Oedichirus despointesi, Rougemont, 2018

Rougemont, Guillaume de, 2018, The genus Oedichirus in New Caledonia (Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Pinophilini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 537-586 : 546

Oedichirus despointesi nov.sp. (Figs 9)

Material studied: ♂ Holotype: NEW CALEDONIA 11138, 21º53’S x 166º24’E’, 1400m, Mt. Humboldt moss forest, 6-7 Nov 2002, Monteith & Burwell, pyreth. trees & logs ♀ HOLOTYPE Oedichirus despointesi Des. 2017 G. de Rougemont [ MNHN] ; 1♀ paratype: [Ibid.] ♀ PARATYPE, Oedichirus despointesi Des. 2017 G. de Rougemont [ QM] .

Description: length: 11.1 mm; length of fore-body: 4.9; length of head: 1.3; breadth of head: 1.4; length of antenna: ca. 3; length of pronotum: 1.87; breadth of pronotum: 1.47; length of elytron: 1.4; breadth of elytra: 1.5. Body entirely black, palpi, antennae and legs testaceous, distal 1♀ 3 rd of femora very slightly darkened. Microsculpture of head feeble but distinct, very finely coriaceous, the surface greasy-lustrous, microsculpture of pronotum similar but weaker, on elytra scarcely distinguishable, on abdominal trgites consisting of transverse micro-striae. Pubescence non-existent apart from a very few short erect hairs on lateral and ventral surfaces of segments V-VIII. Habitus: Fig 9h.

Head long; eyes protruberant; temples about two and a half times as long as eye, convergent to neck in almost straight lines; post-ocular carina and groove contiguous, slightly displaced to dorsal surface away from lateral margin; puncturation of disc extremely fine, consisting only of a few scattered punctures almost invisible except at x40-50 magnification. Pronotum fairly long, very convex, behind anterior angles clearly broader than head, the sides scarcely rounded to posterior angles; lateral margins entirely bordered; puncturation coarse, dense, irregular, not forming discernible series but leaving a narrow slightly umbonate impunctate median area in posterior half of disc. Row of keels and grooves on anterior margins of abdominal tergites obsolescent; puncturation of tergites coarse and irregular, leaving a median broadly impunctate area at centre of tergites III-VI enclosed by four larger punctures; tergites VII-VIII practically impunctate.

Male: abdominal sternite VIII (Fig. 9s8) with a slightly asymmetrical apico-median emargination, the area surrounding it depressed, and with a salient process on the left side; aedoeagus: Figs. 9arl, av, the process of the ventral blade very long, of characteristic shape, with a lateral tooth half-way along its length visible in ventral view.

Female: abdominal sternite IX: Fig. 9vp.

Derivation of specific epithet: after Admiral Febvrier Despointes, who took possession of New Caledonia for France in 1853.