Geostiba (Tropogastrosipalia) ahirensis, B & Anlaş, 2020

B, Semih Örgel & Anlaş, Sinan, 2020, Description of three new species of Geostiba Thomson, 1858 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae) from central western Anatolia, Turkish Journal of Zoology 44 (2), pp. 156-164 : 157-158

Geostiba (Tropogastrosipalia) ahirensis sp. nov. ( Figures 1 and 2A–2K )

Type material. Holotype: TURKEY: ♂, “TR— Afyonkarahisar province, Hocalar district, 5 km NE Uluköy village, Ahır Mountains, Büyükkavşak Hill , 1810 m, 38°43′08″N, 30°03′48″E, 02.V.2015, leg. Anlaş, Yağmur & Örgel / Holotypus ♂ Geostiba (Tropogastrosipalia) ahirensis sp. n. det. S. Örgel & S. Anlaş 2019” ( AZMM) . Paratypes (total: 17 exs.): TURKEY: 2♂♂, 6♀♀, same locality and date as holotype; 1♂, 3♀♀, Afyonkarahisar province, Ahır Mountains, Büyükhacet Hill , 1908 m, 38°40′32″N, 30°06′15″E, 02. V .2015, leg. Anlaş, Yağmur & Örgel; 3♂♂, 2♀♀, Afyonkarahisar province, Ahır Mountains, Büyükhacet Hiil , 1908 m, 38°39′52″N, 30°07′17″E, 02. V .2015, leg. Anlaş, Yağmur & Örgel (all AZMM).

Etymology. The name “ahirensis ” comes from the Ahır Mountains.

Description. Habitus as in Figures 2A (male), 2B (female), and 2C (male). Body 2.2–3.0 mm.

Coloration. Head blackish brown; pronotum and elytra brown; abdominal segments I–V and VII–IX blackish brown, V–VII black; legs yellowish brown; antennae reddish brown.

Head. Widest at eye level; 0.95 times as wide as long; microreticulation shallow; eyes reduced, half as long as postocular region in lateral view ( Figure 2D ), moderately convex in dorsal view. Antennomere I 1.18 times longer than II, IV–X transverse, XI dilated, and 1.26 times longer than IX and X combined.

Pronotum. Weakly oblong; 1.10 times as long as wide; widest in middle; 1.22 times as wide as head; overlap scutellum; posterior margin weakly convex in the middle; microreticulation fine.

Elytra. 0.58 times as long as and 1.15 times as wide as pronotum; lateral margins and near the middle distinctly elevated; sutural carinae high, elevated and extending about half length of elytral suture ( Figure 2E ); microreticulation less distinct than pronotum; punctation granulose; hind wings absent.

Abdomen. 0.95 times as wide as elytra; tergites III, IV, and VII modified ( Figure 2F ); tergites III with high elevated median tubercle, extending 2/3 length of tergite; tergite IV with low elevated median tubercle, extending length of tergite; process of tergite VII short and stout in lateral view; apically convex and acute in dorsal view ( Figure 2G ); posterior margin of sternite VIII convex, without modified setae ( Figure 2H ).

Aedeagus. Median lobe 0.25 mm long ( Figures 2I and 2J ), cristal process strong, apically acute and parallel to ventral process in lateral view.

Sexual dimorphism: Pronotum with weak sexual dimorphism, female pronotum shorter than male pronotum but both of them have convex posterior margins. In female elytra the sutural carinae are absent and lateral margins more weakly elevated than in male elytra. Female abdominal tergites III, IV, and VII unmodified; sternite VIII with very weakly modified setae. Distal portion of spermatheca weakly dilated ( Figure 2K ).

Differential diagnosis: G. ahirensis sp. nov. is similar to G. perfodens Assing, 2011 , but distinguished mainly by its different shape of the median lobe of the aedeagus and sutural carina on the elytra. In G. perfodens , sutural carinae are very short and indistinct on the elytra and the median lobe of the aedeagus has a conspicuously broad and dagger-shaped cristal process. In G. ahirensis sp. nov., sutural carinae is noticeably extended in elytra and the median lobe of aedeagus has a narrower cristal process. G. perfodens is described from the Sultan Mountains in Isparta. The mountains are to the southeast of the Ahır Mountains from which where G. ahirensis was described. These two mountain systems are separated from each other by the Afyon and Şuhut plains, and the species of the subgenus Tropogastrosipalia in Anatolia are restricted to mountains. Thus, G. ahirensis sp. nov. and G. perfodens are different species and they are probably each endemic to one of these two mountains. In addition, G. ahirensis sp. nov. is distinguished from G. burdurica Assing, 2011 and G. akiana Assing, 2011 by the presence of a median tubercle on abdominal tergites III and IV and strong cristal process in aedeagus. The median tubercle is on tergites II and III in G. burdurica and G. akiana . Also, cristal process of aedeagus in G. burdurica and G. akiana are projecting away from ventral process in lateral view and narrower than in G. ahirensis sp. nov. ( Table 1.).

Bionomics: Material was collected under stones in meadows at elevations of 1810 and 1908 m.

Figures

Figure 1. Distributions ofG. ahirensis sp. nov. (open circle);G.sandiklica sp. nov. (open square);G.karakusensis sp. nov. (open triangle); G. fodens Assing, 2011 (filled triangle); G. perfodens Assing, 2011 (filled circle); G. burdurica Assing, 2011 (filled square); and G. akiana Assing, 2011 (filled star).

Figure 2. Details of Geostiba ahirensis sp. nov. A) Male forebody; B) female forebody; C) male abdomen in dorsal view; D) head in lateral view; E) male elytra in lateral view; F) male abdomen in lateral view; G) male abdominal tergite VII in dorsal view; H) male abdominal sternite VIII in dorsal view; I) aedeagus in lateral view; J) aedeagus in ventral view; K) spermatheca. Scale bars: 0.5 mm for A–C, F and 0.1 mm for Figures D, E, G–K.