Lomechusoides zeyai 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 : 591-592

Lomechusoides zeyai Jászay, Hlaváč & Baňař sp. nov.

Figs 154–157

Etymology. Named after the locality name, Zeya.

Material studied. HOLOTYPE, ♀: RUSSIA: (h) Ge. Zeya [Zeya district, Amur area], Puzi [Puzilo, collector] / (p) к. Сольскаго [collection Solsky ] / red label (p) HOLOTYPE ♀ Lomechusoides zeyai sp. nov., det. T. Jászay, P. Hlaváč & P. Baňař det., 2021 ( ZIN) .

Description. Body light reddish-brown ( Fig. 154 ) except clypeus, labrum, antennae, disc of pronotum, narrow anterior margin of visible tergites II–IV, larger part of anterior margin of visible tergites V–VII, anterior margin of visible sternites V–VII, mesoventrite, metaventrite, epimeral and episternal sclerites and posterior margin of metepimeron brown.

Head rectangular, slightly longer than wide, ratio HW/HL: 0.85, with deep, round-shaped frontal median impression, which is unevenly microsculptured and finely punctate, shiny; disc of head microsculptured with fine visible punctures, dull; length of eyes 0.25x length of head; eyes protuberant, temples behind eyes constricted and in posterior third slightly concave, subparallel posteriad. Antennae short, scape 1.48x as long as wide and 2.85x as long as pedicel, all antennomeres elongate except II and IV, antennomeres IV–X barrel-shaped, IV almost spherical, pedicel 0.70x, antenommere III: 1.36x, IV: 0.91x, V: 1.08x as long as wide, terminal antennomere slender and acute, 1.25x as long as scape, relative length of antennomeres from base to apex: 20: 7: 13: 11: 13: 14: 13: 13: 13: 13: 25.

Pronotum ( Fig. 155 ) trapezoidal, ratio PW/PL: 1.60 with concave shallow anterior margin, anterior corners obtuse, lateral sides in anterior first thirds shortly rounded, median third concave, posterior third divergent posteriad, shortly before basal corners narrowed, basal corners acute, bearing deep lateral microsculptured impressions, pronotal disc slightly microsculptured, pronotum with almost even puncturation, tubercles well-defined; median line well defined; in lateral view lateral margins in anterior third thick and posterior third thinner, second third thin with well-defined, sharp edge; maximal width of pronotum just before basal corners, here slightly narrower than width of elytra at humeri; pronotum with macrosetae, anterior margin with about four, lateral margins with about three macrosetae.

Anterior and lateral margins of metaventral process ( Fig. 156 ), concave, anterior margin with transversal elevation and subparallel lateral lines, median line with roof-like elevation, posterior part in median line lacking lentil-like impression; metaventral process unevenly microsculptured and punctate; metaventral disc with round, shallow impression in median line, metaventrite microsculptured and sparsely punctate, discal setae long, exceeding margin of adjacent puncture.

Elytra finely and densely punctate, 0.90x as long as pronotum, ratio EW/EL: 2.00, with about three–four macrosetae in anterior part, humeral part lacking macrosetae, distance between punctures on disc one and half to twice as long as diameter of puncture.

Abdomen with visible tergite II densely punctate and setaceous, visible tergites III–IV densely punctate and setaceous only on posterior margin, larger part of visible tergites III–IV with fine and sparse punctures, visible tergites V–VII with sparse puncturation on posterior margin and visible tergites VI–VII with sparsely and slightly larger punctures on lateral parts, visible tergite II and visible tergites VI–VII microsculptured only on lateral parts, other visible tergites lacking microsculpture.

Male unknown.

Spermatheca ( Fig. 157 ) apical part 1.87x as long as basal part and 1.33x wider than basal extended part, 3.00x as long as wide, apical part subparallel, apex rounded, basal part ∞-like shaped.

Measurements. (♀, Holotype): TL 4.95 mm; FB 2.75 mm; HL 0.87 mm; HW 0.75 mm; antennal length 2.25 mm; PL 1.00 mm; PW 1.60 mm; EL 0.90 mm; EW 1.80 mm; FTL 0.85 mm; MTL 1.15 mm; HTL 1.25 mm.

Differential diagnosis. L. zeyai is separated from L. folgaricus , L. primoricus , L. strumosus and L. wellenii by the trapezoidal shape of the pronotum. From all other species of L. strumosus complex by lateral sides of the pronotum in the middle third concave and strongly divergent in posterior third. From L. sibiricus and L. zerchei it differs by the sharp edge on lateral sides of the pronotum which is in the middle third in lateral view. From L. dlabolai and L. reitteri it differs by the larger size and the bicoloured body. From L. penicillatus it differs by shorter antenomeres. From L. sibiricus it differs by the darker colouration and by shorter and barel-like shaped antennomeres IV–X and by the short pedicel and almost spherical antennomere IV. From L. dlabolai , L. dudkorum , L. fallax , L. reitteri , L. richteri , L. rossii , L. siculus , L. teres and L. zerchei it differs by the lacking of humeral mascrosetae on elytra.

Host ant. Unknown.

Distribution. Russia (Amur area).

Figures

FIGURES 154–157. Lomechusoides zeyai sp. nov., female holotype. 154, dorsal habitus; 155, pronotum in dorsal view (L: 1.00 mm, W: 1.60 mm); 156, metaventral process; 157, spermatheca. Scale bar in mm.