Leptusa (Dysleptusa) improvisa, Assing, 2009

Assing, V., 2009, On the Leptusa species of Turkey. VII. Notes on distribution, a new species, a new synonymy, and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 41 (1), pp. 427-436 : 433-435

Leptusa (Dysleptusa) improvisa nov.sp. ( Figs 1-9 , Maps 1 , 5 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype 3: "N 36°31'44" E 32°14'04", TR Antalya, Alanya-Taskent, 30 km von Alanya, 1140 m, Brachat & Meybohm, 25.4.2008 / Holotypus 3 Leptusa improvisa sp.n. det. V. Assing 2008 (cAss). Paratypes: 433, 6♀♀: same data as holotype (cAss, OÖLL).

D e s c r i p t i o n: 1.8-2.3 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: head dark-brown to blackish-brown; pronotum brown to dark-brown, usually somewhat paler than head; elytra yellowish-brown to brown; abdomen with segments VI-VII blackish, segments III- V and apex more or less distinctly paler; legs and antennomeres I-III yellowish, antennomeres IV-XI yellowish-brown to brown.

Head approximately as wide as long; punctation extremely fine, barely visible; integument with shallow microsculpture; eyes weakly protruding from lateral contours of head, approximately half as long as postocular region in dorsal view ( Fig. 2 ). Antenna distinctly incrassate apically; antennomere IV weakly transverse, X approximately twice as wide as long.

Pronotum approximately 1.30-1.35 times as wide as long and 1.2 times as wide as head; maximal width slightly before middle; punctation and microsculpture similar to those of head ( Fig. 2 ).

Elytra approximately as wide as or slightly wider than pronotum, at suture approximately 0.8 times as long as pronotum; humeral angles obsolete ( Fig. 2 ); punctation coarsely granulose; microsculpture indistinct, interstices shiny. Hind wings reduced.

Abdomen subparallel, widest at segment VI, slightly wider than elytra; punctation extremely fine and sparse; microsculpture shallow; tergites VII-VIII with sexual dimorphism; posterior margin of tergite VII with or without a narrow, barely noticeable rudiment of a palisade fringe.

3: tergite VII in posterior half with more or less pronounced oblong median tubercle; tergite VIII with median keel in posterior half, this keel less pronounced than that of tergite VII, posterior margin concave in the middle and distinctly serrate ( Fig. 3 ); sternite VIII obtusely angled in the middle ( Fig. 4 ); median lobe of aedeagus as in Fig. 7 ; paramere with slender apical lobe ( Fig. 8 ).

♀: posterior margin of tergite VIII almost truncate, only very weakly concave in the middle and not serrate ( Fig. 5 ); sternite VIII posteriorly weakly concave ( Fig. 6 ); spermatheca as in Fig. 9.

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Latin, adjective: surprising, unexpected) refers to the fact

that this species was discovered in southwestern Anatolia, a region from where Leptusa species were previously unknown.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Leptusa improvisa is particularly distinguished from all its congeners by the distinctive morphology of the median lobe of the aedeagus. Based on the male sexual characters, the species undoubtedly belongs to the subgenus Dysleptusa PACE 1982 . The only consubgener previously known from Turkey is L. fuliginosa , a species confounded with L. cribripennis KRAATZ 1856 until recently ( ASSING 2004). From this species, L. improvisa is additionally separated by somewhat paler coloration, smaller eyes (in L. fuliginosa approximately as long as postocular region in dorsal view), much finer punctation of the head, distinctly less pronounced microsculpture of the head, pronotum and of the abdomen, as well as by shorter and narrower elytra without distinct humeral angles (in L. fuliginosa distinct) and by the (near) absence of a palisade fringe (in L. fuliginosa pronounced). For an illustration of the aedeagus of L. fuliginosa see ASSING (2003).

The new species is distinguished from L. cerrutii from Cyprus by the different morphology of the aedeagus (much longer and more acute ventral process, internal structures of different shape) and additionally by the distinctly darker coloration ( L. cerrutii : body, including appendages, yellowish, with abdominal segment VI and anterior part of VII infuscate), as well as by the slightly larger eyes ( L. cerrutii : length of eyes approximately 1/4 the length of postocular region in dorsal view). For illustrations of the sexual characters of L. cerrutii see PACE (1989).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: Thetypelocalityissituatedtotheeast of Alanya, eastern Antalya province, southern Turkey ( Map 1 ). The discovery of this species is zoogeographically remarkable, not only because it is the first representative of the genus to become known from southern Anatolia, but also because it is the second species of Dysleptusa recorded from Turkey, a Holarctic subgenus previously including only nine - both widespread and locally endemic - species. The type specimens were sifted in a fir forest from moist decaying wood of a fallen tree trunk (MEYBOHM pers. comm.) at an altitude of 1140 m.

Figures

Map 1: Distribution of the genus Leptusa in Turkey (all records pooled); open circle: type locality of L. improvisa nov.sp.

Map 5: Distribution of the subgenus Dysleptusa PACE in Turkey and Cyprus: L. fuliginosa (AUBÉ) (filled circles), L. improvisa nov.sp. (filled square), and L. cerrutii COIFFAIT (open circles).

Figs 1-9: Leptusa improvisa nov.sp.: (1) habitus; (2) forebody; (3) male tergite VIII; (4) male sternite VIII; (5) female tergite VIII; (6) female sternite VIII; (7) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (8) paramere; (9) spermatheca. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2-6: 0.2 mm; 7-9: 0.1 mm.