Sunius laevior ( CAMERON 1943)

Assing, V., 2011, The Sunius species of the Palaearctic region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (1), pp. 151-193 : 160-161

? Sunius laevior ( CAMERON 1943) ( Figs 28-29 )

Medon (Hypomedon) laevior CAMERON 1943: 34 f.

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Holotype: "Ghum dist. Mangpo, M. laevior Cam. Type / M.Cameron Bequest B.M. 1955-147. / Holotype / Holotype Medon laevior Cameron 1943 , det. R.G. Booth 2010 / Sunius laevior (Cameron) , det. V. Assing 2010 " (BMNH).

C o m m e n t: The original description is based on a single specimen ("Unique") from "Ghum district: Mangpu" ( CAMERON 1943). The holotype was located in the collections of the BMNH and proved to be a female.

R e d e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 4.1 mm. Coloration: head, pronotum, and abdomen blackish; elytra brown; legs and antennae dark-yellowish.

Head weakly oblong, approximately 1.05 times as long as wide ( Fig. 28 ); punctation very fine and dense, even in median dorsal portion; interstices without microsculpture, on average narrower than diameter of punctures ( Fig. 29 ). Eyes rather large, but slightly shorter than postocular region in dorsal view.

Pronotum indistinctly oblong, 1.03 times as long as wide and about 1.05 times as wide as head ( Fig. 28 ); punctation slightly finer, shallower, and somewhat sparser than that of head; midline with similar punctation as lateral portions.

Elytra conspicuously long, approximately 1.2 times as long and 1.4 times as broad as pronotum; humeral angles marked ( Fig. 28 ); punctation fine and extremely dense, surface practically matt. Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen narrower than elytra; punctation fine and dense; interstices with shallow microsculpture composed of more or less isodiametric meshes; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

: unknown.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Based on the external appearance, S. laevior may belong to the S. nigrinus group (see ASSING 2008a). It is distinguished from other species of this group particularly by the denser punctation of the head and by the longer and broader elytra. However, the possibility that S. laevior belongs to another genus of Medonina cannot be ruled out with certainty.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: The species is known only from the type locality in West Bengal, northern India. Bionomic data are not available.

Figures

Figs 28-31: Sunius laevior (CAMERON), holotype (28-29) and S. bouddha (COIFFAIT), holotype (30-31): (28, 30) forebody; (29) median dorsal portion of head; (31) aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: 28, 30: 0.5 mm; 31: 0.2 mm; 29: 0.1 mm.