Paraleptusa ripicola, Assing, 2007

Assing, V., 2007, Four new species and additional records of Staphylinidae from Spain (Insecta: Coleoptera), Linzer biologische Beiträge 39 (2), pp. 761-775 : 765-767

Paraleptusa ripicola nov.sp. ( Figs 11-23 , Map 1 )

H o l o t y p e: E - Castilla-La Mancha, Sierra de Segura , 4 km W Nerpio, 1150 m, 38°08'29N, 02°22'15E, 17.XII.2005, C. Andújar / Holotypus Paraleptusa ripicola sp.n. det. V. Assing 2007 (cAss). P a r a t y p e s: 13, 13: same data as holotype ( MNCN, OÖLL, cAnd, cAss) ; 3: same data, but 30.III.2007, leg. Andújar & Assing (cAss) ; 2: E - Castilla-La Mancha [16], Sierra de Segura , 20 km WSW Nerpio, 1490 m, 38°04'02N, 02°30'14W, 30.III.2007, C. Andújar & Assing (cAss) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: 2.0- 2.4 mm (abdomen extended); habitus as in Fig. 11 . Coloration: whole body uniformly yellowish.

Head approximately 1.1 times as wide as long; puncturation extremely fine, barely noticeable; surface with fine, but distinct microreticulation ( Fig. 12 ). Eyes strongly reduced, without ommatidia and pigmentation, rudiments much smaller than antennomere II in cross-section. Antennae distinctly incrassate apically and with strongly transverse preapical antennomeres ( Fig. 13 ).

Pronotum small in relation to head, 1.00-1.05 times as wide as head and 1.00-1.05 times as wide as long; puncturation and microsculpture similar to those of head ( Fig. 12 ).

Elytra only about 1.05 times as wide and at suture approximately 0.75 times as long as pronotum ( Fig. 12 ); puncturation sparse and weakly granulose; microreticulation more pronounced than that of head and pronotum. Hind wings completely reduced.

Abdomen subparallel, approximately as wide as elytra; all tergal surfaces with distinct microreticulation; puncturation sparse and fine, barely noticeable; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe; tergite VIII without appreciable sexual dimorphism ( Figs 14, 19 ).

: posterior margin of sternite VIII obtusely pointed and with dense long thin marginal setae in the middle ( Fig. 15 ); median lobe of aedeagus as in Figs 16-18 .

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: posterior margin of sternite VIII convex and with row of rather sparse marginal setae

( Fig. 20 ); spermatheca as in Figs 21-22 .

Molecular data: 3’-rrnL-tRNALeu-ND1: accession number (Genbank): EF989014 ; 3’- cox1: accession number (Genbank): EF989015 .

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Twospeciesof Paraleptusa PEYERIMHOFF 1901 were previously known from the Iberian Peninsula, both of them occurring in southeastern Spain: P. anophthalma ( EPPELSHEIM 1884) from the Sierra de Espuña and the geographically close P. spectans ASSING 2003 from the Sierra de Segura ( Map 1 ). From the latter, whose type locality is situated only some 15 km from one of the localities where

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P. ripicola was found, the new species is separated by smaller eye rudiments (in P. spectans composed of few ommatidia and approximately as large as antennomere II in cross-section), smaller and more slender pronotum (in P. spectans approximately 1.1 times as wide as long and 1.1 times as wide as head), more slender elytra with distinctly sparser puncturation and more pronounced microsculpture, and by the morphology of the primary sexual characters. For illustrations of the external morphology and the sexual characters of P. spectans see ASSING (2003). Paraleptusa ripicola is highly similar to P. anophthalma (types examined) in general appearance, body size, size of the eye rudiments, and other external and female secondary sexual characters, but distinguished by slightly more oblong head, the distinctly longer ventral process of the aedeagus, and a longer duct of the spermatheca.

E t y m o l o g y: The name (noun in apposition) refers to the fact that all the type specimens were collected on or near banks of streams.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: Paraleptusa ripicola was discovered in two localities in the Sierra de Segura ( Map 1 ), southeastern Spain, where it is probably endemic, as can be inferred from the restricted distributions of other Paraleptusa species. The type specimens were collected by washing soil on or near the banks of streams at altitudes of 1150 and 1490 m. The type locality is illustrated in Fig. 23 .

Figures

Map 1: Distribution of Paraleptusa species in the Iberian Peninsula: P. ripicola (filled circles), P. spectans (open circle), P. anophthalma (square).

Figs 11-22: Paraleptusa ripicola nov.sp.: (11) habitus; (12) forebody; (13) antenna; (14) male tergite VIII; (15) male sternite VIII; (16-17) aedeagus in lateral view; (18) ventral process of aedeagus in ventral view; (19) female tergite VIII; (20) female sternite VIII; (21-22) spermatheca. Scale bars: 11: 1.0 mm; 12-15, 19-20: 0.2 mm; 16-18, 21-22: 0.1 mm.

Fig. 23: Type locality of Paraleptusa ripicola nov.sp. The arrows indicate the places where the samples were taken.