Thaumastocephalus bilandzijae Hlaváč, Bregović & Jalžić, 2019

Hlaváč, Peter, Bregović, Petra & Jalžić, Branko, 2019, Endogean and cavernicolous Coleoptera of the Balkans. XVIII. Strong radiation in caves of the Central Dinarides: seven new species of Thaumastocephalus Poggi et al., 2001 (Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Zootaxa 4559 (1), pp. 90-110 : 91

Thaumastocephalus bilandzijae Hlaváč, Bregović & Jalžić , sp. n.

( Figs 1 , 11 )

Etymology. The species is named after biospeleologist Helena Bilandžija, a member of the Croatian Biospeleological Society (CBSS) and collector of the holotype specimen.

Material studied. HOLOTYPE: Ƌ: CROATIA: Dugopolje , Kolić , Peć u Čulinovim raljevinama (cave), 6.I.2009, H. Bilandžija lgt. (CNHM). PARATYPES (2♀): same locality as the holotype but collected on 5.XI.2016 by A. Kirin ( CNHM, CPH) .

Description. Body shiny ( Fig. 11 ), reddish-brown, covered with very sparse, uneven, golden setae; legs, antennae and maxillary palpi of same colour, length 1.82 mm, maximum width of elytra 0.63 mm. Head 1.22 times as long as wide, 0.84 times narrower than pronotum, rostrum 2.17 times as wide as long. Antennae about 0.68 mm long, scape twice as long as pedicel, antennomeres III–VII of same length, VIII slightly shorter than VII and as long as IX, antennomere X about as long as VII, terminal antennomere four times as long as X, relative length of antennomeres: 1.00 / 0.50 / 0.33 / 0.33 / 0.33 / 0.33 / 0.25 / 0.25 / 0.30 / 1.17. Pronotum 1.16 times as long as wide. Elytra 1.32 times as wide as long and 1.28 times as long as pronotum. Abdomen 1.31 times as long as elytra. Legs long, protibiae modified, depressed in apical half, with median, well-defined sharp spine, mesotibiae narrowed and slightly bent at apex, metatibiae simple. Aedeagus ( Fig. 1 ) 0.33 mm long, with basal bulb about 1.54 times as long as apical part, right paramere more robust than left, both with three preapical setae, internal sac with two asymmetric structures, dorsal diaphragm present.

Sexual dimorphism. Females lacking modification of pro- and mesotibiae.

Differential diagnosis. T. bilandzijae is readily separated from all other known species of the genus by: 1) small size, length under 1.85 mm, 2) antennae short, only 0.68 mm long, and 3) scape which is only twice as long as pedicel.

Distribution and habitat. T. bilandzijae is known only from the cave Peć u Čulinovim raljevinama ( Figs 10, 12 ), situated at 425 m a.s.l., near the village Kolić in the municipality Dugopolje ( Fig. 30 , red square). The cave has two separate chambers, and is about 25 m long and 15 m deep ( Jalžić et al. 2010). The air temperature measured in the cave on 25th June 2011 was 13 °C. The cave is the type locality for Coleoptera— Duvalius novaki novaki ( Müller, 1911) . The following fauna is also recorded from the cave: Araneae— Barusia maheni (Kratochvíl & Miller, 1939) and Troglohyphantes strandi Absolon & Kratochvíl, 1932 as noted by Deeleman-Reinhold (1978); Isopoda— Alpioniscus sp. (det. J. Bedek); Coleoptera— Laemostenus cavicola modestus (Schaufuss, 1862) as noted by Pretner (1973).

Figures

FIGURE 30. Distribution map of the species of the genus Thaumastocephalus mentioned in this work.

FIGURES 1–4. 1—Thaumatocephalus bilandzijae sp. n., aedeagus, dorsal view (scale: 0.1 mm); 2—Thaumatocephalus kirini sp. n., aedeagus, dorsal view (scale: 0.2 mm); 3—Thaumatocephalus marsici sp. n., aedeagus, dorsal view (scale: 0.2 mm); 4—Thaumatocephalus rujnicensis sp. n., aedeagus, dorsal view (scale: 0.1 mm).

FIGURES 10–12. 10—entrance to Peć u Čulinovim raljevinama (cave), type locality (photo Marko Lukić); 11— Thaumatocephalus bilandzijae sp. n., habitus in situ (photo Alen Kirin); 12—topographical map of the type locality (the finding place of the T. bilandzijae sp. n. is marked with red dots).