Paussus (Edaphopaussus) asseyi, Bednařík & Bocak, 2023

Bednařík, Michal & Bocak, Ladislav, 2023, Paussus (Edaphopaussus) asseyi sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Paussinae) from the Nguru Mountains of the Eastern African Arc in Tanzania, Zootaxa 5256 (3), pp. 295-300 : 297-299

Paussus (Edaphopaussus) asseyi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B38DE9B2-22BA-4765-9B07-9C34BE400FBD

( Fig. 2 )

Type material. Holotype. Male. Tanzania, Morogoro reg., Ubiri env., 14 km NNW Turiani, 6.0406°S, 37.5338°E, 3. Dec. 2022, 1000 m, Bolm leg. ; Paratypes: 2 males, same data as the holotype .

Diagnosis. This species cannot be confused with any earlier described Paussus due to the characteristic shape of the antenna, head, and pronotum ( Fig. 2 ). The morphological traits assign the species in subgenus Edaphopaussus Kolbe, 1920 that belongs to the informal taxonomic species group Paussus Series I, as defined by Robertson & Moore (2016).

The colouration of the pronotum and elytra resembles Paussus dichrous Janssens, 1950 from southwestern DR Congo and northern Angola ( Janssens 1950; Serrano & Capela 2015) and some Asian species of the subgenus (e.g., P. cognatus Westwood, 1842 ). The group is defined by the presence of the following characters—the shallow transverse depression of the pronotum ( Fig. 2A–C ), a reduced to narrow furrow; characteristic palpi; absent or very reduced prothoracic trichomes. The new species, P. asseyi , differs in the robust head, small eyes, and clypeus with projected anterior angles. No congeneric species has antennomere 2 with two sharp edges ( Fig. 2C–E ). One edge lies on the dorsal and the other on the ventral side of the antennal club, and they converge at the basal tooth on the lower edge. The head resembles that of P. cephalotes Raffray, 1886 , which is placed in the subgenus Hylotorus Dalman, 1823 .

Description. Male. Body small, 5.7–6.5 mm long, elytra parallel-sided, only slightly widening towards apex, widest in second third of their length. Whole body, head, pronotum, antenna, and legs reddish brown; eyes and parts of elytra black, ventral part of head, prothorax, mesosternum, and metasternum slightly darker than dorsum, apex of elytra light reddish. Most body parts finely punctate ( Fig. 2A ).

Head wider than long, convex with very slight crown bulge; temples broadly rounded. As result, shape of head approximately square, slightly tapering forward; surface of frons, vertex and occiput finely punctured, and very sparsely pubescent. Eyes small, glabrous, bare, close to lateral processes of clypeus. Mouthparts with slender and quite long mandibles, labrum simply rounded, maxillary palpi 5-segmented, labial palpi slender. ( Fig. 2C, F ). Antennae 2-segmented. Antennal club (antennomere 2) elongate, without notch at base, with two sharp outer edges, one on dorsal and other on the ventral side of club, edges converge at basal tooth; antennae bear oblique longer hairs ( Fig. 2C–E ).

Pronotum as wide as long, constricted in middle, anterior margin slightly curved, frontal angles rounded, lateral margins flattened, posterior angles rectangular, basal margin bent. Transverse pronotal slit shallow, reduced to a narrow furrow, prothoracic lateral trichomes reduced. Pronotum densely finely punctate, posteriorly finely wrinkled ( Fig. 2A–C ).

Elytra almost parallel, only very slightly widened in posterior part, humeri well developed, projecting forward, wide, 1.8 times wider than basal part of pronotum, elytral surface convex, lustrous, with sparse fine punctures; pubescence sparse, setae thin, short and upright. Hind wings fully developed.

Legs slender, with blunt spines before end of all tibiae. Femora and tibiae slightly compressed with sparse punctures and simple long bristles; tibiae expanded apically, with small tibial spur. Tarsi with five tarsomeres, their length in a ratio of 1:1:1:1:3.5. Claws simple. Pygidium arched, smooth, and very finely punctate with short fine hairs ( Fig. 2A, B ).

Male genitalia with continuously curved slender phallus and parameres ( Fig. 2G ).

Female unknown.

Measurements. Body length: 5.7–6.5 mm; length of the antennomere 2 (antennal club): 1.12–1.19 mm; maximum width of the antennomere 2: 0.59–0.61 mm; head length: 0.85–0.95 mm; head width: 1.10–1.20 mm; pronotal length: 1.12–1.24 mm; pronotal width: 1.12–1.28 mm; elytral length: 3.7–4.3 mm; width at the widest part of elytra: 2.4–2.7 mm.

The body length of the holotype: 6.1 mm.

Etymology. The specific name is proposed in honor of Dr. Sixtus Assey (Turiani, Tanzania), who supported this research in the Nguru Mountains.

Biology. The three specimens of P. asseyi sp. nov. were collected individually in the lower mountain forest at elevation 830–1,100 m a. s. l. (within a range of approximately two km). The forest was only slightly disturbed by logging, and the low shrub canopy was relatively thick. In the early morning, the males were sitting on wet leaves and were collected by a sweeping net. They were very active, flying briskly in the net. All specimens were incompletely sclerotized, possibly due to the short time since hatching. Despite intensive collecting in the same place, about two weeks later, no additional specimens were found. The host ant remains unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Paussus asseyi sp. nov. A—General appearance, dorsal view, holotype. B—General appearance, lateral view, holotype. C—Head and pronotum, lateral view, holotype. D, E—Antenna, dorsal and lateral views, holotype. F—Head and pronotum in ventral view, paratype. G—Phallus, lateral view, paratype. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.