Lomechusoides inflatiformis Jászay, Hlaváč & Baňař, 2023

Jászay, Tomáš, Hlaváč, Peter & Baňař, Petr, 2023, A taxonomic revision of the myrmecophilous genus Lomechusoides Tottenham, 1939 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae). Part II. The revision of the strumosus species group, Zootaxa 5343 (6), pp. 539-593 : 547-549

Lomechusoides inflatiformis Jászay, Hlaváč & Baňař sp. nov.

Figs 12–19

Etymology. The name reflects the similarity of the new species to L. inflatus ( Zetterstedt, 1828) .

Material studied. HOLOTYPE, ♁: MONGOLIA: (missing left antennomeres II–XI, left protarsi, right mesoleg): (p) Mong. Chadchal 16.8.65 Dlabola in litt. loc. 26 / red label (p) HOLOTYPE ♁ Lomechusoides inflatiformis sp. nov., T. Jászay, P. Hlaváč & P. Baňař det., 2021 ( NMPC) . PARATYPES, 7 ♀♀: (p) same locality as holotype. All paratypes are bearing printed red label : ♀ Lomechusoides inflatiformis sp. nov., T. Jászay, P. Hlaváč & P. Baňař det., 2021 ( NMPC, PCPB) .

Description. Body light reddish-brown ( Fig. 12 ) except antennae, clypeus, labrum, boundless patch on vertex, disc of pronotum, anterior margin of visible tergites III–VII, lateral part of visible sternites III–IV and larger part of anterior margins of visible sternites V–VII brown.

Head quadrate, dull, as long as wide, ratio HW/HL: ♁ 1.00, ♀ 0.96 with deep, broad round frontal median impression which is unevenly microsculptured and with few large shallow punctures; disc of head microsculptured and with fine punctures; length of eyes 0.30x of length of head in both sexes; eyes very slightly protuberant, temples behind eyes straight, slightly convergent posteriad.

Antennae long, scape ♁ 1.66x, ♀ 1.50x as long as wide and ♁ 2.22x, ♀ 2.25x as long as pedicel, pedicel ♁ 1.05x, ♀ 0.88x as long as wide, antennomere III: ♁ 1.44x, ♀ 1.33x, IV: ♁ 1.36x ♀ 1.20x, V: ♁ 1.40x, ♀ 1.47x as long as wide, antennomeres V–VIII oval elongate, terminal segment thin and acute, ♁ 1.35x, ♀ 1.44x as long as scape, relative length of antennomeres from base to apex: ♁: 20: 9: 13: 13: 14: 15: 14: 14: 14: 13: 27; ♀: 18: 8: 12: 12: 14: 14: 14: 14: 13: 13: 26.

Pronotum ( Fig. 13 ) trapezoidal, ratio PW/PL: ♁ 1.71, ♀ 1.70 with clearly concave anterior margin, anterior corners obtuse, rounded, lateral sides in anterior third broadly rounded, in second third subparallel, in posterior third slightly convergent posteriad, shortly before posterior corners narrowed, posterior corners acute, bearing deep lateral microsculptured, sparcely punctate impressions, impressions with uneven cluster of deep punctures on posterior margin, pronotal disc slightly microsculptured, with sparse, uneven puncturation with almost unvisible tubercles; median line well-defined, narrow; in lateral view lateral margins in anterior half thick in posterior half narrower and slightly curved posteriad, lacking visible sharp edge; maximal width of pronotum close before posterior corners, width here as wide as width of elytra at humeri; pronotum with reduced number of macrosetae, anterior margin with two macrosetae, lateral margins in posterior corners with one macroseta.

Anterior and lateral margins of metaventral process ( Fig. 16 ) concave, lacking lateral lines, anterior margin with transverse carinate elevation, posterior part in median line with small oval, deep lentil-like impression, metaventral process unevenly microsculptured and sparcely unevenly punctate; disc of metaventrite with shallow longitudinal narrow impressions on sides of median line, metaventrite unevenly microsculptured and unevenly punctate, discal setae short, reaching margin of adjacent puncture.

Elytra finely punctate, ♁ 1.00x, ♀ 1.05x as long as pronotum, ratio EW/EL: ♁ 2.06, ♀ 1.88 with three macrosetae in anterior part, humeral part lacking macrosetae, distance between punctures on disc less than twice of diameter of puncture.

Abdomen with visible tergite II densely punctate and setaceous, visible tergites III–V with dense and visible tergites VI–VII with very sparse puncturation on posterior margin and with few fine punctures on lateral parts, visible tergite II unevenly, slightly microsculptured, III–V unevenly, very weakly almost unvisibly microsculptured, visible tergites VI–VII unevenly microsculptured only on lateral sides.

Aedeagus ( Figs 14–15 ) with median lobe slender, apical lobe tube-like, distinctly shorter than basal bulb, apical part short and plump, with few pseudopores, ventral side in lateral view convex, apex sharp, lateral sides of apical lobe subparallel or slightly convergent apically in ventral view. Apical lobe of parameres subparallel ( Fig. 17 ), hook-shaped and bent backwards, apex with 3 setae, with scarce pseudopores on apex lacking minute microsetae.

Spermatheca ( Fig. 18 ) with apical part 1.27x as long as basal part and 1.33x wider than basal extended part and 2.80x as long as wide, apical part subparallel apically, apex rounded.

Measurements. (♀, Holotype): TL 5.00 mm; FL 2.50 mm; HL 0.72 mm; HW 0.72 mm; antennal length 2.50 mm; PL 0.90 mm; PW 1.45 mm; EL 0.90 mm; EW 1.70 mm; FTL 0.90 mm; MTL 1.05 mm; HTL 1.40 mm. (♀, Paratype): TL 4.85 mm; FL 2.35 mm; HL 0.75 mm; HW 0.72 mm; antennal length 2.45 mm; PL 0.85 mm; PW 1.45 mm; EL 0.90 mm; EW 1.70 mm; FTL 0.90 mm; MTL 1.05 mm; HTL 1.40 mm.

Differential diagnosis. L. inflatiformis is readily separated from L. drobovi , L. chekanovskiyi and L. poppiusi by the bicoloured pronotum. From L. inflatus it differs by the widespread, light reddish colour of lateral margins of the pronotum, by almost invisible tubercles on the disc of the pronotum and by the reduced setae on antenomeres III–IV in males ( Fig. 19 ); furthermore the boundless patch on the posterior part of head is paler.

Host ant. Unknown.

Distribution. Mongolia.

Figures

FIGURES 12–19. Lomechusoides inflatiformis sp. nov. 12, female paratype, dorsal habitus; 13–17, male holotype. 13, pronotum in dorsal view (L: 0.90 mm, W: 1.45 mm), 14, aedeagus, lateral view; 15, aedeagus, ventral view; 16, metaventral process; 17, apex of paramere; 18, female paratype, spermatheca; 19, male paratype, antennomeres III–IV. Scale bars in mm.