Quedius (Raphirus) ningxiaensis, Cai, Yan-Peng & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2015

Cai, Yan-Peng & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2015, Taxonomy of the subgenus Quedius (Raphirus) Stephens (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini: Quediina) with descriptions of four new species from China, Zootaxa 3990 (2), pp. 151-196 : 157-160

Quedius (Raphirus) ningxiaensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 3, 3-1 )

Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA: Ningxia Province: Jingyuan County, Liupan Mountain, Fengtai Forest Farm, 2350 m, 2. VII. 2008, coll. Haisheng Zhou and Zongyi Zhao. Paratypes: CHINA: Ningxia Province: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as holotype.

Description. Head black; pronotum brown; scutellum and elytra dark brown; abdomen entirely blackish brown, slightly iridescent; pubescence of elytra and abdomen dark brown; antennae pale brown, labrum and mandibles dark brown, maxillary and labial palpi pale brown; legs pale brown, with mid and hind tibiae blackish.

BL = 5.3 mm, BW = 1.0 mm, HL/PL/EL = 1.00: 1.33: 1.24, HW/PW/EW/AW = 1.00: 1.07: 1.22: 1.15, HW/ HL = 1.32, HEL/HTL = 7.31, PW/PL = 1.06, EW/EL = 1.30, ESL/EL = 0.51.

Head ( Fig. 3 A) round, wider than long; eye very large and convex, nearly occupying entire lateral sides of head, in dorsal view tempora very short, markedly narrowed posteriad; no additional setiferous punctures between anterior frontal setiferous punctures; posterior frontal setiferous puncture situated before level of posteriomedial margin of eye, almost touching posteriomedial margin of eye; temporal setiferous puncture touching posterior margin of eye, with several small setiferous punctures arranged in oblique curve behind it; one basal setiferous puncture situated about midway between posterior frontal setiferous puncture and nuchal constriction; head with fine and dense microsculpture of transverse and oblique waves. Antenna moderately long, with segment I longer than segment II or III, segment II and III nearly equal in length, segments IV–VII, XI slightly longer than wide, segments VIII–X slightly wider than long.

Pronotum ( Fig. 3 B) slightly wider than long, slightly narrowed anteriad, posteriolateral and posterior margins continuously rounded, lateral margins not explanate; three setiferous punctures in each dorsal row and two setiferous punctures in each sublateral row, last sublateral row puncture situated before level of large lateral setiferous puncture; surface of pronotum with microsculpture similar to that of head.

Scutellum ( Fig. 3 C) with several setiferous punctures, surface with very fine and dense microsculpture of transverse waves.

Elytra ( Fig. 3 C) short, wider than long, slightly broadened posteriad, each elytron with surface covered with dense setiferous punctures, transverse interspaces between punctures slightly smaller than diameters of punctures; surface between punctures without microsculpture. Wings extremely reduced, nonfunctional.

Abdominal tergite II finely punctate; setiferous punctures of other tergites distinctly finer and denser than those of elytra, becoming slightly sparser toward posterior margin of each tergite, and in general toward apex of abdomen; tergite VII without whitish apical seam of palisade setae.

Male with first four segments of foretarsus moderately dilated, sub-bilobed, each heavily covered with tenent setae ventrally, segment II slightly narrower than apex of tibia; tergite VIII with basal ridge complete, slightly arched backward in middle, with four long setae on each side; sternite VIII ( Fig. 3-1 A) with basal ridge complete, nearly straight, with three long setae on each side, apical margin with a shallow and narrow medioapical emargination, a small triangular area in front of the emargination impunctate; sternite IX ( Fig. 3-1 B) with basal portion long and narrow, apical margin complete, widely rounded; tergite X ( Fig. 3-1 C) with basal side broadly and deeply concave, apical margin rounded; aedeagus in lateral view ( Fig.3-1 F) with apex of paramere not reaching that of median lobe, median lobe with long median carina at apex facing parameral side; aedeagus in parameral view ( Fig. 3-1 G) with paramere elongate, vaguely narrower than median lobe, nearly parallel-sided in middle portion, apical portion moderately widely arcuate, median lobe largely parallel-sided, with apical portion gradually narrowed into subacute apex ( Figs. 3 E, 3-1E); apical portion of paramere with four apical setae at apical margin, median setae distinctly longer than lateral ones, and two similar setae on each lateral margin below apex, underside with 12–15 sensory peg setae arranged in two short longitudinal rows along sides ( Figs. 3 D, 3-1D).

Female with first four segments of foretarsus simple, not dilated; tergite VIII with basal ridge complete, slightly arched backward in middle, with three long setae on each side; sternite VIII with basal ridge complete, slightly sinuate, with two long setae on each side; tergite X ( Fig. 3-1 H) with basal side broadly and deeply concave, apical portion nearly evenly converged to apex.

Distribution. Quedius ningxiaensis sp. nov. is at present known only from the type locality in southern Ningxia Province, Liupan Mountain, at an altitude of 2350 m. The specimens were collected by sifting leaf litter in July.

Diagnosis. This is the first brachypterous species of the muscicola group discovered in Ningxia Province of China. Generally, it is most similar to Q. bann Smetana, 2008 discovered in Sichuan, but it can be distinguished from the latter by having male sternite VIII with three long setae on each side, aedeagus with paramere somewhat wider, sensory peg setae more laterally spread, median lobe with median carina distinctly longer; whereas Q. bann Smetana has sternite VIII with four long setae on each side, aedeagus with paramere somewhat narrower, sensory peg setae less laterally spread, and median lobe with median carina distinctly shorter.

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the type locality: Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Quedius (Raphirus) ningxiaensis sp. nov.: A. head (0.5 mm); B. pronotum (0.5 mm); C. elytra (0.5 mm); D. underside of paramere (0.2 mm); E. apical portion of median lobe, parameral view (0.2 mm). (Scale in parentheses).