Cephennodes (Cephennodes) minisulcatus, Jałoszyński, 2017

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2017, Ant-like stone beetles on the roof of the world. Cephenniini of Nepal and Bhutan (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 4349 (1), pp. 1-120 : 63-64

Cephennodes (Cephennodes) minisulcatus sp. n.

( Figs 153 , 183–186 , 225 )

Type material. Holotype: NEPAL (Sindhupalchowk District): ♂, one label: " NEPAL (Prov. Bagmati) / Yangri Ridge / 4200 m, 21.IV.81 / Löbl & Smetana" [white, printed] ( MHNG). Paratypes (5 exx): 5 ♀♀, same data as for holotype ( MHNG, cPJ).

Diagnosis. BL 1.06–1.13 mm; abdominal sternite III in ventral view with submedian transverse carina, which is only slightly expanded medially and rounded, posterior margin of sternite III only slightly and broadly projecting posteriorly, rounded; apex of median lobe of aedeagus subtriangular, blunt and slightly asymmetrical; apical projection of aedeagus partly hidden behind apex of median lobe, with distal margin convex and nearly transverse in relation to the long axis of aedeagus, apical portion of apical projection strongly curved proximally.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 152 ) very dark chocolate brown, relatively stout, with shallow constriction between pronotum and elytra, strongly convex, covered with light brown setae; BL 1.10 mm.

Head subtrapezoidal, HL 0.15 mm, HW 0.28 mm; vertex and frons confluent and weakly, evenly convex, vertex with a pair of tiny but distinct tubercles; supraantennal tubercles small, weakly elevated; eyes moderately large, strongly convex, coarsely faceted. Punctures on vertex and frons fine, dense but inconspicuous; setae sparse, short, suberect. Antennae moderately long and moderately thickened, AnL 0.55 mm, pentamerous club indistinctly delimited; antennomere I about 1.2 × as long as broad; II narrower than I and similar in length, 1.5 × as long as broad; III–VI similar in shape, each slightly narrower and much shorter than II, each about as long as broad; VII slightly broader but only indistinctly longer than VI, about as long as broad; VIII distinctly broader but distinctly shorter than VII, distinctly transverse; IX much larger than VIII, slightly transverse; X larger than IX, slightly transverse; XI slightly broader than X, about as long as IX–X together, about 1.5 × as long as broad.

Pronotum in dorsal view nearly semicircular, broadest near middle, PL 0.35 mm, PW 0.53 mm; anterior margin in strictly dorsal view straight; lateral margins not microserrate, strongly rounded in anterior third, weakly so in posterior half and distinctly convergent toward slightly obtuse-angled hind corners; posterior margin shallowly bisinuate; lateral carinae distinct but narrow, fused with lateral margins; antebasal pits small and shallow, each slightly closer to posterior than to lateral pronotal margin. Punctures on disc very small and shallow, inconspicuous; setae moderately long, dense, suberect.

Elytra elongate, oval, broadest near anterior third, EL 0.60 mm, EW 0.53 mm, EI 1.14. Humeral calli weakly elevated; subhumeral lines distinct, parallel to suture, equal to 0.25 EL, each developed as a moderately sharp stepwise border between more convex humeral region and less convex adsutural area; basal pit on each elytron connected to relatively deep and nearly straight impression extending posteromesally; apices of elytra separately rounded. Punctures slightly more distinct than those on pronotum but superficial and inconspicuous; setae similar to those on pronotum.

Hind wings not studied.

Metaventrite with moderately large, sharply delimited postmesocoxal impressions, with median area covered with fine, dense punctures.

Abdomen ( Figs 183–184 ) with only sternite III modified, in ventral view sternite III bears broad transverse submedian carina, carina slightly expanded at middle as a short rounded lobe, posterior margin of sternite III slightly and broadly expanded posteriorly at middle, rounded.

Legs unmodified.

Aedeagus ( Figs 185–186 ) slender, AeL 0.18 mm, apex of median lobe subtriangular and blunt, slightly asymmetrical; apical projection partly hidden behind median lobe, its distal margin convex and nearly transverse in relation to the long axis of aedeagus; apex of apical projection subtriangular and strongly curved proximally; parameres very slender, slightly unequal in length, not exceeding apex of median lobe, each with one apical seta.

Female. Very similar to male but with unmodified abdomen; BL 1.05–1.13 mm (mean 1.11 mm); HL 0.15 mm, HW 0.28 mm, AnL 0.50–0.53 mm; PL 0.34–0.36 mm (mean 0.35 mm), PW 0.48–0.54 mm (mean 0.52 mm); EL 0.58–0.63 mm (mean 0.61 mm), EW 0.53–0.55 mm (mean 0.55 mm), EI 1.09–1.18.

Distribution ( Fig. 225 ). Central Nepal.

Etymology. The name minisulcatus refers to the small body and distinct sulci extending posteromesally from basal elytral foveae.

Remarks. Among species of the C. simplicipes group, C. minisulcatus can be easily distinguished on the basis of its relatively simple abdominal modification, which consists of a weakly arcuate submedian carina and an only slightly expanded posterior margin forming a broad and very short posterior projection.

Figures

FIGURES 148 – 155. Dorsal habitus of Cephennodes (s. str.) letheanus sp. n. (148), C. (s. str.) myagdiensis sp. n. (149), C. (s. str.) malla sp. n. (150), C. (s. str.) gorkha sp. n. (151), C. (s. str.) tharepatianus sp. n. (152), C. (s. str.) minisulcatus sp. n. (153), C. (s. str.) mustangensis sp. n. (154), and C. (s. str.) lalitpuranus sp. n. (155).

FIGURES 179 – 194. Abdomen of male in right lateral (179, 183, 187, 191) and ventral (180, 184, 188, 192) views and aedeagus in ventral (181, 185, 189, 193) and lateral (182, 186, 190, 194) views. Cephennodes (s. str.) tharepatianus sp. n. (179 – 182), C. (s. str.) minisulcatus sp. n. (183 – 186), C. (s. str.) mustangensis sp. n. (187 – 190), and C. (s. str.) lalitpuranus sp. n. (191 – 194).

FIGURES 225 – 226. Distribution of Cephennodes (s. str.) tharepatianus sp. n. (225, circle), C. (s. str.) minisulcatus sp. n. (225, triangle), C. (s. str.) mustangensis sp. n. (226, circle), C. (s. str.) lalitpuranus sp. n. (226, triangle).