Parosus taliaferroae, Makranczy & H-, 2014

Makranczy, György, 2014, Review of the genus Parosus Sharp, 1887 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Oxytelinae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 121 (1), pp. 77-133 : 128-130

Parosus taliaferroae sp. nov. Figs 26, 32-34, 119-122, 131, 143

TYPE MATERIAL: HOLOTYPE (3), “ PANAMA, Coclé Prov., El Copé, Atlantic Slope, 08°37'N, 80°35'W, 730m, 19-20 Nov.1994, [leg.] D. Windsor, C. Edwards, ex: flight intercept trap” ( SEMC). – PARATYPES (8), PANAMA, Bocas d. Toro Prov. , Fortuna / Chiriquí Grande road, 8°47'N, 82°11'W, 800m, 14-16.VII.1987, leg. D.M. Olson, premontane rain forest, sifting litter ( FMNH, 1♀, CNCI, 1♀) , Chiriquí Prov., La Fortuna , "Hydro. Trail" 08°42'N, 82°14'W, 1150m, 23.V.-9.VI.1995, leg. J. Ashe, R. Brooks (#156), ex: flight intercept trap ( SEMC, 1♀) , Chiriquí Prov., La Fortuna , "Cont. Divide Trail", 08°46'N, 82°12'W, 1150m, 9.VI.1995, leg. J. Ashe, R. Brooks (#159), ex: rotten elephant ear leaves ( SEMC, 1♀) , Coclé Prov., 7.2km NE El Copé , 08°37'N, 80°35'W, 730m, 20.V.-7.VI.1995, leg. J. Ashe, W. Brooks (#140), ex: flight intercept trap ( SEMC, 2♀, MHNG, 1♀) , Coclé Prov., 7.0km N El Valle, 08°36'N, 80°07'W, 810m, 19.V.1995, leg. J. & A. Ashe (#023), ex: Heliconia flowers ( SEMC, 1♀) .

DESCRIPTION: Forebody as in Fig. 131. Measurements (n=2): HW = 0.68 (0.65- 0.70); TW = 0.69 (0.66-0.71); PW = 0.66 (0.63-0.68); SW = 0.61 (0.57-0.65); MW = 0.72 (0.70-0.73); AW = 0.63 (0.60-0.66); HL = 0.55 (0.51-0.59); EL = 0.15 (0.13-0.17);

FL = 0.12 (0.10-0.13); TL = 0.25 (0.24-0.25); PL = 0.45 (0.43-0.46); SL = 0.67 (0.63- 0.71); SC = 0.65 (0.60-0.69); FB = 1.74 (1.64-1.84); BL = 3.21 (2.87-3.54) mm. Body 'bicoloured' (usually less bright, less contrasting than P. hilaris). Head dark brown, supraantennal prominences and front of clypeus appear much lighter, reddish light or medium brown, mediad of supraantennal prominences two larger black spots near ends of frontoclypeal (= epistomal) sulcus, pronotum reddish light brown (sometimes almost orange), elytra dark brown except shoulder area (well delimited, from scutellum to 2/5 of elytra) lighter (yellow to light brown). Abdomen yellow to light brown, tergites V-VI darkened (medium brown). Legs, mouthparts and antennae yellow to light brown. Pubescence medium short (elytra shortest) and rather dense (especially head and to lesser extent pronotum), longer and more sparse on abdomen.

Head and pronotum. Mid-antennal articles about as long as wide (antennomere 6 length:width = 0.062: 0.060 mm). Clypeus (Fig. 119) trapezoid, ratio of longitudinal distance of supraantennal prominence tip from eyefront to the same from clypeal front = 0.50-0.55. Infraocular ridge (Fig. 122) strong, ending in an elevated triangular part of a smaller, shiny postocular stripe and a posteriorly vanishing keel after posterior edge of eye. Temple almost straight (slightly dilating) long after eye, but rather angled at posterior 1/4 or just strongly curved in posterior half, eye strongly bulging. Pronotum (Fig. 120) with maximum width 1.85-1.97x base width, sides curved all the way, most strongly anteriorly, anterior angles sharp. Clypeus and supraantennal ridges almost unpunctured, shiny (only a few tiny, scattered punctures). Vertex slightly depressed along an indistinct longitudinal midline, middle of vertex sometimes more shiny (more sparse punctation, confluent interspaces) V- or arrowhead-shaped. Pronotal midline as a V-shaped shiny elevation, lines becoming finer and vanishing anteriorly (between them microsculpture), not reaching anterior edge. Laterad two longitudinally elongate impressions, with two elevated shiny spots at their outer middle. Pronotal sides with slight impressions around the middle. Head with 26-28 'longitudinal' puncture lines, pronotum with about 24 'longitudinal' puncture lines, punctation indefinitely loosened around midline of (head) disc, pronotum with similar puncture sizes as those on head.

Elytra and abdomen. Elytra (Fig. 121) slightly dilating posteriorly, with two small, slightly elongate, rather deep impressions behind scutellum. Medially serrate fringe absent on hind margin of tergite VII (Fig. 26). Elytral punctation not umbilicate, puncture sizes almost same as on pronotum, or a little smaller, interspaces about 2/3- 1/2 of puncture diameters. Almost no visible microsculpture on bases of abdominal tergites (posterior to basal ridges), segments with a few small, scattered punctures only. Aedeagus as in Fig. 143, spermatheca as in Fig. 34.

ETYMOLOGY: The species is named in honor of Sara Taliaferro, an illustrator with the Snow Entomological Museum at the time of my starting as a PhD student there, this is also to acknowledge the contribution she made to my scientific career.

COMPARATIVE NOTES: Most similar to P. hilaris, but lacks the medially serrate fringe on the hind margin of tergite VII. The punctation of the head and pronotum is slightly more dense than in P. hilaris. From the more distantly similar P. bicoloratus (which also lacks the medially serrate fringe on the hind margin of tergite VII) it can be distinguished by the differently positioned abdominal darkening (see details under P. bicoloratus ) and less elongate antennae. From P. rossii it can be separated by a light abdominal apex ( P. rossii has dark apex) as well as the absence of the medially serrate fringe on the hind margin of tergite VII in P. rossii .

DISTRIBUTION: The species is so far known from a series of specimens collected in Panama.

BIONOMICS: Specimens were gathered primarily by sifting leaflitter but also by flight intercept traps and from various decaying and other vegetable materials.