Ocalea gyorgyi, Assing & Terlutter, 2008

Assing, V. & Terlutter, H., 2008, A new species of Ocalea from Romania (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 40 (2), pp. 1337-1340 : 1338-1339

Ocalea gyorgyi nov.sp. ( Figs 1-7 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: " Romania, jud. Caraş- Severin, Munţii Almaj, N entry of Cheile Rudǎriei, under Moara Roşoaena (watermill), 420 m / debris, leaflitter stuck at branches in stream, flotation [349], 44°51'51"N, 22°05'59"E, 10.X.2007, Gy. Makranczy / Holotypus Ocalea gyorgyi sp.n. det. V. Assing & H. Terlutter 2008" (HNHM). Paratype [damaged]: 1: same data as holotype (cAss).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 4.8-5.0 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: body uniformly blackish; legs pitchy-brown; antennae dark-brown, with antennomeres I-III slightly paler.

Head approximately 1.05 times as wide as long; punctation fine and dense; microsculpture very shallow, almost obsolete; eyes large, somewhat longer than postocular region in dorsal view ( Fig. 2 ). Antennae slender, approximately 1.8 mm long; antennomeres I-III elongate and of subequal length; IV distinctly shorter than III, but almost twice as long as wide; X approximately as long as wide.

Pronotum of holotype 1.12 times as wide as long and 1.18 times as wide as head; posterior angles obtuse, but marked; lateral margins in posterior half weakly sinuate in dorsal view ( Fig. 2 ); pubescence directed cephalad along anterior 5/6-6/7 of midline, caudad along posterior 1/7-1/6 of midline, and laterad in lateral portions of disc; punctation dense, similar to that of head; microsculpture indistinct.

Elytra approximately 1.1 times as long and 1.5 times as wide as pronotum; posterior margins moderately sinuate near posterior angles ( Fig. 2 ); punctation fine and dense, more defined than that of pronotum; interstices with fine transverse microsculpture; pubescence on disc directed diagonally postero-laterad. Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen approximately 0.8 times as wide as elytra, widest at segments V/VI; tergites III-V with rather deep, tergite VI with shallow anterior impression; punctation fine and rather sparse, somewhat sparser on posterior than on anterior tergites; posterior margin of tergite VII with pronounced palisade fringe; tergites III-VI glossy, with very shallow microsculpture composed of extremely fine transverse striae (visible only at high magnification); tergite VII with slightly more distinct microsculpture composed of long transverse meshes; microsculpture of tergite VIII composed of shorter transverse meshes.

: posterior margin of tergite VIII weakly convex, in the middle truncate ( Fig. 4 ); sternite VIII longer than tergite VIII, posterior margin distinctly produced in the middle ( Fig. 5 ); median lobe of aedeagus of highly distinctive morphology, at base of ventral process with a conspicuous pair of acutely triangular processes ( Figs 6-7 ); parameres not distinctive.

: unknown.

E t y m o l o g y: We dedicate this remarkable species to György Makranczy, Budapest, to whom we owe its discovery.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Among its European congeners, O. gyorgyi is most similar to O. concolor KIESENWETTER 1847 , whose body, including the legs and antennae, is of similarly dark coloration. The new species is readily distinguished from O. concolor , as well as from other congeners particularly by the conspicuous pair of triangular processes at the base of the ventral process, a unique character in the genus.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The type locality is situated in the Munţii Almaj, Caraş- Severin province, southwestern Romania. The specimens were collected from flood debris and leaf litter at a stream at an altitude of 420 m.

Figures

Figs 1-7: Ocalea gyorgyi nov.sp. (1-3, 7: holotype): (1) habitus; (2) forebody; (3) antenna; (4) male tergite VIII; (5) male sternite VIII; (6-7) aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2-7: 0.5 mm.