Zyras (Zyras) elegantulus CAMERON, 1939

Assing, Volker, 2017, On Zyras sensu strictu in the East Palaearctic and Oriental regions III, with a focus on the Southeast of Continental Asia and the Sunda Islands (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Lomechusini), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 67 (2), pp. 213-246 : 227-228

Zyras (Zyras) elegantulus CAMERON, 1939

( Figs 16, 20 , 35 , 53–55 )

Zyras (Zyras) elegantulus CAMERON, 1939b: 20 .

Type material examined: Lectotype ♂, present designation: “ F. C. Drescher, G. Tangkoeban Prahoe, 4000–5000 Voet, Preanger , Java, 12–18.I.1933 / Syntype / M. Cameron. Bequest. B.M. 1955-147 / Lectotypus ♂ Zyras elegantulus Cameron , desig. V. Assing 2017” ( BMNH). Paralectotype ♀: “ F. C. Drescher, G. Tangkoeban Prahoe, 4000–5000 Voet, Preanger , Java, VII.1934 / Z. elegantulus Cam. Cotype / Syntype / M. Cameron. Bequest. B.M. 1955-147” ( BMNH) .

Comment: The original description is based on an unspecified number of syntypes from “G. Tangkoeban Prahoe” ( CAMERON 1939b). Two syntypes, a male and a female, were located in the Cameron collection. The male is designated as the lectotype.

Redescription: Body length 5.3–5.7 mm; length of forebody 2.5 mm. Coloration ( Figs 16, 20 , 35 ): head pale-brown to reddish-brown; pronotum pale-reddish; elytra yellowish to yellowish-red, with the postero-lateral portions more or less extensively infuscate (very extensively so in the paralectotype); abdomen pale-reddish to dark-reddish, with the posterior halves of tergites V–VII darker; legs pale-yellowish; antennae dark-brown with antennomeres I–II pale-reddish to reddish-brown and X–XI yellowish-brown to brown; maxillary palpi reddish with the apical palpomere yellowish.

Head ( Fig. 20 ) moderately transverse, median portion extensively impunctate; punctures in lateral portions sparse and coarse. Eyes longer than postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna ( Fig. 16 ) approximately 1.5 mm long; antennomeres IV–X transverse, of gradually increasing width and increasingly transverse, X approximately twice as broad as long, and XI approximately as long as the combined length of IX and X.

Pronotum ( Fig. 20 ) large in relation to head, 1.15– 1.18 times as broad as long and 1.36–1.43 times as broad as head, broadest near anterior angles, moderately convex in cross-section; punctation rather coarse, sparse, and very irregularly distributed, with extensive impunctate areas on either side of midline; midline broadly impunctate.

Elytra ( Fig. 20 ) 0.75–0.79 times as long as pronotum; punctation variable, moderately coarse to coarse, moderately sparse to moderately dense, defined, sparser posteriorly than anteriorly. Hind wings present. Metatarsomere I slender, slightly to distinctly shorter than the combined length of II–IV.

Abdomen ( Fig. 35 ) narrower than elytra, with deep anterior impressions on tergites III–V; anterior impressions of tergites III–V each with a transverse row of weakly defined non-setiferous punctures; tergite III with two lateral punctures on either side and with approximately 15 setiferous punctures at posterior margin; tergite IV–V with a median pair of punctures, with 3–5 lateral setiferous punctures on either side, and with approximately 20 setiferous punctures at posterior margins; tergite VI with a narrow transverse row of coarse non-setiferous punctures anteriorly, with a median pair of punctures, with a lateral transverse series of three setiferous punctures on either side, and with approximately 20 setiferous punctures at posterior margin; tergite VII with a narrow transverse band of non-setiferous punctures anteriorly and with two transverse series of setiferous punctures in posterior portion, posterior margin with palisade fringe; tergite VIII with few setiferous punctures bearing long black setae only near posterior margin, posterior margin convex, in the middle truncate or indistinctly concave.

♂: posterior margin of sternite VIII convex; median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 53–54 ) 0.57 mm long, of compact shape, ventral process short and broad; paramere ( Fig. 55 ) much longer than median lobe, 0.84 mm long, and with very short apical lobe.

♀: posterior margin of sternite VIII concave in the middle.

Comparative notes: This species is characterized by a rather large pronotum (in relation to head), its coloration, a pronotum with very irregular punctation, the punctation pattern of the abdomen, and by the morphology of the aedeagus.

Distribution: Zyras elegantulus has been recorded only from the type locality in Java.

Figures

Figs 1–26: Antenna (1–18) and forebody (19–26) of Zyras spp. (1–17, 19–26) and Myrmedonota modiglianii (18): punctipennis, holotype (1, 19); facundus, lectotype (2, 24); latibasalis (3, 25); kinabaluensis, holotype (4, 21); matangensis, holotype (5, 26); bryanti, holotype (6, 23); granulipennis, holotype (7); flavorufus, lectotype (8); rutrilobatus (9); parvilobatus (10); hirtiventris (11–12; 11: holotype; 12 female paratype); hlavaci (13–14; 13 holotype; 14 paratype from Selangor); lunatus (15); elegantulus, lectotype (16, 20); pallipyga, holotype (17, 22). Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figs 27–39: Forebody (27–33), abdomen (34–38), and median portion of tergite VIII (39) of Zyras spp.: flavorufus, lectotype (27); parvilobatus (28); lunatus (29); granulipennis, holotype (30); rutrilobatus (31); hirtiventris (32); hlavaci, holotype (33); punctipennis, holotype (34); elegantulus, lectotype (35); facundus, lectotype (36); pallipyga, holotype (37); bryanti, holotype (38); latibasalis (39). Scale bars: 27–38: 1.0 mm; 39: 0.2 mm.

Figs 53–71: Zyras elegantulus, lectotype (53–55), Z. facundus, lectotype (56–58), Z. bryanti (59–62), Z. matangensis, holotype (63–65), Z. granulipennis, holotype (66–69), and Z. latibasalis (70–71): median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (53–54, 56–57, 59–60, 63–64, 66–67, 70–71); paramere (55, 58); male tergite VIII (61, 65, 68); male sternite VIII (62, 69). Scale bars: 0.2 mm.