Baeocera semirufa Löbl, 2021

Löbl, Ivan & Smetana, Aleš, 2021, On the Baeocera Erichson (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae) of Sabah, Malaysia, and a tale on mystified biodiversity, J. Insect Biodiversity 23 (2), pp. 23-42 : 36-37

Baeocera semirufa Löbl , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:DC8E6EAC-D5F1-49E4-8721-1355303628F6

( Figs 20–23 )

Material examined. Holotype ♂, SABAH: Poring Hot Springs , 500 m 8.V.1987 Burckhardt – Löbl ( MHNG). Paratypes: 3 ♂, with the same data as the holotype ; 1 ♂, with the same data but 6.V.87 ( MHNG) ; 1 ♂, with the same data but 600 m, 9.V.87 ; 1 ♂, with the same data but 550–600 m, 9.V.87 ( MHNG) ; 3 ♂, with the same data but 500 m, 11.V.87 ( MHNG) ; 1 ♂, Poring Hot Springs, below Bat Cave , 600 m, 10.V.87, Burckhardt & Löbl ( MHNG) ; 1 ♂, Poring Hot Springs , Langanan Falls , 900–950 m, 12.V.87, Burckhardt & Löbl ( MHNG) .

Description. Length 1.14–1.22 mm, width 0.78–0.83 mm. Body light reddish-brown, mesoventrite, metaventrite and elytra slightly darker than pronotum and abdomen, femora and tibiae as pronotum, tarsi and antennae yellowish. Head with interocular distance slightly smaller than to as large as dorsoventral eye diameter. Lateral contours of pronotum and elytra nearly continuously arcuate. Pronotum not microsculptured, with punctation very fine, hardly visible at 40 times magnification, lateral margin carinae not visible in dorsal view. Tip of scutellum exposed, triangular. Elytra not microsculptured, with lateral margins oblique, lateral margin carinae exposed in dorsal view, sutural striae parallel with suture, curved at bases and extended along basal margins to form shallow basal striae joined with lateral striae; adsutural areas flat, distinctly punctate expect near apices. Discal punctation coarse, punctures well delimited, smaller than puncture intervals, becoming finer on inflexed apical part of disc. Hind wings fully developed. Hypomera appearing impunctate. Mesoventrite without mesal ridge, punctate. Mesepimera three times as long as wide and about two times as long as intervals to coxae. Centre of metaventrite flat, with scattered, fairly coarse punctures, impunctate at middle. Lateral areas of metaventrite densely and coarsely punctate, punctures round, to part larger than puncture intervals and larger than punctures on centre of metaventrite. Submesocoxal areas 0.01–0.02 mm long, densely margined by round punctures as large as those on centre of metaventrite. Metanepisterna concealed. Tibiae straight. Ventrite I lacking striae, with punctures margining base not elongate, smaller than most punctures on sides of metaventrite, not interrupted at middle; surface posterior of basal puncture row with scattered coarse punctures, usually denser at middle than on lateral areas, consisting of punctures about as large as basal punctures. Remaining abdominal punctation very fine and sparse, hardly visible at 80 x magnification.

Male characters. Protarsomeres I to III hardly widened. Aedeagus ( Figs 20–23 ) 0.29–0.32 mm long. Median lobe in dorsal view abruptly narrowed apically, with tip acute and bent; apical process slightly inflexed, longer than half of basal bulb, ventral contour of apical process in lateral view straight. Articular process not prominent. Parameres fairly narrow, not notched, slightly widened at apices, nearly straight in dorsal and lateral views. Internal sac with flagellar supporting sclerite, flagellar-guide sclerite long, broad basally, strongly narrowed apically, joined basally with conspicuous oblique sclerite; without membranous vesicle.

Differential diagnosis. This species resembles B. incisa (Löbl) in having the entire elytral disc and the ventrite I distinctly punctate. It may be distinguished from B. incisa by the basal striae of the elytra joined with the lateral striae, and is readily separated from its congeners, B. rudis sp. nov. excepted, by the shape of the basal sclerite of the internal sac. It differs notably from B. rudis by the abdominal punctation.

Distribution. East Malaysia: Sabah.

Etymology. The species epithet is a Latin adjective referring to the reddish body colour.

Figures

Figures 16–23. Baeocera spp., aedeagi; (16, 17) B. seiugata sp. nov., in dorsal and lateral views, scale = 0.1 mm; (18) ditto, paramere in ventral view, scale = 0.05 mm; (19) ditto, internal sac in dorsal view, scale = 0.05 mm. (20, 21). B. semirufa sp. nov., in dorsal and lateral views, scale = 0.1 mm; (22) ditto, paramere in ventral view, scale = 0.05 mm; (23) ditto, internal sac in dorsal view, scale = 0.05 mm.