Neosclerus fortepunctatus CAMERON , 1924

Assing, Volker, 2011, A revision of the genus Neosclerus C (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 6 (1), pp. 89-148 : 94-95

Neosclerus fortepunctatus CAMERON, 1924 ( Figs 1-6)

Neosclerus fortepunctatus CAMERON, 1924: 189 f.; partim.

Lobochilus fortepunctatus: CAMERON (1931: 124) .

Neosclerus fortepunctatus: SMETANASMETANA (2004: 622) .

Type material:

Lectotype : "Kemti Falls, Mussoorie, U. P. / Dr. Cameron, 29.V.21 / Syntype / M. Cameron. Bequest. B.M. 1955-147. / Syntype Neosclerus fortepunctatus Cameron, 1924 , det. R.G. Booth 2010 / Lectotypus  Neosclerus fortepunctatusfortepunctatus Cameron , desig. V. Assing 2010 / Neosclerus fortepunctatus Cameron , det. V. Assing 2010 " ( BMNH). Paralectotypes [see also the type material of Neosclerus dupleseriatus ]]: 1 : same data as holotype ( BMNH); 1 : "Arni Gad. Mussoorie. / Dr. Cameron, 28.V.21 / Syntype / M. Cameron. Bequest. B.M. 1955-147" ( BMNH); 1 : "Arni Gad. Mussoorie. Dr. Cameron. 16.X.21 / Syntype / M. Cameron. Bequest. B.M. 1955- 147" ( BMNH); 1 : "Arni Gad. Mussoorie. Dr. Cameron, 16.X.21 / Blackwelder Collection / Lobochilus fortepunctatus " ( AMNH).

1 For additional paratypes of two newly described species, as well as additional records of two other species see the supplement to this revision ((ASSING, 2011 p. 149-153) in the same issue. New country records reported in the supplement are included in the key and in the catalogue, but not in the species sections.

Comment:

The original description is based on an unspecified number of syntypes from "Mussorie District; Arni Gad, Kemti Falls. Chakrata District; Khedar Khud" ( CAMERON 1924). Five syntypes were located in the collections of the BMNH, one male and three females from Mussoorie District, and one male from Chakrata District. Additional four syntypes, two males and two females, were found in the collections of the AMNH and FMNH. An examination of the male sexual characters revealed

that the type series is composed of two similar and evidently closely related species. In order to define the identity of the N .. fortepunctatus , the male from Kemtie Falls is designated as the lectotype.

Additional material examined:

India: 1  [identification uncertain], Uttarakhand, Kumaun ["Kumaon"; 29°50'N, 79°30'E], leg. Champion ( BMNH); 1  [identification uncertain], Mossy Falls , Mussoorie, stream moss, 20.III.1921, leg. Cameron ( AMNH) .

Redescription:

Body length 3.0- 3.5 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1. Coloration: body blackish-brown to blackish, with the elytra and the abdominal apex indistinctly paler; legs yellowish; antennae yellowish-brown.

Head across eyes 1.15-1.20 times as wide as long; postocular region very short, approximately as long as width of antennomere II; punctation coarse and rather dense; interstices on average narrower than diameter of punctures, without microsculpture and glossy ( Fig. 2); antenna approximately 0.9 mm long.

Pronotum approximately as long as wide or indistinctly oblong, approximately 0.85 times as wide as head; punctation very coarse and dense; midline narrowly impunctate, sometimes only in posterior half; interstices without microsculpture and glossy ( Fig. 2).

Elytra relatively long, approximately 1.03-1.07 times as long and 1.15-1.20 times as wide as pronotum; humeral angles marked; punctation much finer than that of head and pronotum, very dense and often partly ill-defined. Hind wings present.

Abdomen approximately 0.9 times as wide as elytra; punctation fine and sparse; tergites III-V with almost obsolete, tergites VI-VIII usually with more distinct transverse microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

: sternite VII posteriorly with a cluster of moderately dense, long and dark setae; posterior margin very weakly concave in the middle ( Fig. 3); sternite VIII with deep V-shaped posterior excision, its depth approximately 1/5 the length of sternite, otherwise unmodified ( Fig. 4); aedeagus with long, slender, and apically weakly hooked ventral process, with long dorsal plate, and with two long series of moderately sclerotized spines ( Figs 5-6).

Comparative notes:

From other macropterous species with similarly coarse punctation of the forebody, N .. fortepunctatus is reliably distinguished only by the morphology of the aedeagus, from many of them also by the male secondary sexual characters.

Distribution and bionomics:

Confirmed records of this species are known only from Mussoorie district in Uttarakhand, northern India. In view of the similarity to other species, the previous records from other regions such as Nepal ( COIFFAIT 1975, 1982), Darjiling, and Assam ( BISWAS & BISWAS 1995) should be considered highly doubtful. According to CAMERON (1924, 1931), the species was collected from stream moss.