Quedius (Distichalius) tincticeps, Smetana, 2015

Smetana, Aleš, 2015, Contributions to the knowledge of the Quediina (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylinini) of China. Part 51. Genus Quedius STEPHENS, 1829. Subgenus Distichalius CASEY, 1915. Section 4, Linzer biologische Beiträge 47 (1), pp. 905-924 : 906-908

Quedius (Distichalius) tincticeps nov.sp. ( Figs 1-7 )

T y p e l o c a l i t y China, Yunnan, E slope Cang Shan at Dali, 25°40.24’1"N 100° 05’57.6"E, 3806 m.

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype (3): CHINA: "P.R. CHINA, Yunnan, E slope Cang Shan at Dali, N 25°40.24’1" E100° 05’57.6", 17.v.2010, 3806m, sifting 15, V. Grebennikov ". Allotype (♀): CHINA: "P.R. CHINA, Yunnan, Cang Shan at Dali, N 25°40’12" E 100° 06’10", 3740 m, 05.vii.2011, sifting 37, V. Grebennikov" . Holotype temporarily in CNC, allotype in ASC. Paratypes: same data as holotype, 333, 5♀♀ ( ASC, IZAS) ; same data as allotype, 2♀♀ ; same data as holotype, but 25°40.01’9"N 100°05’45.5"E, 4063 m, 15.v.2010, sifting 13, V. Grebennikov, 13 ( ASC); same data as holotype, but 25° 40’14.7"N 100°06’12.0"E, 3827 m, 17.V.2010, sifting16, V. Grebennikov, 1♀ ( SNUC); same data as holotype, but 25°39’.54.7"N 100°06’04.5"E, 3815 m, 19.v.2010, sifting 19, V. Grebennikov, 1♀ ( ASC) ; same data as allotype, 2♀♀ ( ASC, IZAS) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: Head black, pronotum dark brownish to piceous, with lateral margins widely, and anterior and posterior margin very narrowly, testaceous, head and pronotum distinctly iridescent, scutellum piceous to black, elytra testaceous; abdominal tergites brunneous, each usually with posterior margin slightly paler, each markedly iridescent; tergite 2 (in front of first entirely visible tergite) pale testaceous anteriorly; maxillary and labial palpi piceous, antennae piceous-black to black; legs brunneous with all tibiae markedly darkened, almost black. Head of rounded shape, slightly wider than long (ratio 1.13), distinctly narrowed behind eyes, posterior angles entirely obsolete; eyes large, moderately convex, tempora considerably shorter than eyes seen from above (ratio 0.58); two setiferous punctures between anterior frontal punctures; posterior frontal puncture situated quite close to posteriomedial margin of eye, separated from it by distance about equal to diameter of puncture, one additional puncture at posterior margin of eye; temporal puncture situated slightly to vaguely closer to posterior margin of eye than to posterior margin of head; two (rarely three unilaterally) punctures behind posterior frontal puncture at posterior margin of head; surface of head with extremely fine and dense microsculpture of transverse waves. Antenna moderately long, segment 3 longer than segment 2 (ratio 1.25), segments 4 and 5 slightly longer than wide, following segments about as long as wide to slightly wider than long, last segment about as long as two preceding segments combined. Pronotum vaguely wider than long (ratio 1.10), widest at posterior third, markedly narrowed anteriad, with lateral margins continuously arcuate with broadly rounded base, transversely convex; dorsal rows each with three punctures, one, or rarely two unilaterally, additional punctures between dorsal and sublateral rows, sublateral rows each with two or three punctures, posterior puncture situated way behind large lateral puncture; microsculpture on pronotum similar to that on head, but even finer, denser and more superficial. Scutellum impunctate, with very dense and fine microsculpture of transverse waves. Elytra relatively long, at base somewhat narrower than pronotum at widest point, only vaguely widened posteriad; at suture about as long as, at sides slightly longer than pronotum at midline (ratio 1.19); punctation fine, evenly spaced, transverse interspaces between punctures larger than diameters of punctures; surface between punctures with microsculpture of dense microscopic punctulation; pubescence brownish. Wings fully developed. Abdomen with tergite 7 (fifth visible) bearing distinct whitish apical seam of palisade fringe; tergite two (in front of first entirely visible tergite) impunctate; punctuation of abdominal tergites much finer than that on elytra, becoming somewhat sparser toward apex of each tergite and in general toward apex of abdomen; pubescence piceous; surface between punctures with exceedingly fine and dense transverse striae.

Male. First four segments of front tarsus markedly dilated, each densely covered by tenent setae ventrally; segment two slightly wider than apex of tibia (ratio 1.15); segment four narrower than preceding segments. Sternite 8 with two long setae on each side, with wide and moderately deep, obtusely triangular medioapical emargination, small triangular area before emargination flattened and smooth ( Fig. 1 ). Genital segment with tergite 10 narrow, markedly narrowed toward narrowly arcuate apex, with two longer setae near apex, otherwise very finely setose ( Fig. 2 ); sternite 9 with robust basal portion, apical portion arcuate apically, with two slightly differentiated apical setae ( Fig. 3 ). Aedoeagus ( Figs 4-6 ) elongate; median lobe as in Fig. 5 , anteriorly narrowed into subacute apex, without apical lobes, in lateral view with a quite minute dent below apex; paramere large and long, of characteristic shape with bilateral widening in basal two thirds, with narrowly arcuate apex about reaching apex of median lobe; four very fine setae at apex, lateral pair shifted posteriad from apex, two minute setae at each lateral margin below apex; underside of paramere with numerous sensory peg setae arranged into long group along each lateral margin of apical portion ( Fig. 6 ).

Female. First four segments of front tarsus similar to those of male, but considerably less dilated, segment two narrower than apex of tibia. Genital segment with tergite 10 markedly narrowed toward slightly differentiated arcuate apical portion, with three long apical setae, otherwise sparingly setose with median portion asetose ( Fig. 7 ).

Length 5.8-7.0 mm. E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is a combination of Latin participle tinctus (colored) and the Greek noun κεφαλη (head). It refers to the distinctly iridescent head of the species.

G e o g r a p h i c a l d i s t r i b u t i o n Quedius tincticeps is at present known only from the Cang Shan in Yunnan.

B i o n o m i c s:Nothingisknown about the collecting circumstances of the specimens of the original series except that they were sifted at very high elevations of 3806-4063 m.

R e c o g n i t i o n a n d c o m m e n t s: Quedius tincticeps may be easily distinguished from the congeners with regular elytral punctuation and with microsculpture of dense microscopic punctulation on surface between punctures by the coloration alone, in addition to the shape of the aedoeagus.

Quedius vafer SMETANA, 1997 occurs at least in some habitats together with Q. tincticeps [sifting 16] (see SMETANA 2012: 93).

Figures

Figs 1-10: 1-7: Quedius tincticeps sp. nov.: (1) apical portion of male sternite 8; (2) tergite 10 of male genital segment; (3) sternite 9 of male genital segment; (4) aedoeagus, ventral view; (5) apical portion of median lobe, paramere removed; (6) apical portion of underside of paramere with sensory peg setae; (7) tergite 10 of female genital segment. 8-10: Quedius bipictus sp. nov.: (8) apical portion of male sternite 8; (9) tergite 10 of male genital segment; (10) sternite 9 of male genital segment.