Pronomaea maxima, Assing, 2014

Assing, V., 2014, A revision of Pronomaea ERICHSON. II. A new species from China and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 46 (2), pp. 1211-1216 : 1213-1215

Pronomaea maxima nov.sp. ( Figs 1-8 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: " CHINA [20a] - Yunnan, mt. W Gejiu, mixed forest, 23°24'13''N, 103°07'28''E, 1990 m, 24.VIII.2014, V. Assing / Holotypus Pronomaea maxima sp.n. det. V. Assing 2014" (cAss). Paratypes: 4, 6: same data as holotype (cAss).

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is the superlative of the Latin adjective magnus (large) and alludes to the conspicuous size of the species.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 4.4-5.5 mm; length of forebody 2.1-2.5 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: body black; legs reddish; antennae blackish-brown.

Head ( Fig. 2 ) with dense, fine, and defined punctation; interstices narrower than diameter of punctures, without microsculpture. Eyes large, but weakly convex, distinctly longer than postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna 1.5-1.8 mm long, shaped as in Fig. 3 .

Pronotum ( Fig. 2 ) transverse, 1.35-1.40 times as broad as long and approximately 1.5 times as broad as head; posterior angles marked; with four deep puncture-like impressions at posterior margin, the median one connected by a more or less pronounced transverse furrow; punctation dense, finer and shallower than that of head; pubescence long, dark, and suberect.

Elytra approximately 0.9 times as long as, and distinctly broader than pronotum; posterior margin distinctly sinuate near postero-lateral angles; punctation very dense, less fine than that of head and pronotum; pubescence dense, long, and suberect. Hind wings present. Metatarsomere I nearly as long as the combined length of II-IV.

Abdomen ( Fig. 4 ) with pronounced anterior impressions of tergites III-V, these impressions with median keel and with very coarse and dense punctation; remainder of tergal surfaces with fine and rather dense punctation; interstices without microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe; posterior margin of tergite VIII broadly convex.

: sternite VIII with strongly convex posterior margin; median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 5- 6 ) approximately 0.75 mm long, symmetric and apically acute in ventral view; ventral process with pronounced median carina ventrally.

: sternite VIII with weakly convex posterior margin; spermatheca as in Fig. 7.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: The new species is distinguished from all other Pronomaea species known from the Palaearctic region not only by its primary sexual characters, but also by its conspicuously large size and robust body. Based on the morphology of the aedeagus and the similar external characters, it is most closely allied to P. taiwanensis , whose genitalia are illustrated in PACE (2007).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: Thetypelocality( Fig.8 )issituatedin a mountain to the west of Gejiu, southern Yunnan. The specimens were sifted from moist leaf litter in a mixed forest with dense undergrowth at an altitude of nearly 2000 m. Remarkably, all the specimens were in only one of a total of about 25 samples of sifted material, suggesting that they are confined to a special habitat.

Figures

Figs 1-7: Pronomaea maxima nov.sp.: (1) habitus; (2) head and pronotum; (3) antenna; (4) abdomen; (5) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (6) median lobe of aedeagus in ventral view; (7) spermatheca. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2-4: 0.5 mm; 5-7: 0.2 mm.

Fig. 8: Type locality of Pronomaea maxima nov.sp. (photo: Michael Schülke)