Paraphloeostiba barclayi, Shavrin, 2024

Shavrin, Alexey V., 2024, Twenty-one new species of Omaliini from the Papuan Region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae), with diagnostic and faunistic notes on some species of the genus Paraphloeostiba Steel, 1960, Zootaxa 5424 (3), pp. 251-307 : 263-265

Paraphloeostiba barclayi sp. n.

( Figs 5 , 26–31 )

Type material. Holotype ♂ ( Fig. 5 ; right antennomeres 3–11 missing; dissected): ‘ NEW GUINEA | Awande (ca. 6°31’S 145°34’E), | 21.XI.1965 ’ <printed>, ‘ R. Hornabrook BM 1970-232.’ <printed>, ‘ HOLOTYPE | Paraphloeostiba | barclayi sp. n. | Shavrin A. V. des. 2024’ <red, printed> ( BMNH).

Paratype ♀ (dissected): ‘ NEW GUINEA | Border Ranges, Miarosa | (1900m, ca. 6°31’10’’S | 145°33’00’’E | 16.XI.1965 ’ <printed>, ‘ R. Hornabrook BM 1970-232.’ <printed>, ‘ PARATYPE | Paraphloeostiba | barclayi sp. n. | Shavrin A. V. des. 2024’ <red, printed> ( BMNH).

Description. Measurements (n=2): HW: 0.35; HL: 0.20–0.21; OL: 0.11–0.12; TL: 0.02; AL (holotype): 0.52; PL: 0.25–0.27; PW: 0.42–0.45; ESL: 0.40–0.42; EW: 0.52–0.55; MTbL (holotype): 0.27; MTrL (holotype): 0.12 (MTrL 1–4: 0.05; MTrL 5: 0.07); AW: 0.50–0.52; AedL: 0.35; BL: 1.62(holotype)–1.79.

Habitus as in Fig. 5 . Head, pronotum and abdomen reddish-brown (pronotum slightly paler, with yellowish lateroapical portions in holotype); elytra yellowish-brown, with darkened mediobasal, lateroapical and apical portions; antennomeres 5–11 brown; mouthparts, antennomeres 1–4 and legs yellow. Head with irregular sparse and relatively large punctation, denser in middle; neck without visible punctation; pronotum with relatively large and dense punctation, similar to that in middle portion of head, larger and deeper in lateral and finer in mediobasal portions; punctation of elytra similar to that in pronotum, but distinctly finer and sparser in middle portions of each elytron along suture. Head with distinct dense microsculpture: transverse on vertex, subdiagonal in middle and longitudinal in infraorbital portions; pronotum with dense transverse microreticulation, finer in middle; elytra with dense subdiagonal microreticulation, finer along suture; abdominal tergites with very fine transverse meshes.

Head with distinct narrow and moderately deep anteriomedian depression, 1.6 times as broad as long, with short, narrow and relatively deep anteocellar foveae, subdiagonally stretching posteriad and reaching level of of anterior third length of eyes; postocular carina absent. Ocelli moderately large, located at level of posterior margins of eyes; distance between ocelli slightly larger than distance between ocellus and posterior margin of eyes. Antennomere 3 distinctly shorter and narrower than 2, 4 about twice as long as 3, 5 slightly broader than 4, 6 slightly longer and distinctly broader than 5, 7–9 slightly longer and broader than 6, 10 indistinctly longer than 9, apical antennomere about as long combined length of two preceeding segments, from about middle strongly narrowed apicad toward subacute apex.

Pronotum 1.6 times as broad as long, 1.2 times as broad as head, widest in middle, more narrowed posteriad than anteriad; lateral impressions moderately deep, distinctly wider and deeper in laterobasal portions; lateral margins with fine regular crenulation.

Elytra 1.3 times as broad as long, 1.5–1.6 times as long as pronotum, with narrowly impressed lateral margins.

Metatarsi slightly more than twice as long as metatibia.

Abdomen slightly narrower than elytra.

Male. Posterior margin of abdominal tergite VIII rounded ( Fig. 28 ). Posterior margin of abdominal sternite VIII concave ( Fig. 29 ). Aedeagus with wide basal portion, strongly narrowed toward narrow and long median lobe with small rounded apex; parameres narrow, distinctly exceeding apex of median lobe and distinctly broadened apically, each with two long apical and two preapical setae and with additional three short setae in about middle of inner margin; internal sac moderately long and narrow, with large elongate sclerotized structure in basal portion ( Fig. 26 ). Lateral aspect of the aedeagus as in Fig. 27 .

Female. Posterior margins of abdominal tergite VIII ( Fig. 30 ) and abdominal sternite VIII ( Fig. 31 ) truncate. Female accessory sclerite and spermatheca not recognized.

Female. Posterior margin of abdominal tergite VIII truncate ( Fig. 30 ). Posterior margin of abdominal sternite VIII widely rounded ( Fig. 31 ). Accessory sclerite and spermatheca not recognized.

Comparative notes. Based on the very narrow median lobe and the parameres, P. barclayi sp. n. is similar to P. atramentaria sp. n., P. betlephila sp. n., P. coprophila sp. n., and P. steeli sp. n. It can be distinguished from all these species by the following morphological features:

from P. atramentaria sp. n. by the smaller body, the paler elytra, slightly broader pronotum and the longer parameres;

from P. betlephila sp. n. by the larger body, the paler elytra, the presence of the punctation on the head, the finer punctation on the pronotum, the shorter elytra and the longer parameres;

from P. coprophila sp. n. by the darker head, pronotum and abdomen, the presence of the punctation of the head, sparser and larger punctation of the pronotum, the shorter elytra and the longer parameres;

from P. steeli sp. n. by the paler elytra, the absence of elevations between punctures on the elytra and narrower apical portions of the parameres.

From all these species, P. atramentaria sp. n. can be distinguished by the details of the external and internal morphology of the aedeagus.

Distribution. Paraphloeostiba barclayi sp. n. is known from two localities in central part of Papua New Guinea.

Etymology. Patronymic, the species is named to honour of well-known coleopterologist Maxwell V.L. Barclay (London).

Bionomics. The paratype was collected at an elevation 1900 m a.s.l. The detailed bionomical data are unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Habitus of Omaliini: 1–Nipponophloeostiba hornabrooki (holotype), 2–Paraphloeostiba assimile (holotype), 3–P. atramentaria (holotype), 4–P. attenuata (paratype), 5–P. barclayi (paratype), 6–P. betlephila (holotype). Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 26–31. Paraphloeostiba barclayi (holotype): 26–aedeagus, parameral view, 27–aedeagus, lateral view, 28–male abdominal tergite VIII, 29–male abdominal sternite VIII, 30–female abdominal tergite VIII, 31–female abdominal sternite VIII. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.