Megalogastria alata, Assing, 2007

Assing, Volker, 2007, On the Aleocharini of Turkey, with notes on some species from adjacent regions (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 57 (1), pp. 177-209 : 179-181

Megalogastria alata sp. n. ( Figs 1-14 )

Type material:

Holotype ♂: Bitlis, 20 km See Bitlis, Dogruyol , 1400 mH, Bachlauf, mit Bäumen 80 %, Leg. Schulz, 15.06.93, Türkei / Holotypus ♂ Megalogastria alata sp. n. det. V. Assing 2006 (cAss). Paratypes: 2 ♂ ♂: same data as holotype (cAss) ; 1 ♂: Paladöken Dag, 2300 m, Erzurum / 21.6.73, leg. F. Schubert ( NMW) .

Description:

Measurements (in mm) and ratios (range; n=3): AL: 0.98-1.10; HL: 0.51-0.53; HW: 0.53- 0.54; PW: 0.85-0.92; PL: 0.59-0.62; EL: 0.48-0.56; EW: 1.07-1.16; AW: 1.00-1.06; TiL: 0.69-0.74; TaL: 0.57-0.63; ML: 0.63-0.68; TL: 4.2-4.9; HL/HW: 0.94-0.97; PW/HW: 1.58- 1.69; PW/PL: 1.43-1.49; EL/PL: 0.80-0.90; EW/PW: 1.26-1.32; AW/EW: 0.91-0.93; TiL/ TaL: 1.17-1.21.

Coloration distinctive: head black; pronotum bright reddish to castaneous; elytra reddish yellow; abdomen black, with reddish apex (posterior half of segment VIII and following segments); legs and antennae yellowish brown, with antennomeres I-III yellowish; apex of antennomere XI whitish; maxillary palpi yellowish.

Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Head of suborbicular shape, approximately as wide as long (see ratio HL/ HW), posterior angles absent ( Fig. 2 ); postgenal carinae distinct; puncturation very fine and moderately sparse; pubescence moderately long, pale, and suberect; interstices without microsculpture. Eyes large ( Fig. 3 ), much longer than postocular region in dorsal view. Antennae short and fine in relation to body ( Fig. 1 ); antennomeres I-III of subequal length; IV subquadrate to weakly transverse; V-X moderately transverse, less than 1.5 times as wide as long, and weakly increasing in width; XI oblong, with membranous apex ( Fig. 4 ). Maxillary palpus stout, apical palpomere of conical shape and with weakly constricted pseudosegment ( Fig. 6 ); labium with short and stout, 3-jointed labial palpus without apical pseudosegment; ligula short, bifid, and with pair of apical setae ( Fig. 5 ).

Pronotum strongly transverse and large in relation to head (see ratios PW/PL and PW/HW); maximal width a short distance behind middle; posterior angles weakly marked, almost completely rounded ( Fig. 2 ); pronotal hypomera not visible in lateral view; puncturation similar to that of head; pubescence directed caudad along midline and predominantly diagonally latero-caudad in lateral areas; microsculpture absent.

Elytra approximately 1.3 times as wide as and at suture somewhat shorter than pronotum (see ratios EW/PW and EL/PL), slightly widened posteriorly; posterior margin weakly sinuate near posterior angles; puncturation coarse and well-defined, more distinct than that of head and pronotum; microsculpture absent ( Fig. 2 ). Hind wings fully developed. Legs slender; metatarsus almost as long as metatibia (see ratio TiL/TaL); metatarsomere I conspicuously long, approximately as long as the combined length of II-IV or even longer.

Abdomen widest at segments III-IV, gradually tapering caudad; tergites III-V without distinct anterior impressions, only with anterior ridge; tergites III-VI and anterior 1/3 of tergite VII with conspicuously coarse and rather dense puncturation; posterior 2/3 of tergite VII with finer and sparse puncturation; microsculpture absent; posterior margin of tergite VII with distinct palisade fringe ( Fig. 7 ).

♂: posterior margin of tergite VIII concave in the middle ( Fig. 8 ); sternite VIII posteriorly point- ed ( Fig. 9 ); median lobe of aedeagus shaped as in Figs 10-13 ; paramere as in Fig. 14 .

♀: unknown.

Etymology: The name (Lat., adj.) alludes to the fact that, in contrast to M. cingulata (EPPELSHEIM) , the hind wings are fully developed.

Comparative notes:

The morphologically remarkable genus Megalogastria , whose phylogenetic affiliations are still somewhat uncertain, previously included only the type species M. cingulata from western and northwestern Turkey ((ASSING, 2007). From this species, M. alata is distinguished by numerous characters, i. e. the distinctly larger size, the larger eyes, the more slender antennae (antennomeres VI-X in M. cingulatacingulata more than 1.5 times as wide as long), the stouter maxillary palpus with a less slender apical palpomere, the larger and more transverse pronotum, the longer and larger elytra, the fully developed hind wings, the much longer and more slender tarsi, the denser and coarser puncturation of the abdomen, the dark coloration of the anterior abdominal segments (in M. cingulata reddish), the posteriorly concave male tergite VIII (in M. cingulatacingulata convex), as well as by the morphology of the median lobe of the aedeagus. For illustrations of M. cingulata see figures 125-135 in ASSING (2007).

Distribution and bionomics:

The species was found in two localities in Bitlis (20 km ESE Bitlis) and Erzurum provinces, eastern Anatolia, at altitudes of 1400 and 2300 m. The specimens from Bitlis were collected near a stream, possibly associated with ants .

Figures

Figs 1-14: Megalogastria alata: habitus (1); forebody (2); head in lateral view (3); antenna (4); labium (5); maxillary palpus (6); abdomen (7); male tergite VIII (8); male sternite VIII (9); median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (10-11); apical part of median lobe in lateral view (12-13); paramere (14). Scale bars: 1-2, 7: 1.0 mm; 3, 8-9: 0.5 mm; 4, 10-14: 0.2 mm; 5-6: 0.1 mm.