Oedichirus grossepunctatus, Rougemont, 2018

Rougemont, Guillaume de, 2018, The genus Oedichirus in New Caledonia (Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Pinophilini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 537-586 : 549

Oedichirus grossepunctatus nov. sp. (Figs 15)

Material studied: ♀ Holotype: NEW CALEDONIA, Col des Roussettes, 2 February 2004, G.B. Monteith ♀ QM Berlesate 1110, 21º25’S x 165º28’E, rainforest, sieved litter ♀ HOLOTYPE Oedichirus grossepunctatus des. 2017 G. de Rougemont [ MNHN].

Description: length: 7.6 mm; length of fore-body: 3.6; length of head: 0.9; breadth of head: 1.15; length of antenna: 2.1; length of pronotum: 1.45; breadth of pronotum: 1.2; length of elytron: 1.35; breadth of elytra: 1.2. Body black; palpi, antennae and legs testaceous, apices of femorae infuscate. Head fairly shiny but entirely finely and densely micro-reticulate; pronotum devoid of microsculpture; elytra scarcely discernibly micro-reticulate; abdomen entirely covered in transverse micro-striae. Pubescence long, pale, erect on all surfaces. Habitus: Fig. 15h.

Head strongly transverse, the temples broadly rounded, coarctate with base; post-ocular border obsolete; puncturation very sparse, the punctures small, shallow, not obvious. Pronotum large, strongly elongate, the sides slightly rounded between broad anterior angles and distinct posterior angles which are more widely separate than base of elytra; lateral border entire; puncturation coarse, irregular, without clearly discernible discal series. Humeral angles completely obsolete, the sides of elytra widest behind middle, evenly rounded; puncturation coarse and dense, the punctures irregular, like those of pronotum. Punctures of abdominal tergites disposed randomly, of varying sizes, the largest as coarse as those of pronotum and elytra, becoming progressively smaller and sparser on tergites VI-VII, obsolescent on tergite VIII.

Female: sternite IX: Fig. 15vp.

The obsolete post-ocular border in combination with the colour, coarse puncturation, long elytra and long pubescence of this species make this species readily recognisable.