Pseudophanias mulun Y.-Q. Zhang, Z.-W. Yin, 2023

Zhang, Yong-Qin & Yin, Zi-Wei, 2023, The genus Pseudophanias Raffray (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae) from Nanling Priority Area for Biodiversity Conservation, China, ZooKeys 1179, pp. 231-241 : 231

Pseudophanias mulun Y.-Q. Zhang, Z.-W. Yin sp. nov.

Figs 3 , 4C Chinese common name: 木论隐须蚁甲

Type material

(1 ex.). Holotype: China: ♂: 'China: Guangxi, Hechi City, Mulun N. R., 25°12'14"N, 108°5'46"E (at the broader of Guangxi and Guizhou), 460 m, 27.vii.2015, Chen, He & Hu leg. ( 广西河池木论自然保护区)’ (SNUC).

Diagnosis.

Male. Body moderately elongate, length approximately 1.9 mm. Vertex coarsely punctate, with punctiform vertexal and frontal fovea. Antennomeres 6-11 enlarged, each distinctly transverse, antennomere 69 much wider than 7-9 and as wide as 10, 10 angularly protruding ventrally. Pronotum with smooth disc, coarsely punctate at basal part. Legs simple. Tergite 1 (IV) more than 2.5 times as long as 2 (V), lacking discal carinae. Median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view C-shaped, abruptly narrowed before apex; parameres each with two long setae at apex.

Description.

Male. Body (Fig. 3A ) length 1.89 mm; color reddish-brown, tarsi and mouthparts lighter. Dorsal surface finely punctate, covered with dense pubescence. Female. Unknown.

Head (Fig. 3B ) approximately as long as wide, length 0.4 mm, width across eyes 0.41 mm, sub-hexagonal; vertex coarsely punctate, with narrowly separated, punctiform foveae (dorsal tentorial pits); tempora much longer than eyes, convergent posteriorly; frons longitudinally and shallowly impressed at middle, with punctiform frontal fovea, rostrum approximately half as wide as head; clypeus sharply descending, with anterior margin moderately carinate and raised; setose C-shaped sulci broad, clearly visible in dorsal view. Eyes weakly prominent, each composed of approximately 16 ommatidia. Maxillary palpi symmetric, palpomere 1 minute, 2 elongate, curved, lengthily pedunculate in basal 2/3, 3 short, sub-trapezoidal, widest at apex, 4 fusiform, widest before base. Antenna elongate, length 0.95 mm; antennomere 1 approximately as long as 2 and 3 combined, 2 much shorter than 1, moderately transverse, 3-5 each short, distinctly transverse, 6-11 (Fig. 3C ) enlarged, 6, 10 and 11, and 7-9 subequal in maximum width, respectively, 10 angularly protruding ventrally, 11 suboval, largest, truncate at base.

Pronotum (Fig. 3B ) slightly wider than long, length 0.40 mm, width 0.42 mm, widest at middle; lateral margins rounded, convergent anteriorly and posteriorly; anterior margin slightly and smoothly curved, posterior margin evenly convex posteriorly; disc weakly convex, finely punctate, with tiny median and small lateral antebasal foveae, basal collar roughly punctate. Prosternum at middle with anterior part slightly longer than coxal part, with small, broadly separated lateral procoxal foveae; hypomera fused with prosternum; margins of coxal cavities non-carinate.

Elytra much wider than long, length 0.49 mm, width 0.77 mm; roundly trapezoidal, dorsal surface with dense, long pubescence; each elytron with two large, asetose, basal foveae; discal striae broad and shallow, extending from outer basal foveae posteriorly for 5.4/10 elytral length; humeral denticles absent, humeri weakly protuberant, lacking subhumeral foveae or marginal striae; posterolateral margins shortly oblique. Metathoracic wings absent.

Mesoventrite short, laterally fused with metaventrite; median mesoventral foveae widely separated, originating from shared setose, transverse opening, large lateral mesoventral foveae unforked internally, with short, apically truncate mesoventral process. Metaventrite (Fig. 4C ) strongly convex, area anterior to posterior margin roundly impressed at middle; posterior margin at middle roundly and deeply emarginate.

Legs elongate and slender; femora coarsely punctate; each tarsus with one major and one reduced setiform pretarsal claw.

Abdomen widest at lateral margins of tergite 1 (IV), length 0.67 mm, width 0.76 mm. Tergite 1 (IV) longest, more than 2.5 × as long as 2 (V), with broad, setose basal sulcus and pair of basolateral foveae, lacking discal carinae; tergite 2 (V) slightly longer than 3 (VI), 4 (VII) distinctly longer than 2 and 3, 2-4 each lacking basal sulcus or fovea; tergite 5 (VIII) semicircular, transverse, posterior margin evenly rounded. Sternite 2 (IV) at middle approximately as long as 3-5 (V-VII) combined, with deep, setose basal impression and pair of basolateral sockets, 3 (V) and 4 (VI) each short at middle, combined approximately as long as 5 (VII), 3-5 lacking sulcus or fovea at base, 6 (VIII) transverse, posterior margin slightly convex at middle.

Aedeagus (Fig. 3D, E ) 0.33 mm in length, well sclerotized, dorso-ventrally nearly symmetric; median lobe in lateral view C-shaped, narrowed at base, apically thickened, apical part abruptly narrowed and pointed at apex; parameres elongate, each with two long apical setae.

Female. Unknown.

Comparative notes.

This species is morphologically similar to the Burmese Pseudophanias spinicornis Inoue & Nomura and P. tanintharyiensis Inoue & Nomura by the male antennal modification composed of apical six antennomeres ( Inoue and Nomura 2021), e.g., antennomeres 6 greatly enlarged and distinctly larger than 5 and 7. Otherwise, these species can be readily separated by the different shapes of the antennal clubs and aedeagus. Pseudophanias spinicornis has coarsely punctate head dorsum and pronotum, while P. mulun sp. nov. has a smooth, finely punctate pronotal disc, similar to that of P. tanintharyiensis .

Distribution.

Southwestern China: Guangxi.

Etymology.

This species is named after its type locality, Mulun Nature Reserve.

Figures

Figure 3. Habitus and morphological details of Pseudophanias mulun sp. nov., male A dorsal habitus B head and pronotum C antennal club D, E aedeagus, ventral (D), and lateral (E). Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A); 0.3 mm (B, C); 0.2 mm (D, E).

Figure 4. Male metaventrite A Pseudophanias furcilobus B P. leigong C P. mulun. Scale bars: 0.3 mm.