Quedius (Raphirus) dryas, Smetana, Aleš, 2012

Smetana, Aleš, 2012, Contributions to the knowledge of the Quediina (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylinini) of China. Part 42. Genus Quedius Stephens, 1829. Subgenus Raphirus Stephens, 1829. Section 10, Zootaxa 3156, pp. 43-68 : 64-66

Quedius (Raphirus) dryas sp. nov.

( Figs. 77–82)

Type locality. People’s Republic of China, N-Yunnan, Nujiang Lisu Aut. Pref., Gongshan Co., Gaoligong Shan, sidevalley, 3000–3050 m, 27°47.90`N 98°30.19`E.

Type material. Holotype (male) and allotype (female) : China: CHINA: N-Yunnan [C 2005-16] Nujiang Lisu Aut. Pref., Gongshan Co., Gaoligong Shan, sidevalley, 3000–3050 m, 27°47.90`N 98°30.19`E / conif. forest with Rhododendron , broadleaved bushes, litter, moss, dead wood, sifted along creek and snowfields, 21.VI.2005 M. Schülke [C 2005-16] . Holotype in MSC, allotype in ASC.

Paratypes: China: [Yunnan]: same data as holotype, 1♀ ( MSC) ; Yunnan [ CH 2007-24] Nujiang Lisu Aut. Pref., Gongshan Co., Gaoligong Shan, sidevalley, 3000–3050 m, 27°47.94`N 98°30.13`E, mixed forest, litter, moss, wood sifted, 7.VI.2007, M. Schülke, 13, 1 ♀ ( ASC, MSC).

Description. Black, head, pronotum and elytra with metallic lustre, abdomen iridescent. Palpi and antennae testaceous, legs testaceo-brunneous, medial faces of middle and hind tibiae, and hind femora, darkened. Head rounded, wider than long (ratio 1.15); eyes very large and convex, tempora very short, considerably shorter than length of eyes seen from above (ratio 0.12); no additional setiferous punctures between anterior frontal punctures; posterior frontal puncture touching posteriomedial margin of eye, one puncture between it and posterior margin of head; temporal puncture close to posterior margin of eye, separated from it by distance slightly larger than diameter of puncture; surface of head with dense, very fine microsculpture of transverse and oblique waves. Antenna moderately long, segment 2 slightly longer than segment 3 (ratio 1.20), segments 4 and 5 longer than wide, segment 6 vaguely longer than wide, segments 7–10 about as long as wide to slightly transverse, last segment as long as two preceding segments combined. Pronotum about as long as wide, broadly arcuate basally, evenly transversely convex, narrowed anteriad; dorsal rows each with three punctures; sublateral rows each with two punctures, with posterior puncture situated before level of large lateral puncture; surface of pronotum with microsculpture same as that on head. Scutellum with microsculpture of rudimentary waves, with six to eight setiferous punctures. Elytra moderately long, at suture vaguely shorter (ratio 0.92), at sides about as long as pronotum at midline; punctation fine, moderately dense, transverse interspaces between punctures mostly larger than diameters of punctures; surface between punctures without microsculpture; pubescence yellowish-golden. Wings fully developed. Abdomen with tergite 7 (fifth visible) with fine whitish apical seam of palisade setae; tergite 2 (in front of first fully visible tergite) with a few very fine, scattered punctures; punctation of tergites markedly finer than that on elytra, rather sparse, more or less evenly covering each tergite, becoming in general sparser toward apex of abdomen; pubescence yellowish-golden, becoming denser on either lateral portion of each tergite, middle portion of each tergite with dark pubescence; surface between punctures with excessively fine and dense microsculpture of striae.

M a l e. First four segments of front tarsus hardly dilated and sub-bilobed, each with some tenent setae ventrally, segment 2 narrower than apex of tibia (ratio 0. 80), segment 4 slightly narrower than preceding segments. Sternite 8 with two long setae on each side, with wide and rather deep medioapical emargination ( Fig. 77), very small triangular area before emargination flattened and smooth. Genital segment with tergite 10 markedly narrowed toward subtruncate apex, with several long setae at and near apex, otherwise with only a few setae ( Fig. 78). Sternite 9 with short basal portion, apical portion narrowly arcuate apically, with two slightly differentiated apical setae, otherwise sparingly setose ( Fig.79). Aedoeagus ( Figs. 80, 81) small, slightly, widely attenuate in middle portion, anteriorly narrowed into narrow apical portion with acute apex, on face adjacent to paramere, when paramere removed, with short median carina; paramere narrow, parallelsided, with widely arcuate apex not reaching apex of median lobe; four fine setae at apical margin, medial pair longer than lateral pair, two similar setae at each lateral margin below apex; sensory peg setae on underside of paramere forming one rather short longitudinal row along each lateral margin of apical portion, six to eight peg setae in each row ( Fig. 81).

F e m a l e. First four segments of front tarsus not appreciably dilated. Tergite 10 of genital segment markedly narrowed toward narrowly arcuate apex, with several long setae on apical portion, otherwise quite sparingly setose ( Fig. 82).

Length 3.9–4.2 mm.

Geographical distribution. Quedius dryas is at present known only from the type locality in Gaoligong Shan, a mountain range in extreme northwestern Yunnan near the Myanmar border.

Bionomics. The specimens of the original series were taken in a coniferous forest with Rhododendron and broadleaved bushes undergrowth by sifting litter, moss and dead wood along a creek and along snowfields. Some specimens were taken in a mixed forest by sifting litter, moss and dead wood. Several other species of Quedius were collected at these habitats: Q. goong , Q. jaang , Q. kwang , Q. pyn and Q. lanugo (see Smetana 2006).

Recognition and comments. Quedius dryas is one of the smallest Raphirus species occurring in mainland China. It is the smallest one among the winged species, but some of the brachypterous species, such as Q. io Smetana, 2008 or Q. bann Smetana, 2008 are equally small. In addition to the small size, most specimens display narrow, rather parallelsided body shape. The small aedoeagus with long, parallelsided paramere with widely arcuate apex is also characteristic. It is the only species among the winged species with medial faces of both middle and hind tibiae, and hind femora darkened.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the name of Dryas , - antis, m, the father of Lycurgus , king of Thrace, in apposition.