Gabrius instrigatus, Li, Liang, Schillhammer, Harald & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2010

Li, Liang, Schillhammer, Harald & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2010, Fourteen new species of the genus Gabrius Stephens, 1829 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina) from China, Zootaxa 2572, pp. 1-24 : 17-18

9. Gabrius instrigatus sp. n.

( Figs. 7 H–L)

Type material. Holotype: CHINA: Xizang: ɗ, Bomi County: Tongmai Town, 2300 m, 29.VIII.2005, leg. Wu Jie (IZ-CAS).

Description. Head and pronotum black, shining. Antennae dark brown. Elytra black with strongly metallic blue reflex. Abdomen black with feebly blue reflex, posterior margins of tergites VII–VIII markedly reddish-brown. Mandibles reddish-brown. Maxillary and labial palpi dark brown. Femora and tibiae dark, tarsi reddish-brown.

Body 4.41 mm long (HPL = 1.55 mm). Head of rounded quadrangular shape, 0.65 mm long, 0.65 mm wide (HW: HL = 1.00). Tempora 0.33 mm long, almost evenly rounded, sparsely and coarsely punctate; eyes rather small, very flat, 0.16 mm long, half as long as tempora. Dorsal surface of head completely lacking microsculpture, almost impunctate. Antennae short, 1st segment long, slightly thickened towards apex, 3rd segment almost as long as 2nd, distinctly longer than wide, 4th segment slightly longer than wide, 5th–10th segments distinctly transverse, last segment almost as long as wide, obliquely truncated.

Pronotum almost parallel-sided, 0.65 mm long, 0.65 mm wide, as wide as head; dorsal rows each with four punctures, sublateral rows each with two punctures; entire disc without microsculpture.

Elytra slightly widened posteriad, 0.90 mm long, 0.90 mm wide, along sides 1.38 times as long as pronotum, sparsely and finely punctate, punctures separated by 4–5 times their diameter. Scutellum large, triangular, sparsely and finely punctate and pubescent.

Abdomen slightly narrowed posteriad, widest 0.90 mm, punctures of tergites finer and sparser than these on elytra, gradually becoming sparser toward apex of each tergite; surface between punctures with exceedingly fine and dense microsculpture of transverse striae; tergites III–V with two basal lines, elevated area between basal lines almost impunctate.

Male. Sternite VIII with wide, moderately deep medio-apical emargination, entirely filled by semimembranous extension ( Fig. 7 L). Genital segment with styli of tergite IX simple, moderately setose apically. Sternite IX sclerotized throughout, with apical portion slightly narrowed into subtruncated apex ( Fig. 7 K). Tergite X simple, triangular, slightly emarginate at apex.

Aedeagus small; median lobe moderately long, distinctly exceeding paramere, apical portion narrowed into obtusely rounded apex ( Fig. 7 H); in lateral view, apical portion slightly bent dorsad ( Fig. 7 I); paramere entire, with apical portion triangular, face adjacent to median lobe with three sensory peg setae at apex ( Fig. 7 J).

Female: Unknown.

Remarks. Gabrius instrigatus sp. n. may belong to G. fimetarioides group; because of the four-punctate dorsal rows of the pronotum. It can be easily distinguished from members of this group by the distinctive male sternite IX, the shape of the aedeagus and absence of microsculpture on head and pronotum.

Distribution. The species is at present known only from China (Xizang).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from a combination of the Latin prefix in- (indicating a negation) and striga- (stripe, streak), and refers to lacking of microsculpture on head and pronotum.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Gabrius hong sp. n. A, aedeagus, ventral view; B, median lobe of aedeagus (paramere removed), lateral view; C, underside of paramere; D, sternite IX of male; E, sternite VIII of male; F, tergite X of male; G, tergite X of female. Gabrius instrigatus sp. n. H, aedeagus, ventral view; I, median lobe of aedeagus (paramere removed), lateral view; J, underside of paramere; K, sternite IX of male; L, sternite VIII of male. Scale bars 0.5 mm