Thaumastocephalus troglavi 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 : 97-98

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

( Figs 6 , 26 )

Etymology. The species is named after the mountain peak Troglav near the cave Sistem Velika-Velika.

Material studied. HOLOTYPE: Ƌ: CROATIA: Biokovo, M. Troglav, Sistem Velika-Velika (cave), 22.VI .2017 , A. Kirin lgt. (CNHM). PARATYPES 1 ♂, 2♀: same data as holotype ( CNHM, CPH). Other material: 1♂: CROATIA: Biokovo , Župa, Gradska spila (cave), 15.V.2016, V. Sudar lgt ( CPH). 1♀: same data as previous paratype but collected on 23.I.2016 by M. Lukić ( CNHM) .

Remarks. The specimens from Gradska spila are tentatively attributed to this species as the male has practically identical aedeagus, but due to the following reasons we did not include them in the type material od T. troglavi : 1) ecological differences of habitat between Sistem Velika-Velika and Gradska spila (see details further in text), and 2) different fauna composition in the highest part of Biokovo Mountain (see Discussion). More male specimens from both caves will be needed to check the identity of specimens from Gradska spila with T. troglavi .

Description. Body shiny ( Fig. 26 ), reddish-brown, covered with dense, uneven setation, with long setae on posterior part of elytra; legs, antennae and maxillary palpi of the same colour, length 2.07 mm, maximum width of elytra 0.69 mm. Head 1.25 times as long as wide, 0.71 times narrower than pronotum, rostrum 2.14 times as wide as long. Antennae about 0.87 mm long, scape 2.38 times as long as pedicel, antennomere III slightly longer than IV, IV–VII of same length, VIII slightly shorter than VII and as long as IX, X 1.25 times as long as IX, terminal antennomere 3.78 times as long as X, relative length of antennomeres: 1.00 / 0.42 / 0.26 / 0.24 / 0.24 / 0.24/ 0.24 / 0.21 / 0.21 / 0.24 / 0.89. Pronotum 1.07 as long as wide. Elytra 1.31 times as wide as long and 1.17 times as long as pronotum. Abdomen 1.37 times as long as elytra. Legs long, protibiae slightly modified, slightly depressed in apical half, median spine absent, mesotibiae simple, metatibiae simple. Aedeagus ( Fig. 6 ) 0.59 mm long, with basal bulb about 1.5 times as long as apical part, right paramere smaller than left, both with three preapical setae, internal sac with two asymmetric structures, dorsal diaphragm present.

Sexual dimorphism. Females lacking modification of protibiae.

Differential diagnosis. T. troglavi is readily separated from all other known species of the genus by: 1) protibiae at most with minuscule tooth and 2) body length over 2.5 mm.

Distribution and habitat. T. troglavi is known from the cave system Velika-Velika ( Figs 25, 27 ), situated at 1375 m a.s.l. near the peak M. Troglav on Biokovo Mountain ( Fig. 30 , dark blue circle). The cave is 135 m long and 48 m deep, and it was discovered during 1 st Biospeleological Expedition—Biokovo 2017 ( Sudar et al. 2017). The air temperature measured in the cave on 1st June 2017 was 2.2 °C and the relative humidity was 99 %. The following fauna is also recorded in the cave: Diplopoda— Biokoviella mauriesi Mršić, 1992 (det. T. Dražina); Coleoptera— Pygoxyon sp. (det. P. Hlaváč) and Speoplanes giganteus biocovensis Müller, 1934 (det. P. Bregović). The second possible location of T. troglavi is the cave Gradska spila (see above Remarks) situated at 750 m a.s.l., near the village Župa, on the slopes of Biokovo Mountain ( Fig. 30 , light blue circle). The cave is small, 26.5 m long and 1.8 m deep. The air temperature measured in the cave on 15th May 2016 was 10.1 °C and the relative humidity was 97.9 %. The following fauna is also recorded from the cave: Isopoda— Alpioniscus sp., Alpioniscus verheoffi (Strouhal, 1938) (det. J. Bedek) and Oroniscus dalmaticus Strouhal, 1937 as noted by Bedek et al. 2011; Collembola— Heteromurus nitidus Templeton, 1835 , Orchesella sp., Verhoeffiella sp. and Tomocerus terrestralis Stach, 1922 ( Lukić & Deharveng 2008); Coleoptera— Neotrechus dalmatinus (L. Miller, 1861) , Speonesiotes sp. and Speluncarius cf. biokovensis Hlaváč, Lakota & Čeplík, 2016 (det. P. Bregović).

Figures

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

FIGURES 5–9. 5—Thaumatocephalus slavkoi sp. n., aedeagus, dorsal view (scale: 0.1 mm); 6—Thaumatocephalus troglavi sp. n., aedeagus, dorsal view (scale: 0.2 mm); Thaumatocephalus dahnae sp. n., 7—aedeagus, dorsal view (scale: 0.1 mm); 8— protibiae (scale: 0.1 mm); 9—maxillary palpomere (scale: 0.1 mm).

FIGURES 25–27. 25—entrance to Sistem Velika -Velika (cave), type locality (photo Petra Bregović); 26—Thaumatocephalus troglavi sp. n., habitus in situ (photo Petra Bregović); 27—topographical map of the type locality (the finding place of the T. troglavi sp. n. is marked with red dots).