Scaphisoma apterum, Löbl, 2014

Löbl, Ivan, 2014, On the Scaphidiinae (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) of the Moluccas, Mitteilungen Der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft 87, pp. 49-60 : 55-57

Scaphisoma apterum sp. n. (Figs 10-13)

Holotype ♂? labelled: INDO MALUC F911074 Kai Besar G: Turkan 7.9.91. Leaf Litter Agosti (8) 300 m ( MHNG).

Paratype ♂: INDO : Maluc F 911034 Kai Besar G: Turkan D. Agosti 4.9.91. (5) leaf litter ( MHNG) .

Description. Length 1.23-1.45 mm, width 0.84-0.95 mm. Pronotum, elytra and sternites 1 and 2 very dark brown, with somewhat reddish shine, adsutural areas and apices of elytra lighter. Head, hypomera, apical abdominal segments and appendages light reddish-brown, mesoventrite and metaventrite dark reddish-brown. Dorsum of body lacking microsculpture. Antennae long, length/width ration of antennomeres as follows: III 9 /6: IV 33 /5: V 37 /6: VI 34 /6: VII 40 /10: VIII 33 /7: IX 42 /11: X 38 /11: XI 42 /12. Pronotum very finely punctate, with lateral margins of evenly rounded, lateral margin carina hardly visible in dorsal view. Scutellum concealed. Elytra with lateral margin carinae entirely visible in dorsal view, apical margins truncate, oblique, inner apical angle situated posterior to level of outer angles, suturai margin not raised, suturai striae shallow, parallel, at base curved, not extending laterad pronotal lobe, adsutural areas flat. Elytral punctation sparse and very fine, similar to pronotal punctation. Metathoracic wings reduced. Hypomera smooth. Mesepimeron about 3 times as long as interval to mesocoxa. Metaventrite very finely punctate, not microsculptured, with median part impressed. Submesocoxal area 0.04 mm, about half of interval to metacoxa, submesocoxal lines convex, with very fine marginal punctures. Metanepisternum flat, strongly narrowed anter- ad, inner margin oblique, rounded near angles, impressed below margin of metaventrite. Abdomen very finely punctate, lacking obvious microsculpture. Submetacoxal coxal areas 0.02-0.03 mm, submetacoxal lines parallel, with coarse margin punctures. fnrpc Tibiae straight. LULVO.

Male sexual characters. Protarsomeres 1 to 3 weakly widened. Aedeagus (Figs 10-13) 0.73-0.75 mm long. Median lobe asymmetrical, with robust, anchor-like apophysis on ventral side of basal bulb. Ventral process small, not prominent. Left side of apical process strongly sclerotized, right side weakly sclerotized. Apical process strongly narrowed apically, at apex obliquely truncate in lateral view. Parameres with broad bases, curved and narrow bases and apical halves, broadened posterior mid-length to form weakly sclerotized apical lobes, each with patch of pores and tubules. Internal sac membranous in basal half, bearing robust bunch of apical teeth-like sclerites.

Distribution. Moluccas, Tanimbar group: Kai Besar Island.

Etymology. Latin adjective, meaning wingless.

Comments. The paratype appears teneral and possibly therefore is lighter and smaller than the holotype. The species shares many diagnostic characters with S. riedeli Löbl, from Western New Guinea. In both species is the short metaventrite particularly conspicuous, a feature probably correlated with the reduced metathoracic wings. The aedeagal characters suggest close relationship between these species, though the shape of the paramères differs drastically. In S. riedeli, the parameres are hardly widened and not lobed apically (see Löbl 2014) while they are strongly widened and lobed in S. apterum . In addition, the internal sac has sclerotized teeth arranged to form a row in S. riedeli, as in S. semibreve described below.