Atheta (Dimetrota) giguereae Klimaszewski & Webster

Webster, Reginald P., Klimaszewski, Jan, Bourdon, Caroline, Sweeney, Jon D., Hughes, Cory C. & Labrecque, Myriam, 2016, Further contributions to the Aleocharinae (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) fauna of New Brunswick and Canada including descriptions of 27 new species, ZooKeys 573, pp. 85-216 : 107-111

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Staphylinidae

Atheta (Dimetrota) giguereae Klimaszewski & Webster sp. n. Figs 112-119

Holotype (male).

Canada, New Brunswick, Charlotte Co., near New River, 45.21217°N, 66.61595°W, 7.V.2007, R.P. Webster, coll. // Mature eastern white cedar swamp/forest in moss and leaf litter near stream (LFC). Paratypes: Canada, New Brunswick, Carleton Co., Meduxnekeag Valley Nature Preserve, 46.1935°N, 67.6825°W, 19.IV.2005, R.P. Webster, coll. // Mixed forest, in moist moss (1 sex undetermined, LFC; 1 sex undetermined, RWC). Charlotte Co., S of Little Pocologan River, 45.1546°N, 66.6254°W, 7.V.2007, R.P. Webster, coll. // Mature eastern white cedar swamp/forest, in moss & leaf litter (1 ♂, RWC); near New River, 45.21217°N, 66.61595°W, 7.V.2007, R.P. Webster, coll. // Mature eastern white cedar swamp/forest, in moss & leaf litter near stream (1 ♂, RWC); Kent Island, WS, sweeping, 23.VII.2008, Meredith Steck (1 ♀, NSPM); Kent Island, Wet SF, beating, 15.VII.2008, white spruce, Meredith Steck (1 ♂, NSPM); Kent Island, 23.VII.2008, Meredith Steck (1 ♂, 1 ♀, NSPM); Restigouche Co., Little Tobique River near Red Brook, 47.4462°N, 67.0689°W, 24.V.2007, R.P. Webster, coll. // Old-growth eastern white cedar swamp, in moss & leaf litter near brook (1 ♀, RWC); Dionne Brook P.N.A., 47.9030°N, 68.3503°W, 15-27.VI.2011, M. Roy & V. Webster // Old-growth northern hardwood forest, Lindgren funnel trap (1 ♂, CNC; 1 ♂, RWC). York Co., Charters Settlement, 45.8331°N, 66.7410°W, 16.IV.2004, R.P. Webster, coll. // Mature red spruce & cedar forest, in moss & litter near small brook (1 sex undetermined, RWC); Charters Settlement, 45.8341°N, 66.7445°W, 22.IV.2005, R.P. Webster, coll. // Mature red spruce & cedar forest, in seepage area in saturated sphagnum & leaf litter (1 sex undetermined, LFC); New Maryland, off Hwy 2, E of Baker Brook, 45.8760°N, 66.6252°W, 6.IV.2005, R.P. Webster, coll. // Old-growth cedar swamp, in moss & leaf litter at base of cedar (1 ♂, 1 sex undetermined, RWC); Kingsclear, Mazorolle Settlement, 45.8717°N, 66.8273°W, 28.IV.2006, R.P. Webster, coll. // Eastern white cedar swamp, in moss & leaf litter near brook (1 ♂, 1 ♀, RWC; 1 ♀, LFC); Douglas, Currie Mountain, 45.9832°N, 66.7564°W, 3-15.V.2013, C. Alderson & V. Webster // Old Pinus strobus stand, Lindgren funnel trap 1 m high under Pinus strobus (1, AFC); Canterbury, near Browns Mtn. Fen, 45.89508°N, 67.63326°W, 1.VI.2005, M. Giguère & R. Webster, coll. (1 ♀, LFC). Nova Scotia, Guysborough Co., Malay Lake, com. thin. mat. red spruce for., FIT, 2-15.VI.1997, DeLancey J. Bishop (1 ♂, NSPM); Malay Lake, red spruce (thin), 2-15.VI.1997, D.J. Bishop, 278, 688 (2 ♀, NSPM). Halifax Co., Pockwock Lake, 2-25.VI.1997, DeLancy J. Bishop, pre-com. thin. red spruce for., FIT (1 ♀, NSPM); Halifax, Sandy Lake, Red Spruce (>120), 15-30.VI.1997, D.J. Bishop 827 (1 sex undetermined, NSPM); Halifax, Abraham’s Lake, red spruce (old), 14.V-2.VI.1997, D.J. Bishop 92 (2 ♀, NSPM); Margaret Bay, Big. St., red spruce (m), 29.VII-13.VII.1997, D.J. Bishop (1 ♂, NSPM); Soldier Lake, 13.VI.2005, SB Trap, J. Gordon (1 ♀, NSPM). Hants Co., Leminster, mat. Red spr./hemlock forest FIT, 2-15.VI.1997, DeLancey J. Bishop (1 ♀, NSPM); Panuke Lake, red spruce (45), 15-30.VI.1997, D.J. Bishop, 795 (1 ♀, NSPM); Little Armstrong Lake, red spruce (75), 14.V-2.VI.1997, D.J. Bishop 222 (1 ♀, NSPM); Armstrong Lake, 75 yr fire origin red spruce FIT, 14.V-2.VI.1997, DeLancey J. Bishop (1 ♂, NSPM). Lunenburg Co., Card Lake, red spruce/hemlock, 29.VII-13.VIII.1997, D. J. Bishop 1802 (1 ♀, NSPM). Ontario, Northumberland Co., Peters Woods Nat. Res., 44°7'27"N, 78°2'21"W, forest, Lindgren funnel, 12-26, VII.2011, Brunke and Paiero, debu01147325 (1 ♀, LFC).

Etymology.

This species is dedicated to Marie-Andrée Giguère, wife of Reginald Webster, who has accompanied and assisted him on many collecting trips over the years and whose support made many of the new discoveries in New Brunswick possible.

Description.

Body length 2.7 mm, narrowly elongate; head, pronotum, elytra, and abdomen dark brown, legs and antennae light brown (Fig. 112); integument strongly glossy; forebody with minute and sparse punctation, and sparse pubescence; head rounded posteriorly, with moderately large eyes; antennae with articles V–X slightly transverse and progressively more transverse toward apex; pronotum rounded anteriorly and posterolaterally, transverse, wider than head and narrower than elytra, pubescence directed laterad from midline of disk; elytra slightly transverse, with pubescence directed posterolaterad and some with wavy pattern near posterior suture; abdomen subparallel, narrower than elytra. Male. Median lobe of aedeagus with bulbus narrowly oval, tubus broad, short, and rounded in dorsal view (Fig. 113), and produced ventrally and with apical part triangular in lateral view (Fig. 114); internal sac with complex structures (Figs 113, 114); tergite VIII truncate apically and broadly arcuate (Fig. 115); sternite VIII almost evenly rounded apically (Fig. 116). Female. Tergite VIII with apical margin arcuate (Fig. 117); sternite VIII broadly rounded apically (Fig. 118); spermatheca with broad pitcher-shaped capsule with large apical invagination and sinuate stem narrowly looped and twisted posteriorly (Fig. 119).

Distribution.

Known from ON, NB, and NS, Canada.

Natural history.

In NB, Atheta giguereae was found in mature and old-growth eastern white cedar swamps, a mixed forest, an old-growth northern hardwood forest, and an old white pine stand. Adults were sifted from moss and leaf litter near streams and brooks and from moist moss in these forests. A few individuals were captured in Lindgren funnel traps. Specimens from NS were captured in flight intercept traps in red spruce and red spruce–hemlock forests. Adults were collected from April to mid-August.

Comments.

We tentatively affiliated this species with the subgenus Dimetrota . The median lobe of the aedeagus of Atheta giguereae resembles that of Atheta terranovae Klimaszewski & Langor, in general morphology but the spermatheca is of a different type than any of the described Nearctic species.