Liotesba subsimilis ( Cameron, 1945 )

Zhou, Yu-Lingzi & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2013, Taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Liotesba Scheerpeltz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Xantholinini) with descriptions of four new species, Journal of Natural History 47 (45 - 46), pp. 2869-2904 : 2897-2898

Liotesba subsimilis ( Cameron, 1945)

Cameron, 1945: 68 (orig. Gauropterus subsimilis ; type locality: United Provinces: Chakrata district, Mundali); Bordoni, 2002: 317 ( Liotesba ; characters; India, Uttar Pradesh, W-Almora Div., Sunderdhunga, Wantisan, Mundali Chakrata; Nepal, Dhawalagiri, Myagdi Distr., Ropchani, north Sanchur, Kathmandu Distr., Kakani, Kathmandu Distr., Godavari); Smetana, 2004: 691 (catalogue); Bordoni, 2007b: 71 (catalogue).

Synonyms. Gauropterus nepalicus Coiffait, 1982: 248 (type locality: Nepal: Godavari, 1500–1700 m); Bordoni, 2002: 317 (synonym of Liotesba subsimilis ); Smetana, 2004: 691 (catalogue; synonym of Liotesba subsimilis ).

Material examined. female, with labels as follows: “ Type ”/“on wing”/“Mundali Chakrata, U.P., B.M. Bhatis, 19.VI.1933 ”/“762”/“ M. Cameron. Bequest. B.M. 1955- 147”/“ Liotesba subsimilis (Cam.) , Bordoni det., 1998”. ( BMNH) .

Description

Measurement. BL = 6.23 mm, FL = 3.53 mm, HL = 1.03 mm, HW = 0.88 mm, PL = 1.12 mm, PW = 0.81 mm, EL = 1.26 mm, EW = 0.94 mm.

Body nearly cylindrical, small-sized. Body dark brown, except elytra reddish. Legs and antennae reddish brown, except scape dark brown. Maxillary and labial palpi brown.

Head. Rectangular (HL to HW ratio 1.2), tempora straight, posterior angles projecting outwards. Dorsal integument shiny, rather smooth, extensively bearing micropunctures, with five or six sparsely scattered large punctures on posterior half of head, also with a row of large punctures on deflexed portion of tempora. Each side of cranium with anterolateral puncture near antennal insertion, midlateral puncture about a distance of three punctures’ diameter from dorsal margin of eye, temporal puncture at the posterior one-fifth, and occipital puncture at the lateral third. Frontal furrows relatively short, anteocular furrows absent. Eye small, shorter than one-third the length of tempora (eye: tempora = 0.19: 0.59 mm), not protruding laterad; one large and one small puncture next to dorsal margin of eye; five or six larger punctures confluent to a deep furrow behind eye. Epistoma narrow, narrowed forwards. Distance between antennal insertions 0.27 mm, being subequal to distance from antenna to eye (0.29 mm).

Antennae. Scape stout, thickened apically, slightly longer than three subsequent antennomeres combined, 0.43 mm; antennomere II globular, 0.11 mm; III distinctly elongate, observably longer than II, 0.14 mm; IV and V subequal in length, 0.08 mm; last antennomere short, 0.18 mm, distinctly shorter than two preceding antennomeres combined.

Mouthparts. Labrum transverse, with a pair of median teeth, and a lateral tooth on each side; median teeth protruding forwards, and lateral teeth slight protruding. Mandibles falciform, right one with a sharp tooth on inner edge. Maxillary palpus elongate, second segment longest, last segment fusiform, as long as the penultimate, apex subtruncated. Labial palpus slender, each segment in same length, last segment slightly dilated subapically.

Neck. Average in wide (0.36 mm), narrower than half the width of head.

Pronotum. Subrectangular (PL to PW ratio 1.4), slightly longer, narrower than head. Widened anteriad, lateral margins slightly sinuate, anterior angles projecting, posterior angles broadly rounded. Dorsal integument extensively covered with micropunctures, with two medium-sized punctures on each anterolateral corner, one puncture on each posterolateral corner, and also with other irregular punctures near anterior and lateral margins of pronotum.

Mesoscutellum. Shiny, rugose, with several irregularly scattered, small punctures.

Elytra. Subrectangular, elongate (EL to EW ratio 1.3), longer, wider than pronotum. Humeri well developed, lateral margins divergent posteriorly, hind margin rounded. Dorsal integument shiny, flattened, without microsculpture; each elytron with a row of smaller punctures along median suture, a row along midwidth, also with three or four rows of larger punctures on deflexed portion.

Legs. First four segments of protarsi heart-shaped, dilated, and those of mesotarsi and metatarsi slender. Last segment of protarsi and mesotarsi shorter than the II–IV, respectively; last segment of metatarsi subequal to the length of II–IV.

Abdomen. Cylindrical, broadest at segment VI. Tergites III–VII shiny, each segment covered with shallow transverse microstriae, with densely distributed punctures, distance between punctures about a puncture’s diameter. Each tergite with a basal impression near anterior margin, rugose, with dense, large punctures. All abdominal sternites shiny, with microstriae and punctures as those on tergites.

Distribution. India (North region); Nepal.

Remarks. This species can be distinguished from the other congeners by projecting laterad hind angles of head, protruding anterior angles of pronotum and a deep furrow formed by five or six large punctures behind eye.