Myrmedonota cordobensis, Santiago-Jimenez, Quiyari J., 2014

Santiago-Jimenez, Quiyari J., 2014, Two new species of Myrmedonota Cameron (Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae) from Mexico, ZooKeys 464, pp. 49-62 : 52-53

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Staphylinidae

Myrmedonota cordobensis sp. n. Figures 1, 3-10, 19

Type locality.

Mexico, Veracruz: Córdoba, Matlaquiahuitl, 1570m, 18°59'41"N, 96°53'35.1"W, cloud forest, light trap, 6.VII.2006, J. Asiain, J. Márquez, L. Delgado and Q. Santiago leg.

Type material.

Holotype male, pinned. Original label: “MÉXICO: Veracruz, Córdoba, Matlaquiahuitl. 6.VII.2006. Bosque Mesófilo de Montaña perturbado, 1,570m, 18°59'41"N, 96°53'35.1"W, ex. trampa de luz. J. Asiain, J. Márquez, L. Delgado y Q. Santiago ”/“MUZ-UV-COL-00000065”/” HOLOTYPE Myrmedonota cordobensis Santiago-Jiménez, 2014" [red label].

Other material.

Paratypes, same data as holotype (42 males, 14 females MUZ-UV, IEXA).

Description.

Body length: 3.5-4.1 mm. Most of body black to dark brown; elytra and legs brown; apical region of abdominal segments III–V, usually brown. Pubescence dense to sparse on head, pronotum and elytra, denser on elytra; dorsal surface of abdomen almost glabrous, dense pubescence on ventral surface of abdomen.

Head: Transverse, with or without impression on disc; without protuberance or carinae. Antennal articles 1-3 brown, 4-11 black, tip of 11 brown. Antennal articles 1-2 very elongate, 3-9 elongate, 10 slightly elongate, and 11 very elongate.

Mouthparts: Labrum: with 8 setae on each side of the midline; most of the setae on anterior half; with more than 30 sensory pores on each side of midline; sensillae on apical margin of epipharynx, arranged in a pattern of anterior or α–sensilla, medial or β–sensilla, posterior or γ–sensilla, and lateral or ε–sensilla, one on each side of the midline (see Ashe 1984, Santiago-Jiménez 2010); apico-medial margin of epipharynx not modified to setose or with spinose process; basal region of epipharynx with only four pores, more or less in one transverse row; medial region of epipharynx with more than 50 pores in an irregular array; mesal region of epipharynx without a multiporose sensory structure on each side of the midline; with 8 to 10 pores on mesolateral region. Mandibles: asymmetrical; right mandible with medial tooth on dorsal position; left mandible without tooth; without incisor tooth; with serration on apical half of both mandibles; with large velvety patch wider than half of mandible base, composed of small denticles; prostheca with short setae along entire length, except base, which has a ctenidium; prosthecal setae not bifurcated in medial area. Maxilla: with a row of seven spines and two rows of large setae contiguous with the apical spines on apical third of the lacinia, between two rows of setae there is a glabrous area; the two rows of setae continue with numerous setae on middle third of the lacinia; practically glabrous on the basal third of the lacinia; with pseudopores on the cardo. Labium: with short ligula and divided near base; with a small pair of setulae on each lobe of the ligula (one very short); without medial spines. Prementum with two medial setae, insertions widely separated; medial pseudopore field present; lateral pseudopore field composed of one setose pore, and two asetose pores, with setae on aboral margin of hypoglossa, adoral margin also with setae. Mentum without microsculpture on surface; with scarcely distributed pores on mentum (around 30 pores on each side of the midline), more densely distributed toward the apex.

Thorax: Pronotum transverse, wider on anterior third; surface finely punctured, moderately dense; without reticulate microsculpture; setae moderately dense on surface; with 4 macrosetae along lateral margins, 3 macrosetae on each side of the midline, 2 macrosetae between lateral and medial macrosetae, distributed on anterior half. Scutellum with surface smooth, moderately covered with short setae. Elytra slightly wider on apical area; surface finely punctured, moderately dense; without reticulate microsculpture; setae moderately dense, covering the surface; with 6 macrosetae: 3 on lateral margin, and 3 diagonally placed starting from the base of midline outward. Hind wings well developed, flabellum with 16-17 spines. Mesocoxal acetabula completely margined posteriorly. Mesocoxal cavities moderately separated (approx. 0.20 mm) by meso- and metaventral processes; mesoventral process short (approx. 0.18 mm) with apex truncated; metaventral process medium-sized (approx. 0.56 mm), marginate and with apex acuminate; isthmus distinctly present (approx. 0.09 mm). Legs short, tarsal formula 4 –5– 5, every leg with an empodium, one seta on empodium and a pair of tarsal claws, each claw with a subbasal tooth.

Abdomen: Subparallel-sided, narrower than elytra, wider around segments IV–V; surface smooth, tergites III–VII almost glabrous, but with a row of 3 macrosetae along posterior margins on each side of midline of every segment and one macroseta closer to the meso-lateral region; tergite VIII (Figs 3-4) with 5 macrosetae on each side of the midline; tergite IX with 4 macrosetae on each side of the midline; tergite X with 4 macrosetae on each side of the midline. Other conspicuous characters are: tergites III–VI with basal impression; sternite IV with a central and transverse reservoir, without glands on basal region, without striae or cuticle vesicles on anterocentral region, without spiracles on basal region, without transversal cuticular impressions on basal region, without pseudopores on basal region.

Secondary sexual structures: Sternite VII of male with external gland on basal region and pseudopores on posterior margin of gland. Tergite VIII of male (Fig. 3) with posterior margin truncate and crenate (around 6-7 denticles), and one lateral protrusion on each external margin. Tergite VII of female without external gland or pseudopores. Tergite VIII of female (Fig. 4) not crenate and without lateral protrusion. Sternite VIII of male and female as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, respectively.

Aedeagus: Median lobe pear-shaped (Figs 7-8); internal sac of medial lobe with many spinules; median lobe with short, well defined compressor fig; apical lobe curved to the ventral side (visible in lateral view), and pointed; basal ridge convex. Paramere as in Fig. 9; anterodorsal margin of paramerite with prominent sensory pores present beneath the velar sac; hinge zone of paramerite faint, extended from dorsal surface to near articulation between condylite and paramerite; apical process of para merite clearly articulated anterior to edge of velum; condylite with a line of sensory pores; velum short (less than one half of the length of the paramere). Apical lobe with 4 macrosetae visible (see Eldredge 2010).

Spermatheca: Basal bulb simple, rounded at base; tube S–shaped; internal tube of neck with denticles; with accessory gland (Fig. 10).

Remarks.

It is very similar in size to Myrmedonota xipe , but Myrmedonota cordobensis sp. n. is easy to distinguish because it is darker, the elytra are not bicolored, the apical region of tergites III–V is brown–yellowish, and the spermatheca is different in shape.

Etymology.

The name makes reference to the municipality where the specimens were collected, Córdoba in the state of Veracruz.

Habitat.

Unknown. The adult specimens were collected with mercury vapor light traps. The larval habitat is not known.

Distribution.

Myrmedonota cordobensis sp. n. is only known from the type locality in the central region of the state of Veracruz, Mexico. This locality is 1,570 m above sea level, in a disturbed cloud forest. Matlaquiahuitl is the highest mountain in the municipality of Córdoba, Veracruz (Fig. 19).