) ; 5♀♀: N38°24'19, E027°23'31 (17), Türkei, Izmir, Nif Dagi , 970 m, 24.4.2006, l. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 233: TR Prov.: Izmir (17), Umgeb.: Kemalpasa, Nif Dagi , 972 m, 24.IV.2006, N38°24'19", E027°23'32", leg. Meybohm & Brachat (cAss) ; 2♀♀: TR Prov.: Izmir (18), Umgeb.: Kemalpasa, Nif Dagi , 1078 m, 24.IV.2006, N38°24'13", E027°23'05", leg. Meybohm & Brachat (cAss) ; 13, 2♀♀: N38°24'13, E027°23'05 (18), Türkei, Izmir, Nif Dagi , 1080 m, 24.4.2006, l. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 1♀: N38°23'50, E027°23'50 (19), Türkei, Izmir, Nif Dagi , 920 m, 24.4.2006, l. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: Species of moderately large size, 2.7-3.7 mm (abdomen fully extended). Coloration: head dark brown to blackish; pronotum brown to blackish brown; elytra yellowish brown to dark brown; abdomen blackish, often with the apex and segments III-V paler; legs testaceous; antennae brown to dark brown.

Facies as in Fig. 1 . Head and pronotum with shallow microreticulation ( Fig. 2 ). Eyes moderately small ( Fig. 3 ), weakly protruding from lateral outline of head, approximately half the length of postocular region in dorsal view.

Pronotum without sexual dimorphism, in both sexes approximately 1.15 times as wide as head and approximately as long as wide or indistinctly oblong ( Fig. 2 ). Elytra with rather weakly pronounced sexual dimorphism, less than 0.6 times as long as pronotum.

Abdomen rather shining; puncturation relatively dense and coarse on anterior tergites, sparse and fine on posterior tergites; microsculpture composed of transverse striae and transverse meshes, more distinct on tergites VI and VII than on tergites III-V; posterior margin of tergite VII without or with very narrow rudiment of a palisade fringe.

3 (large): elytra with somewhat granulose puncturation especially near posterior angles, a short distance anterior to posterior angles with short fold ( Figs 2, 4 ); abdominal tergites III-V unmodified; process of tergite VII long, acute, and erect ( Figs 5-6 ); sternite VIII as in Fig. 7 ; median lobe of aedeagus with thin cristal process ( Figs 8-9 ); apical lobe of paramere shaped as in other species of the subgenus.

♀: elytra with unmodified fine puncturation, near posterior angles at most with indistinct indication of fold; sternite VIII as in Fig. 10 ; spermatheca as in Figs 11-12.

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Lat., adj.) is derived from the name of the mountain where the species is probably endemic.

I n t r a s p e c i f i c v a r i a t i o n: The male secondary sexual characters are pronounced only in seven of the twelve male type specimens. In the other males, the elytral puncturation is only indistinctly granulose, the elytral folds are weakly elevated, the process of tergite VII is completely absent or nearly so, and the cristal process of the median lobe of the aedeagus is thinner ( Fig. 9 ).

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C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: See comparative notes in section on G. atromonis sp.n. and supplementary key in the section on G. renneri sp.n.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: As can be inferred from the restricted distributions of other species of the subgenus, G. nifica is probably endemic to the Nif Dağı to the east of Izmir ( Map 3 ). The types were sifted from grass roots and litter below scattered old pine trees and from litter in rocky crevices at altitudes of 920-1400 m.

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Figures

Map 3: Distributions of Geostiba nifica (black circles), G. atromontis (white circles), G. aydinica (grey circles), G. anlasi (large black square), G. biformis (small black squares), and G. renneri (white square) in western and southwestern Anatolia.

Figs 1-12: Geostiba nifica sp.n. (1-8: holotype): (1) 3 habitus; (2) 3 forebody; (3) head in lateral view; (4) 3 right elytron in lateral view; (5) 3 abdominal tergites VII-VIII in lateral view; (6) process of 3 tergite VII in antero-dorsal view; (7) 3 sternite VIII; (8) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (9) cristal process of median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view (3 without pronounced secondary sexual characters); (10) ♀ sternite VIII; (11-12) spermatheca. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2- 4: 0.5 mm; 5-7, 10: 0.2 mm; 8-9, 11-12: 0.1 mm.