Drepanomastax splendida Ashe, 2005

Ashe, James S., 2005, Three new genera and four new species of aleocharine staphylinids with unusually long mandibles from Australia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Homalotini), Zootaxa 1002 (1), pp. 21-44 : 29-30

Drepanomastax splendida Ashe , new species

( Figs. 3 , 25–34 )

Type material. Holotype: male, with labels as follows: “ACT, Mt. Ainslie , W. Face, 760 m, 27 Nov 1969, C. G. Brooks, Dry Sclerophyll”, “ HOLOTYPE: Drepanomastax splendida Ashe , design. J.S. Ashe, 2001” ( ANIC).

Paratypes: 1, same data as holotype except, 800 m, 25­XI­1969 ( ANIC) (dissected, on microscope slide) .

Description. Length 3.2–3.4 mm. Body ( Fig. 3 ) reddish brown, abdomen darker brown, apical edges of abdominal sterna slightly lighter and apical half of segment VII and segments VII–X reddish brown; legs and antennae reddish brown. Head at base narrower than apex of elytra, but head across eyes subequal to width of apex of elytra; pronotum at base distinctly narrower than elytra at base. Antenna ( Fig. 31 ) long, all articles elongate, article 4 about 2.3 times as long as greatest width, article 5 about 1.7 times as long as greatest width, article 10 about 1.1 times as long as greatest width, article 11 subequal in length to articles 9 and 10 combined. Head and prothorax with very fine and widely dispersed, short, yellowish microsetae, punctures extremely minute, not visible with dissecting optics at 50 X magnification; surfaces without microsculpture, very glossy. Pronotum transverse, 1.4 times as wide as long. Elytra with moderate sized punctures, average distance between punctures subequal to width of punctures; surface without microsculpture, very glossy. Abdominal terga and sterna with widely dispersed microsetae in apical half, basally without microsetae on segments II–V; surface without microsculpture, very glossy. Abdominal terga III–IV with deep transverse depression, V with moderate and VI with shallow transverse depressions; depressions with large, irregular punctures, without microsetae. Hind tarsus with article 1 about 1.3 times length of articles 2 and 3 together; articles 2 and 3 subequal in length; article 4 very slightly shorter than article 3; article 5 about 0.8 times length of article 1.

Secondary sexual characteristics: Males with basal half of abdominal tergum VII with numerous, densely arranged micropores. Females not known.

Spermatheca: Not known.

Aedeagus: Paramere as in Fig. 33 ; median lobe as in Fig. 34 .

Distribution. Only known from the Mt. Ainslie region of the Australian Capitol Territory.

Natural history and habits. Not known.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Drepanomastax splendida Ashe, habitus dorsal, length, 3.2 mm.

FIGURES 25–29. Drepanomastax splendida Ashe. 25, labrum, dorsal aspect. 26, epipharynx. 27, right and left mandibles respectively, ventral aspect. 28, left maxilla, ventral aspect. 29, labium, ventral aspect. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 30–34. Drepanomastax splendida Ashe. 30, mentum. 31, antenna. 32, meso­ and metasternum. 33, aedeagus, paramere. 34, aedaegus, median lobe. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.