Lithocharodes bierigi, Irmler, 2021

Irmler, Ulrich, 2021, The Neotropical species of the genus Lithocharodes SHARP, 1876 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Xantholinini), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 71 (1), pp. 29-85 : 34-35

Lithocharodes bierigi spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:40819238-8854-4AA3-8080-FEA8778C77CE

Figs 20 a-d, 45 E, 49 H

Type material examined: male, holotype: Costa Rica, Puntarenas, 11.8.1939, leg. A. Bierig ( FMNH) . Paratypes: 5 males with same data as holotype (4 FMNH, 1 UIC) .

Diagnosis: The species most closely resembles L. fuscipennis ( SHARP, 1876) and L. fusciventris SHARP, 1885 in size, colouration and punctation of the head. Females cannot be certainly separated from both species because the main separating characters are found in the shape of sternite VII of male. In L. bierigi , sternite VII of male has a large process, whereas it is simply rounded in L. fuscipennis and L. fusciventris .

Description: Length: 5.2 mm. Colouration: Yellow-brown; base of elytra dark, nearly black; only narrow posterior margin yellow; legs and antennae dark yellow.

Head: 0.88 mm long, 0.71 mm wide; eyes large; slightly prominent; postocular sides slightly divergent posteriad; nearly 3 times as long as eyes; posterior angles rounded; posterior margin slightly emarginate in front of neck; interantennal furrows weak; setiferous punctation moderately dense and deep; on average, interstices between punctures twice as wide as diameter of punctures; on clypeus denser; on posterior vertex sparser; moderately narrow midline impunctate; surface without microsculpture; polished. Antennae with first antennomere as long as half-length of head; second and third antennomere triangular; slightly longer than apical width; subsequent antennomeres wider than long and increasing in width; both fourth and tenth antennomere approximately twice as wide as long; antennomeres four to eleven pubescent; all antennomeres with setae. Pronotum: 0.95 mm long, 0.64 mm wide; widest in anterior third; shortly narrowed toward neck; slightly narrowed in middle third; nearly parallel in posterior third; posterior angles shortly rounded; posterior margin 0.8 times as wide as widest width; Elytra: 0.98 mm long, 0.77 mm wide; humeral angles sub-rectangular; sides parallel; posterior angles nearly rectangular; posterior margin widely reflexed to suture; setiferous punctation irregularly dense and moderately deep; on average, interstices between punctures as wide as diameter of punctures but partly coriaceous; surface with weak irregular ground sculpture; moderately matt. Abdomen with weaker and sparser setiferous punctation than pronotum and elytra; without microsculpture; surface shiny; sternite VII of male with long and wide central process at posterior margin; on each side of central process with deep emargination; tergite VII of male straight at posterior margin. Aedeagus long oval; anteriorly sub-rectangular; endophallus with stripe covered by large lobes on one side and minute teeth on other side; paramere slender; slightly curved at apex; on all faces with numerous setae; setae at apex shorter than at base.

Etymology: The species name honours the collector A. Bierig, who collected and described many Staphylinidae from the Neotropical region.

Figures

Fig. 19–24: L.-fuscipennis-group:Lithocharodesfuscipennis(19),L. bierigi(20),L. nigripennis(21),L. clavicornis(22),L. karinae (23), L. katharinae (24); aedeagus (a), paramere (b), sternite VII of male (c), tergite VII of male (d); scale bare: A–D: 0.2 mm; B: 0.1 mm.