Ochthephilus enigmaticus, 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 : 562-564

Ochthephilus enigmaticus sp. nov. Figs 326-327, 348, 353, 365-368, 382, 393

TYPE MATERIAL: HOLOTYPE (3): “ CHINA: S-Shaanxi, Qinling Shan , river bank above Houzhenzi, 115km WSW Xi'an, 1450m, 33°50' N, 107°47' E, 5.VII.2001, leg. M. Schülke (C01-06), gravel bank (floating), mixed deciduous forest, moss, mushrooms (sifted)” ( ZMHB). – PARATYPES (2): same data as holotype (coll. Schülke, 1♀, MHNG, 1♀) .

DESCRIPTION: Measurements (n=3): HW = 0.51 (0.50-0.53); TW = 0.45 (0.44- 0.47); PW = 0.57 (0.55-0.60); SW = 0.68 (0.66-0.71); AW = 0.74 (0.72-0.76); HL = 0.375 (0.365-0.39); EL = 0.18 (0.17-0.19); TL = 0.06 (0.05-0.06); PL = 0.44 (0.43- 0.46); SL = 0.86 (0.82-0.90); SC = 0.82 (0.78-0.85); FB = 1.71 (1.64-1.79); BL = 3.21 (3.04-3.42) mm. Body blackish dark brown to pitch black, only elytra slightly lighter, dark brown. Legs, mouthparts and antennae dark brown, latter often blackish. Body with greasy lustre mostly due to elytral setation plus forebody punctation and microsculpture. Pubescence rather fine and moderately dense, shorter and stronger (regularly spaced) on elytra, abdominal tergites with finer and longer setae, especially adjacent to laterosternites. Head anteriad eyes and near inner posterior margin of eye with stronger and darker bristles, as well as pronotal margin and middle of tibiae. Elytral apex with a few slightly longer setae near sutural corners. Last tarsomere with a few setae only.

Forebody. Antenna as in Fig. 382, antennomere 6 (Fig. 353) shorter and less wide than neighbours (articles 5 and 7). Clypeus (Fig. 326) sparsely 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 (Fig. 348) bulging, evenly curved, little shorter than 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, visible to anterior pronotal corners. Posterior pronotal angles well-formed, just slightly FIGS 304-308

(304-306) TergitesX; Ochthephilusszeli sp. n., ♀ (304), O. qingyianus sp. n., 3 (305), same, ♀ (306). (307-308) TergitesVIII; O. forticornis (Hochhuth) (307), O. strandi (Scheerpeltz) (308). Scale bar = 0.1 mm for 304-306, 0.25 mm for 307-308.

obtuse-angled, sides in posterior 2/3 very gently concave/bisinuate. '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 (Fig. 327) slightly broadening posteriorly, sutural corners narrowly rounded; apical sides slightly oblique and in inner halves gently convex. Elytral surface rather even with two shallow, very elongate impressions behind scutellum. Head with fine coriaceous/colliculate microsculpture, fading on elevated parts, stronger in impressions, on pronotum microsculpture slightly stronger and more even. Punctation on head sparse, mostly confined to 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 unmodified in middle (nearly uniform breadth). Tergite VIII (Fig. 393) basal edge evenly arched, with small 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 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. 365. Spermatheca as in Fig. 366, female ringstructures as in Figs 367-368.

ETYMOLOGY: The name of the species (of Greek origin) refers to the puzzling nature of this taxon, as most of the related species possess peculiar modifications in tergite X lacking in this species.

COMPARATIVE NOTES: This species is similar to other members of the O. omalinus group, can be distinguished based on the different inner sclerites of the aedeagus and structures of the terminalia: externally similar described members of the group have peculiar modifications of tergite X.

DISTRIBUTION: Currently only known from one locality in southern Shaanxi

( China).

BIONOMICS: The labels list a series of collecting methods, flotation from gravelbanks and sifting of wet moss near water are the most likely for this species.