Quedius (Microsaurus) purus, Cai, Yan-Peng, Zhao, Zong-Yi & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2015

Cai, Yan-Peng, Zhao, Zong-Yi & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2015, Taxonomy of the Quedius mukuensis group (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini: Quediina) with descriptions of four new species from China, Zootaxa 4013, pp. 1-26 : 11-14

Quedius (Microsaurus) purus sp. nov.

( Figs. 4, 4-1 )

Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA: Sichuan Province: Luding County, Hailuogou ecological observatory station, 3000 m, 16. V. 2009, coll. Yulingzi Zhou (IZ-CAS).

Description. Entirely black; labrum dark brown, mandibles dark reddish brown, maxillary and labial palpi dark brown.

BL = 9.8 mm, BW = 2.1 mm, HL/PL/EL = 1.00: 1.20: 1.62, HW/PW/EW/AW = 1.00: 1.31: 1.58: 1.37, HW/ HL = 1.03, HEL/HTL = 1.00, PW/PL = 1.11, EW/EL = 1.00, ESL/EL = 0.56.

Head ( Fig. 4 A) rounded quadrangular, almost as wide as long; eye moderately large, slightly convex, in dorsal view tempora nearly as long as eye, gradually narrowed posteriad; no additional setiferous puncture between anterior frontal setiferous puncture and posterior frontal setiferous puncture; posterior frontal setiferous puncture situated distinctly behind level of posteriomedial margin of eye, closer to posteriomedial margin of eye than to nuchal constriction of head, with one additional setiferous puncture at posterior margin of eye before it, with 1–2 basal setiferous punctures posteriad of it, situated close to nuchal constriction, and 4–5 additional setiferous punctures which can be confused with basal punctures mediad and posteriomediad of it; temporal setiferous puncture situated slightly closer to nuchal constriction than to posterior margin of eye, with many small setiferous punctures arranged in an oblique group behind and below it; head with fine and dense microsculpture of transverse waves and meshes, and scattered with very sparse microscopic punctation. Antenna moderately long with segment I longer than segment II or III, segment III slightly longer than segment II, segments IV–V, XI slightly longer than wide, segments VI–X slightly wider than long.

Pronotum ( Fig. 4 B) slightly wider than long, narrowed anteriad, posteriolateral and posterior margins continuously rounded, lateral margins not explanate; three setiferous punctures in each dorsal and sublateral row, one smaller additional setiferous puncture between each dorsal and sublateral row, last sublateral row puncture situated behind level of large lateral setiferous puncture; one smaller additional setiferous puncture slightly anteriomediad of each large lateral puncture; surface of pronotum with very fine and dense microsculpture of transverse and oblique waves.

Scutellum ( Fig. 4 C) with very fine and dense microsculpture of transverse waves, impunctate.

Elytra ( Fig. 4 C) moderately long, as wide as long, slightly broadened posteriad, surface of each elytron covered with dense and coarse setiferous punctures, transverse interspaces between punctures slightly larger than diameter of puncture, surface between punctures without microsculpture. Wings fully developed.

Abdominal tergite II impunctate; setiferous punctures of other tergites slightly 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 with whitish apical seam of palisade setae.

Male with first four segments of fore tarsus moderately dilated, sub-bilobed, each heavily covered with tenent setae ventrally, segment II nearly as wide as apex of tibia; tergite VIII with basal ridge complete and straight, with one long seta on each side; sternite VIII ( Fig. 4-1 A) with basal ridge complete and straight, with four long setae on each side, apical margin with a wide and deep medioapical emargination, a small area in front of the emargination impunctate; sternite IX ( Fig. 4-1 B) with basal portion wide and moderately long, with a shallow emargination medioapically; tergite X ( Fig. 4-1 C) with basal side broadly and shallowly concave, apical portion evenly converged to apex; aedeagus in lateral view ( Fig. 4-1 D) with apex of paramere not quite reaching that of median lobe, median lobe with a large tooth-shaped process at apex facing parameral side; aedeagus in parameral view ( Fig. 4-1 E) with paramere slightly narrower than median lobe, narrowly fusiform, with shallow medioapical emargination; median lobe slightly asymmetrically, apex narrowly arcuate ( Figs. 4 E, 4-1G); apical portion of paramere with two moderately long apical setae at each side of apical emargination, and two similar subapical setae on each lateral side below apex, underside with eight sensory peg setae forming two groups near apex at each side of apical emargination, with one other peg seta on each side situated far below them ( Figs. 4 D, 4-1F).

Female unknown.

Distribution. Quedius purus sp. nov. is at present known only from the Gongga mountain range in central Sichuan Province, at a high altitude of 3000 m. The specimen was collected using a window flight trap in May.

Diagnosis. This new species can be easily distinguished from other similar species by the large size, the robust body, the entirely black body color, and the unique arrangement shape of the sensory peg setae on the underside of the paramere.

Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin adjective purus (pure), referring to the entirely black body color.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Quedius (Microsaurus) purus sp. nov.: A. head (1.0 mm); B. pronotum (1.0 mm); C. elytra (1.0 mm); D. underside of paramere (0.2 mm); E. apical portion of median lobe, parameral view (0.2 mm). (Scale in parentheses).