Oedichirus hermani, Rougemont, 2018

Rougemont, Guillaume de, 2018, The genus Oedichirus in New Caledonia (Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Pinophilini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 537-586 : 549-550

Oedichirus hermani nov.sp. (Figs 2)

Material studied: ♂ Holotype: NEW CALEDONIA, Col d’Amieu , N of La Foa, 500 m, S.&J. Peck, 9.VIII.1978, rainforest litter ♀ HOLOTYPE Oedichirus hermani Des. 2017 G. de Rougemont [ FMC] ; 1♀ paratype: NEW CALEDONIA: 14.8 km N of Sarraméa RP5, 21º34’55’S 165º49’21’E VII-19-2008 L. Herman 306m, litter nr. seep ♀ PARATYPE Oedichirus hermani Des. 2017 G. de Rougemont [ AMNH] ; 1♀ paratype: NEW CALEDONIA 8641, 21º45’Sx 166º09’E, Ningua Res. Camp 1100 m, 12-13 Nov 2001, G Burwell & G Monteith, hand collect ♀ PARATYPE Oedichirus hermani Des. 2017 G. de Rougemont [ QM] ; 1♀ paratype: NEW CALEDONIA 11471, 21º45’Sx 166º00’E, Mt. Do, 0.5 km below summit, 22 Nov 2003 - 28 Jan.2004, G Monteith, flight int. trap ♀ PARATYPE Oedichirus hermani Des. 2017 G. de Rougemont [ CRO] .

Description: length: ca 11.5 mm; length of fore-body: 4.2; length of head: 1.12; breadth of head: 1.45; length of antenna: 2.8; length of pronotum: 1.7; breadth of pronotum: 1.5; length of elytron: 1.2; breadth of elytra; 1.55. Body black. palpi and antennae testaceous, legs pale testaceous, the knees sharply and broadly black, the black portion of metatibia occupying half or more of its length. Microsculpture of head very dense and strong, the surface dull, shagreened; pronotum with dense micro-reticulation, the surface sericeous; elytra shiny, devoid of microsculpture; microsculpture of tergites III-VI consisting of dense transverse micro-striae, that of tergites VII-VIII of very fine micro-reticulation. Pubescence brassy, sparse, relatively short, erect (rubbed off abdomen of holotype). Habitus: Fig. 2h.

Head strongly transverse; eyes moderately large, shorter than temples; temples gently rounded to base; post-ocular groove shallow, inconspicuous, adjacent to carina on lateral margin of head, bearing 4 setiferous punctures; puncturation very sparse and irregular, the punctures small and shallow. Pronotum relatively short, behind anterior angles a lttle broader than head, the sides retracted in almost straight lines to base; anterior and lateral margins entirely, sharply bordered; puncturation coarse and dense, leaving only a small longitudinal umbonate impunctate space at centre near base. Elytra a little transverse, hemeral angles completely obsolete, the sides evenly rounded to posterior angles; puncturation as coarse as and denser than that of pronotum. Keels and grooves of anterior margins of abdominal tergites obsolete; puncturation of tergite III almost as coarse but less dense than that of elytra, progressively much finer and sparser on segments IV-VI; posterior margins of tergites III-VI each with a median pair of punctures that are larger and rounder than other punctures; tergites VII with only small, shallow, inconspicuous punctures; tergite VIII almost impunctate.

Male: abdominal sternite VIII: Fig. 2s8; aedoeagus: Figs. 2arl, av.

Female: sternite IX: Fig. 2vp.