Geostiba (Sibiota) carteriensis Pace, 1997

Gusarov, Vladimir I., 2002, A revision of Nearctic species of the genus Geostiba Thomson, 1858 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Zootaxa 81, pp. 1-88 : 64-68

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.155701

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6277583

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/5B50E916-FFA1-3960-4D2D-F9FFFD8DFA4C

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Geostiba (Sibiota) carteriensis Pace, 1997
status

 

12. Geostiba (Sibiota) carteriensis Pace, 1997 View in CoL ( Figs. 284­305 View FIGURES 284 ­ 288 View FIGURES 289 ­ 293 View FIGURES 294 ­ 305 )

Geostiba (Lioglutosipalia) carteriensis Pace, 1997: 106 View in CoL , ex parte.

Type material. Two paratypes of G. carteriensis belong to G. alticola : 2, Yancey Co.: Mt. Mitchell, 1800 m (P.Debs), 17.iv.1974 (not examined). My collecting demonstrated that these paratypes originate from the mountain massif where G. carteriensis does not occur. These presumably misidentified paratypes belong to G. alticola .

Material. UNITED STATES: Tennessee / North Carolina: Carter Co. / Mitchell Co.: 12 specimens, 29 km SSE Elizabethton, Roan Road Pass, Rd. 143/261, 36°06.3'N 82°06.8'W, 1700 m, in forest litter and moss, Picea , Rhododendron (V.I.Gusarov) , 17.iii.2001; Unicoi Co. / Yancey Co.: 12 specimens, 9 km E Lewisburg, Big Bald, 35°59.57'N 82°29.61'W, 1650 m, meadows, in grass (V.I.Gusarov), 21.ix.2001 (all ­ KSEM and SPSU).

Type locality. UNITED STATES: Tennessee / North Carolina: Carter Co. / Mitchell Co.: Roan Mountain, Forest Road 130, 6300’ ( Pace 1997).

Diagnosis. Geostiba carteriensis can be distinguished from other Nearctic species of Geostiba by having small eyes (temple length to eye length ratio 3.8­4.6), pronotal pubescence of type V or VI, pronotal pubescence directed posteriorly in a wide medial zone (wider in males), not just along the midline, reduced wings, short elytra (pronotum length to elytron length ratio 1.3), the absence of carinae on abdominal tergum 7, the shape of the aedeagus ( Figs. 289­298, 300­305 View FIGURES 289 ­ 293 View FIGURES 294 ­ 305 ) and the shape of the spermatheca ( Fig. 299 View FIGURES 294 ­ 305 ).

Geostiba carteriensis differs from closely related G. alticola in having shorter and wider (in lateral view) apex of the aedeagus median lobe ( Figs. 292­293 View FIGURES 289 ­ 293 , 269­270 View FIGURES 267 ­ 270 ) and the lateral sides of the apex more convex (in ventral view) ( Figs. 289­291 View FIGURES 289 ­ 293 , 267­268 View FIGURES 267 ­ 270 ).

Description. Length 2.2­2.6 mm. Body uniformly yellowish brown, in some specimens abdominal segments 3­6 darker. Body parallel­sided.

Head as wide as long, surface on disk with fine isodiametric microsculpture, puncturation very fine, distance between punctures equal to 2­4 times their diameter. Temple length to eye length ratio 3.8­4.6. Antennal article 2 longer than article 3, article 4 subquadrate, articles 5­10 transverse, last article as long as 9 and 10 combined.

Pronotum as wide as long, width 0.40­0.44 mm, wider than head (pronotal width to head width ratio 1.1); microsculpture and puncturation as on head; pronotal pubescence of type V or VI, directed posteriorly in wide medial zone (wider in males), not just along midline. Elytra measured from humeral angle shorter than pronotum (pronotal length to elytral length ratio 1.3), wider than long (1.5), with fine isodiametric microsculpture and fine asperate puncturation, distance between punctures equals 2­3 times their diameter. Elytral suture behind scutellum very slightly raised. Wings reduced to short vestiges, shorter than elytra.

Abdominal terga with fine microsculpture of transverse meshes, with fine and sparse puncturation, puncturation becoming finer towards abdomen apex, on terga 3­5 distance between punctures equals 2­5 times their diameter. Tergum 7 without white edge.

Males with stronger impression on disc of head and along midline of pronotum than females. Male tergum 7 without carinae. Posterior margin of male tergum 8 slightly convex ( Fig. 284 View FIGURES 284 ­ 288 ). Posterior margin of male sternum 8 convex ( Fig. 285 View FIGURES 284 ­ 288 ).

Posterior margin of female tergum 8 convex ( Fig. 286 View FIGURES 284 ­ 288 ). Posterior margin of female sternum 8 concave medially ( Figs. 287­288 View FIGURES 284 ­ 288 ).

Aedeagus as in Figs. 289­298, 300­305 View FIGURES 289 ­ 293 View FIGURES 294 ­ 305 . Apex of median lobe in lateral view strait ( Figs. 292­293 View FIGURES 289 ­ 293 ), in ventral view apex outline strongly emarginate basally ( Figs. 289­291 View FIGURES 289 ­ 293 ). Distal diverticula of internal sac narrow ( Figs. 297­298, 304 View FIGURES 294 ­ 305 ).

Spermatheca as in Fig. 299 View FIGURES 294 ­ 305 .

Distribution and variability. Known only from the Big Bald in the Bald Mountains massif and from Roan Mountains ( Figs. 338­339 View FIGURE 338 View FIGURE 339 ). Specimens from the Big Bald and from Roan High Knob (the type locality) slightly differ in the shape of the apex of median lobe ( Figs. 289­290 View FIGURES 289 ­ 293 ) and may deserve to be interpreted as distinct taxa. More samples from the adjacent mountains (especially north of Roan Mountains) are necessary to resolve this problem.

Natural History. Geostiba carteriensis was collected in forest litter at altitudes above 1600 m in leaf litter of coniferous forest with red spruce ( Picea rubens ) and in the soil of a mountain meadow (a “bald”).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Staphylinidae

Genus

Geostiba

Loc

Geostiba (Sibiota) carteriensis Pace, 1997

Gusarov, Vladimir I. 2002
2002
Loc

Geostiba (Lioglutosipalia) carteriensis

Pace 1997: 106
1997
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