Strigota obscurata Klimaszewski & Brunke, sp. n.

Brunke, Adam J., Klimaszewski, Jan, Dorval, Julie-Anne, Bourdon, Caroline, Paiero, Steven M. & Marshall, Stephen A., 2012, New species and distributional records of Aleocharinae (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) from Ontario, Canada, with a checklist of recorded species, ZooKeys 186, pp. 119-206 : 153-156

Strigota obscurata Klimaszewski & Brunke, sp. n. Figs 75150-154Map 75

Type locality.

Canada, Ontario, Wellington Co., Eramosa, Wellington Rd. 124 and 29, hedgerow nr. soybean field, 43.61 -80.21.

Type material.

Holotype (male): CANADA, ON: Wellington Co., Eramosa, Wellington Rd. 124 and 29, hedgerow, pitfall, 15.vi.2010, A. Brunke (DEBU).

Paratypes(2 males, 5 females, 7 sex unknown):labeled as the holotype, 6 sex? (DEBU); Huron Co., Auburn, soybean field, pitfall, 23.vi.2010, A. Brunke, 1 female, 1 male (DEBU); Manitoulin Distr.,Manitoulin Is., Misery Bay Prov. Nat. Res., 45°47'28"N, 82°44'58"W, alvar, malaise trap, 15.vi to 2.vii.2010, Pivar et al., debu00325236, 1 female (DEBU), Manitoulin Is., Kip Fleming Tract, 8km SW Gore Bay, 45°52'13"N, 82°32'31"W, oak savannah/alvar, under stones, 27-29.v.2010, A. Brunke, debu00323337, 1 female (DEBU); Northumberland Co., Barr property, 7 km NE Centreton, site 2, 44°7'48"N, 77°59'3"W, field, malaise pans, 16-27.vi.2011, Brunke & Paiero, debu01147152, 1 female (LFC), same data except: malaise, 26.vii to 12.viii.2011, debu01149211, 1 female (DEBU); Wellington Co., Guelph, hedgerow, 5.v.2009, A. Brunke, 1 male (LFC).

Diagnosis.

Strigota obscurata is readily separated from the other Strigota species by the combination of: median lobe constricted basally in parameral view (Fig. 150), male and female tergite VIII with apical margin sharply produced (Fig. 152), the dark coloration, including the legs, the body size (2.2-2.5mm) and elytra at suture distinctly shorter than the pronotum at midline (Fig. 75).

Description.

Body narrowly elongate, dark brown to black, with legs and/or tarsi brown, central disc of elytra sometimes with traces of reddish tinge, length 2.2-2.5 mm, moderately glossy, with dense, meshed microsculpture, pubescence short, dense and appearing somewhat silky; head convex, rounded posteriorly, postocular area at least slightly longer than the length of eye, pubescence directed towards midline of disc; antennae stout, antennomeres 1-3 strongly elongate, 4-5 subquadrate and 6-10 moderately transverse; pronotum slightly transverse, widest in basal third, pubescence directed obliquely posteriad, posteriad at midline; elytra transverse, at suture shorter than pronotum at midline, pubescence directed straight posteriad; abdomen subparallel with tergites II–IV deeply impressed basally; metatarsus with basal article as long as two following articles combined.

Male. Tergite VIII with bisinuate base and acutely produced apex, (Fig. 152); sternite VIII elongate with broad distance between base and antecostal suture, apex truncate (Fig. 153); median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view with moderately sized bulbus, tubus of median lobe slightly produced ventrad, internal sac in lateral view with several short, inconspicuous sclerites (Fig. 151); median lobe of aedeagus in ventral (parameral) view with tubus constricted basally (Fig. 150).

Female. Tergite and sternite VIII similar to those of male; spermatheca with club-shaped capsule bearing a small invagination, stem sinuate and coiled apically (Fig. 154). The spermatheca of this species is nearly identical to that of Strigota ambigua except for the capsule, which is more sharply deflexed and of a different shape (Fig. 154, compare with illustrations in Gusarov (2003a)).

Distribution.

Presently, Strigota obscurata is known only from Ontario but it is expected to occur widely in northeastern North America.

Bionomics.

Strigota obscurata occurs in many of the same habitats as Strigota ambigua and was the most commonly collected rove beetle in southern Ontario soybean fields, frequently co-occurring with the latter species (Brunke et al. in prep.).

Etymology.

The specific name is the Latin word for ‘darkened’. This is in reference to the distinct, overall darker body colorationcompared to Strigota ambigua , the only other eastern species of the genus.

Comments.

Prior to this publication there were five valid species of Strigota in North America: Strigota ambigua (Erichson) with numerous synonyms (see Gusarov (2003a)), Strigota perplexa Casey from Colorado, Strigota seducens Casey from California, Strigota impiger Casey from Washington and Strigota intrudens Casy from California. In an online catalog of Athetini , Gusarov (2003b) regarded Strigota impiger Casey and Strigota intrudens Casey as unpublished synonyms of Strigota seducens Casey. We have examined the types of Strigota perplexa Casey and Strigota seducens Casey. The single specimen of Strigota perplexa in Casey’s collection is a dissected male but features of the aedeagus could not be examined due to overclearing. The distinctive tergite 8 of Strigota obscurata will easily differentiate it from Strigota perplexa until more specimens can be examined from the type locality (Colorado, Boulder Co.) so that the aedeagi can be compared.

The type series of Strigota seducens contains 6 specimens with the following data: Cal; ‘seducens-6’, Paratype USNM 39047; Casey bequest 1925; Gusarov lect. des. 2003 [unpublished designation]; our lectotype label, present designation, [1 male, dissected, with genitalia scarcely visible] (NMNH). Same data except: ‘seducens-2’; Gusarov paralect. des. 2003 [unpublished designation]; our paralectotype label, present designation, [1 female, dissected, spermatheca not located] (NMNH). Same data as first paralectotype except: ‘seducens-3’; [1 male, dissected, aedeagus not located] (NMNH). Same except: ‘seducens-4’; [1 female, dissected, with spermatheca] (NMNH). Same except: ‘seducens-5’; [1 sex?, not dissected]. Same except: 'seducens-Type 39047'; seducens; [1 sex?, damaged, abdomen missing].

For the purpose of nomenclatural stability, we here designate the first mentioned specimen as a lectotype and the other 5 as paralectotypes. The spermatheca of one of the paralectotypes was compared to our specimens of Strigota obscurata and no important differences could be found; the only available aedeagus of Strigota seducens was barely visible in the permanent mount and could not be compared in detail. However, Strigota obscurata may be differentiated from Strigota seducens by the combination of characters in the diagnosis and the uniformly colored elytra (light brown in centre of the disc in Strigota seducens ). The only other eastern species of the genus, Strigota ambigua , is easily separated from Strigota obscurata by the larger size (2.4-3.0mm), less produced tergite 8 in both sexes, differently shaped aedeagus and spermatheca (Figs 150-151, 154 vs. illustrations in Gusarov (2003a)) and distinctly paler coloration of the appendages.