Deleaster negus, Cuccodoro & Makranczy, 2013

Cuccodoro, Giulio & Makranczy, György, 2013, Review of the Afrotropical species of Deleaster Erichson, 1839 (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Oxytelinae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 120 (4), pp. 537-547 : 546-547

Deleaster negus new species

Figs 2, 5, 10, 21-24

HOLOTYPE (♂): ETHIOPIA: SNNPR [Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region], Gamu Gofa, Gughe Mts. , 6km SW Chencha, 6.2031°N, 37.5605°E, 2515m, 05.VIII.2008, leg. J. Beck, automatic light trap (7-11pm), edge of a large pasture next to forest fragment in good condition, apart from dead wood collecting ( NHMB).

PARATYPES (9): same data as holotype, 2♂, 3♀ ( NHMB), 1♂, 1♀ ( MHNG), 1♂ ( MRAC), 1♂ ( NHMW).

DESCRIPTION: Measurements (n = 10: unit = mm): HW = 1.27 (1.22-1.31); TW = 1.09 (1.04-1.12); PW = 1.19 (1.15-1.23); SW = 1.73 (1.66-1.86); AW = 2.05 (1.95- 2.22); HL = 0.85 (0.83-0.87); EL = 0.51 (0.48-0.54); TL = 0.13 (0.10-0.15); PL = 1.02 (0.97-1.06); SL = 2.09 (1.98-2.21); SC = 1.96 (1.81-2.10); FB = 4.32 (4.05-4.56); BL = 7.11 (6.18-7.89).

Similar to D. pectinatus , from which it may be distinguished as follows: habitus as in Fig. 2; scape and pedicel almost concolorous with flagellum; head as in Fig. 5; vertex with markedly curved, broad grooves (with the remnants of the ocelli in their middle) extending anterolaterally from middle of neck margin to middle of inner eyes margin, forming together a rather U-shaped impression surrounding the disc, filled with dense granulose microsculpture unlike the imbricate microsculpture filling most of the groove delineating dorsal part of neck; pronotum (Fig. 5) with hind angles evenly rounded; presence of two rather strongly protruding knob-like elevations near posterior pronotal angles; presence of deep, curved pronotal subbasal impression; medial pronotal groove very fine, indistinct posteriorly, an indistinct coriaceous/substrigulate microsculpture in directionality surrounding the centre of pronotal disc, but there missing on larger spots, leaving the surface smooth and shiny; elytra with postscutellar area gently depressed till middle of suture; posterior portion of elytral disc not swollen; posterior portion of sutural margin on level with disc; abdomen with laterosternites moderately broad; pubescence on laterobasal parts of tergites not directed outwards; pectinate middle (comb) of apical margin of abdominal tergite VIII as in Fig. 10.

Sexual characters: Female abdominal sternite VIII expanded subapically, subtriangular, narrowly rounded apically and with couple of tiny (and occasionally also 1-2 larger) incisions on apical margin. Male abdominal tergite IX as in Fig. 23; tergite X as in Fig. 24; sternite VIII with slightly and narrowly produced apex, with membranous edge; aedeagus as in Figs 21-22.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet 'negus' refers to the title of king in Ethiopia.

It is a noun in apposition.

DISTRIBUTION: The species is known only from Ethiopia, from its type locality that lies more south than that of D. pectinatus Fauvel .

COMMENTS: Deleaster negus is the only Afrotropical member of the genus to possess on the abdominal tergite VIII a comb with a minute mesal denticle in combination with the posterior portion of the elytral disc lacking hump.