Ochthephilus merkli, Makranczy, 2014

Makranczy, György, 2014, Revision of the genus Ochthephilus Mulsant & Rey, 1856 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Oxytelinae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 121 (4), pp. 457-694 : 622-626

Ochthephilus merkli sp. nov. Figs 21 483-485, 561, 564

TYPE MATERIAL: HOLOTYPE (3): “ CHINA: SICHUAN: Ya'an Prefecture , Tianquan Co., E Erlang Shan pass, 29°52.36'N, 102°17.82'E, 2900m, 20.VI.1999, leg. A. Pütz ” ( SDEI) . – PARATYPES (10): same data as holotype (coll. Pütz, 1, MHNG, 13, 1♀, HNHM, 1♀). – “ Ya'an Prefecture , Tianquan Co., E Erlang Shan pass, 9km SE Luding, 29°52'N, 102°18'E, 2900m, 20.VI.1999, leg. M. Schülke, Bachufer, Moos + Schotter” (coll. Schülke, 3, 1♀, NHMW 1♀, HNHM 13 ) .

DESCRIPTION: Forebody as in Fig. 561. Measurements (n=10): HW = 0.58 (0.56-0.60); TW = 0.53 (0.50-0.55); PW = 0.63 (0.62-0.69); SW = 0.86 (0.80-0.91);

FIGS 437-446

(437-439) Ochthephilusvulgaris (Watanabe & Shibata); aedeagus (437), femaleringstructures (438-439). (440-442) O. wrasei sp. n.; aedeagus (440), femaleringstructures (441-442). (443-446) O. uhligi sp. n.; aedeagus (443), spermatheca (444), femaleringstructures (445-446). Scale bar = 0.055 mm for 438-439, 444, 0.09 mm for 431, 441-442, 0.1 mm for 440, 443, 445-446.

AW = 0.89 (0.80-1.02); HL = 0.46 (0.43-0.48); EL = 0.21 (0.20-0.22); TL = 0.09 (0.08- 0.10); PL = 0.52 (0.50-0.54); SL = 1.03 (0.98-1.08); SC = 0.93 (0.90-1.00); FB = 2.07 (1.97-2.18); BL = 3.72 (3.60-3.93) mm. Head, pronotum and abdomen dark brown, head darkest, blackish. Elytra reddish medium brown, scutellar area to shoulders darker, blackish. Antenna dark brown, first antennomeres sometimes lighter. Mouthparts and legs medium to dark brown, slightly reddish. Body with greasy lustre due to rather fine and shallow punctation on head and pronotum, but distinct coriaceous microsculpture on interspaces everywhere; elytral punctation fine, shallow but rather dense. Pubescence on elytra very dense, strong and very regularly spaced, in contrast with somewhat less conspicuous setation of head and pronotum: with rather fine and dense setae. Abdominal tergites with setae finer than elytral ones but much longer, especially at apices of tergites and adjacent to laterosternites. Head anteriad eyes and near inner posterior margin of eye with stronger and much longer bristles, as well as pronotal margin; at middle of tibiae with darker bristles. Elytral apex without conspicuous setae. Last tarsomere with a few setae only.

Forebody. Antenna as in Fig. 564. Clypeus gently punctate (colliculate microsculptured), trapezoid, corners rounded, anterior edge gently arched; separated by impressed transversal line (frontoclypeal suture) across a shinier area. Supraantennal prominences well developed, feebly separated from clypeus/vertex by impressions. Vertex with oblique impressions in middle almost joining in V-shape. Temples slightly bulging, evenly curved, length usually around half of eye length. Neck separated by an impressed transversal groove, microsculpture much stronger than on head, with transverse cells, no setation. Pronotum with a narrow marginal bead, getting inconspicuous anteriorly with pronotal corners strongly curved in ventral direction. Posterior pronotal angles well-formed, just slightly obtuse-angled, sides in posterior 1/3 moderately concave. 'Anchor' fully formed, longitudinal midline as a slightly elevated, impunctate, weakly microsculptured line, parallel to this line two gentle, semi-longitudinal elongate elevations in anterior half of disc. In corners of anchor feeble, oblique impressions directed outwards, in middle at sides of midline two smaller impressions. Elytra slightly broadening posteriorly, sutural corners narrowly rounded; apical sides slightly oblique and in inner halves more or less straight. Elytral surface rather even with two shallow, very elongate impressions behind scutellum. Head with fine coriaceous/colliculate microsculpture, fading on elevated parts, 0stronger in impressions, on pronotum microsculpture slightly stronger and more even. Punctation on head dense, especially on posterior part and sides, on pronotum more evenly spaced, average interspaces much larger than puncture diameters; elytral punctation more even and regularly spaced, average interspaces (with indistinct coriaceous microsculpture) about as puncture diameters, punctures discrete.

Abdomen. Compared to forebody, abdomen with much more sparse, finer, less distinct punctation, microsculpture on tergal apices fine coriaceous with moderately transverse cells. Tergite VII posterior margin with palisade fringe broadened in middle with more coarse spiniform processes. Tergite VIII basal edge evenly arched, without concavity in middle of basal sclerotized band; apical edge with sinuate (protruding) corners, and broad, moderately deep emargination in between. Sternite VIII with rounded apical corners, apex in males shallowly concave laterally, gently sinuate in

FIGS 447-451

Ochthephilus basicornis (Cameron) ; head and pronotum (447), side of head (448), antenna (449), elytra and base of abdomen (450), left side of tergite VII (451). All SEM, dorsal views. Scale bar = 0.25 mm for 448, 0.3 mm for 451, 0.5 mm for 447, 0.6 mm for 450, 0.8 mm for 449. middle; in females slightly more sinuate (convex) in middle. Tergite X unmodified, apex very slightly wider in males than in females. Aedeagus as in Fig. 483. Female ringstructures as in Figs 484-485.

ETYMOLOGY: Named after Dr. Ottó Merkl, head curator of Coleoptera in HNHM, Budapest; the prototype of the "curator", unclouded by the vastness of the task before him, with an always alert eye watchful of what happens in the collection.

COMPARATIVE NOTES: This species is easiest to distinguish by its contrastingly light coloured (reddish) elytra from the other taxon with similar parameral shape, O. kleebergi (details in the key). Similarly sized and coloured species were encountered from China, but not described because of insufficient material (single females).

DISTRIBUTION: Currently only known from the Chinese province of Sichuan .

BIONOMICS: Specimens were collected at streambank, from moss and gravel.