Oedichirus dominicanensis, Herman, 2013

Herman, Lee H., 2013, Revision Of The New World Species Of Oedichirus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Pinophilini: Procirrina), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2013 (375), pp. 1-137 : 73-76

Oedichirus dominicanensis , new species

Figures 39 , 119–122

TYPE MATERIAL: Holotype. Male. ‘‘Rep. Dominicana Prov. Pedernales Sa. de Baoruco N. Cabo Rojo, km 28 10.II.1975 / 1200 m, pine for. on limestone/Coll. W.L. & D.E. Brown/ Holotype Oedichirus dominicanensis Herman. ’’ Deposited in the American Museum of Natural History. (Right antennomeres 7–11, right maxillary palpomere 3 and 4, and the right profemur, protibia, and protarsus are missing. The left profemur, protibia, and protarsus are glued to the card and the thorax and abdomen are separated.)

TYPE LOCALITY: Dominican Republic: Pedernales: Sierra de Baoruco, North of Cabo Rojo, km 28, 1200 m.

DIAGNOSIS: Oedichirus dominicanensis is the only species known from the Dominican Republic and the first record of the genus for the Caribbean. The males can be separated from all other New World species by the large cluster of spinelike setae on sternum VII (fig. 121) and the deep, wide asymmetrical emargination of sternum VIII that is bordered by a diagonal comb (fig. 122). The posterior margin of tergum VIII is broadly emarginate and lacks the median lobe found in O. distortus . The head and pronotum are sparsely and coarsely punctate and the pronotum has a submedial punctate groove that extends on most of the length of the segment. The paratergal carina of segment III is about half as long as the segment.

Oedichirus dominicanensis is one of five species with a subapical comb of spinelike setae on sternum VIII. The others are O. distortus , O. isthmus , O. neotropicus , and O. sinuosus , and along with O. dominicanensis , all have short, slender, thornlike parameres that, beyond their basal attachment, are free of the median lobe and for each a portion of the posterior margin of sternum VIII is membranous. The comb of O. distortus is sinuate (fig. 114), the spinelike setae of O. isthmus are more a cluster than a comb (fig. 163), the comb of O. sinuosus is strongly curved (fig. 203), that of O. neotropicus is short and nearly straight (fig. 184), and the comb is slightly curved in O. dominicanensis (fig. 122). The posterior margin of sternum VIII of O. distortus is broadly emarginate and the right side has a stout process (fig. 115). The posterior margin of sternum VIII of O. isthmus is wide and moderately deep (fig. 163), but that of O. neotropicus is nearly truncate (fig. 184). The emargination of the posterior margin of sternum VIII of O. dominicanensis (fig. 122) and O. sinuosus (fig. 203) is wide and deep; these two species are separated by the form of the comb (figs. 122 and 203) and the aedeagus (cf. figs. 119 and 201). Oedichirus dominicanensis , O. isthmus , and O. sinuosus each have a dense cluster of setae on sternum VII (figs. 121, 165, and 205 respectively).

DESCRIPTION: Length: 8.9 mm. Length of head: 0.9 mm. Width of head: 1.0 mm. Pronotal length: 1.4 mm. Pronotal width: 1.2 mm. Elytral length: 1.1 mm. Elytral width: 1.3 mm.

Body yellowish and reddish brown. Head pale reddish brown, pronotum, elytra, and abdomen yellowish brown; head darker and elytra paler than pronotum and abdomen. Legs bicolored, yellowish brown with darker femorotibial maculation, apex of femora and base of tibiae with faint infusion of reddish brown (Specimen is probably teneral, so the color of a more mature specimen is likely to be darker than described here).

Head about a tenth wider than long (HW/ HL: 1.1). Frontoclypeal ridge incomplete, separated medially. Dorsal surface without V-shaped depression; surface polished with sparse, coarse punctation. Labrum quadridentate; surface without tubercle near submedial denticle.

Pronotum about a fifth longer than wide (PL/PW: 1.2). Pronotum polished and with sparse, coarse punctation laterally and with submedial punctures arranged in groove and extending most of length of pronotum. Elytra with length about a tenth less than width (EW/EL: 1.1); surface feebly convex and coarsely punctate.

Abdominal segments III to VI coarsely punctate; punctures arranged in poorly developed, irregular, subapical and subbasal transverse rows; VII and VIII with less coarse, more uniformly arranged punctures. Segment III without paratergite; paratergal carina about half as long as segment, but moderately to poorly developed beyond spiracle. Tergum III without median point extending from transverse basal ridge. Tergum VIII with posterior margin broadly and shallowly emarginate; emargination extending from one lateroapical angle to other; transverse basal ridge broadly and shallowly curved anteriorly, feebly sinuate, and without median point. Tergum IX with lateroapical process about a tenth shorter than midbasal length (LLaP/L9 5 0.9), slightly bent ventrally, and approximately parallel to other process; ventromedial margin without posteriorly directed spur (cf. fig. 158).

MALE: Sternum VI unmodified. Sternum VII (fig. 121) with large, median, transverse, subapical cluster of short, spinelike setae; posterior margin membranous. Sternum VIII (fig. 122) with wide, deep, asymmetrical emargination of posterior margin; emargination nearly one fifth as long as segment, wider than deep, basal margin broadly rounded, with membranous edge, and most of emargination positioned to left of midsagittal plane; surface with subapical comb of short, stout, spinelike setae near base of emargination (fig. 122); comb extending diagonally from left side medioanteriorly to beyond midsagittal line; comb slightly sinuate; surface with broad, median, moderately deep depression extending from transverse basal ridge to comb; depression with few setae; transverse basal ridge without median point, slightly sinuate, and with middle shallowly curved anteriorly. Tergum IX with small, slender process on anterior margin of anteroventral angle. Sternum IX (fig. 120) weakly sclerotized and moderately asymmetrical; anterior margin diagonal, wide and sinuate; posterior margin broadly rounded; right lateral margin broadly rounded, left margin sinuate.

Aedeagus asymmetrical. Median lobe, in ventral view, with apical half strongly compressed laterally to form lamina and, in lateral view (fig. 119), large, lobate, with ventroapical margin rounded, and with small, ventrally curved, apically acute process on dorsoapical edge; ventral sclerite without apicoventral process extending from posteri- or margin. Parameres short, slender, and free of median lobe except basally.

FEMALE: Unknown.

ETYMOLOGY: The name reflects the geographical origin in the Dominican Republic of the species, the first of the genus known for the Caribbean Islands.

DISTRIBUTION: The species is known only from the Sierra de Baoruco in southwestern Dominican Republic (fig. 39).

REMARKS: The holotype of this species may not be fully pigmented, but it appears to be fully sclerotized. However, the aedeagus is weakly sclerotized and the midventral region at the base of the parameres is damaged. Only one lateral view of the aedeagus is included because the base is damaged. In ventral view the aedeagus is strongly compressed laterally, but it is uncertain if that is the natural state of the aedeagus or the result of damage and/or the possible teneral condition of the specimen. If the specimen is teneral the color is certainly darker in mature specimens than stated in the preceding description; it is difficult to know if the femorotibial joints are actually darker than the remainder of the leg.

The species is new and despite the poorly sclerotized aedeagus and possibly incomplete pigmentation of the body, it is described because few species are known from the New World and this is the only one collected in the Caribbean. Given that one species has been found in the Caribbean, certainly others exist on Hispaniola, probably Cuba, and perhaps on other Caribbean islands. By describing one, collectors might be prompted to hunt for others.

Figures

Figs. 39–40. Oedichirus species. Distribution. 39. Mesoamerica and the Caribbean. 40. South America. (Species described prior to present work preceded with *. Symbols ³ or ♀ signify species known only by the sex indicated. Open circle denotes multiple collecting sites.)

Figs. 119–122. Oedichirus dominicanensis. 119. Aedeagus, left lateral. 120. Sternum IX, male. 121. Sternum VII, apical region, male. 122. Sternum VIII, male.