Pselaphogenius chloe sp., 2019

Sabella, Giorgio, Viglianisi, Fabio Massimo & Bekchiev, Rostislav, 2019, A new species of Pselaphogenius Reitter, 1910 of the fiorii species group from southern Italy (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae), Zootaxa 4585 (2), pp. 387-394 : 388-392

Pselaphogenius chloe sp. n.

( Figs 1A, B , 2D , 3 )

Type material. (1 ♂, 3 ♀). Holotype: ITALY: ♂: Eastern Calabria: Verzino ( Kroton ), 39.3521°N, 16.8028°E (datum WGS84), 700 m a.s.l., 10.iv.2015, collected by sifting litter, oak forest, R. Bekchiev, G., Sabella & R. Kostova leg. ( DBUC) . Paratypes: ITALY: 1 ♀, same data as the holotype ( DBUC) ; 1 ♀, same locality, 13.iv.2018, sifting litter, oak forest, G. Sabella leg. ( DBUC) ; ITALY: 1 ♀: Eastern Calabria: Suvaro Mount ( Pallagorio , Kroton ), 39.1906°N, 16.5541°E, 350 m, 13.iv.2018, sifting litter, cork oak forest, G. Sabella leg. ( DBUC) .

Description. Male. Length 2.1 mm, apterous, entirely brown, maxillary palpi lighter. Pubescence on palpi and antennae consisting of short and upright golden setae, very thick in apical region of the elytra, at base of the 1st abdominal tergite and on 1st abdominal ventrite and on the area between the meso- and metaventrites. Dorsal region of the head with longer and flattened setae, dorsal surface of the pronotum, elytra and abdomen with very sparse setae.

Head distinctly longer (0.390 mm) than wider (0.275 mm), narrower than pronotum, its sides and dorsal surface strongly punctate except frontal sulcus which is shiny and lacking punctures. Maximum width of head across eyes level, and the minimum just behind antennal tubercles. Frontal lobe and frons traversed by a wide and deep longitudinal median frontal sulcus, which anteriorly separates the antennal tubercles. Subparallel and raised edges of this sulcus end on each side reaching large and deep vertexal fovea, which is located close to eyes. Longitudinal median frontal sulcus prolonged posteriorly in a distinctly narrower median longitudinal sulcus, which crosses the entire occipital region up to neck. Occipital region convex, tempora clearly attenuated from front to back. Eyes with 6–7 facets. Antennae 0.770 mm long with scape about twice as long as wide, its surface clearly punctate. Pedicel slightly longer than wide and slightly narrower than scape, its surface slightly punctate. Antennomeres III–VIII slightly but distinctly longer than wide and slightly narrower than pedicel. Antennal club consisting of last three antennomeres that are broaden progressively from IX to XI. Antennomeres IX and X distinctly longer than wide, antennomere XI distinctly longer than wide and slightly shorter than combined length of antennomers IX and X. Maxillary palpi very long with last palpomere 0.390 mm long. Terminal club of this last palpomere having a length of about a third of entire segment.

Pronotum clearly longer (0.40 mm) than wide (0.290 mm), widest in middle; dorsal surface reticulated with fine punctures. Median antebasal fovea slightly larger than lateral foveae; all foveae shallow and connected by very superficial transversal sulcus. Median antebasal foveae prolonged to posterior border of pronotum by superficial and wide sulcus. Metaventrite distinctly raised in middle by large conical process which is rounded at apex.

Elytra distinctly wider (0.650 mm) than long (0.440 mm), humeral calli strongly reduced. Dorsal surface shiny with only some superficial punctures. Each elytron with two large and deep basal foveae, sutural fovea slightly larger than lateral one. Elytral carinae weakly-defined, lateral carina reaches about 1/3 of elytral length, sutural carina located very close to suture and reaching elytral apex; humeral carina very short.

Abdomen with first visible tergite clearly larger than following ones, wider (0.620 mm) than long (0.590 mm), posteriorly enlarged, its disc convex. Dorsal surface of first ventrite raised in middle from base up to about 2/3 of its length, and this raised part is occupied entirely by a depression slightly narrower in posterior region.

Legs with all femora enlarged in the middle.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 1B ) 0.40 mm long, symmetrical, parameres shorter than apical lamina, and bearing four subapical setae. Upper margin of basal capsule with numerous bristles, armature of internal sac simple, consisting of single piece.

Female. Similar to male ( Fig. 1A ), length 1.9–2.1 mm, metaventrite and first abdominal ventrite unmodified; last abdominal tergite bearing a long and stout median spine prolonged backwards ( Figs 1A and 2D ).

Distribution. The new species is endemic from Marchesato (Calabria, Kroton province).

Etymology. The new species is named in honor of the environmental association Chloe of Strongoli (KR), who has contributed so much to the field research, and to whom we wish success.

Ecological notes. All specimens were collected by sifting litter in oak ( Quercus ) forests.

Comparative notes. The species of Pselaphogenius of the fiorii group have symmetric aedeagi (except P. lucanicus Besuchet, 1964 which shows an aedeagus partially asymmetric with the presence of a ventral lamina), characterized by two evident lateral apophyses of the basal capsule, two well developed and sinuated parameres, one median apical lamina and the armature of internal sac simple consisting of a single piece. Although some of these portions are sometimes recognizable, despite being more or less modified, in the structure of the aedeagus of the other species of the genus Pselaphogenius , they never show the symmetry that characterizes the aedeagi of the species of the Pselaphogenius of fiorii species group.

Pselaphogenius chloe sp. n. by the aedeagal and exoskeleton features clearly belongs to the Pselaphogenius fiorii species group, but it is easily distinguished from all the species of this group by some characters of the male and the female. For the head clearly punctate, the reticulated dorsal region of the pronotum, and the elytral lateral fovea slightly larger than medial one, Pselaphogenius chloe sp. n. shows the greatest similarities to P. aspromontanus ( Reitter 1910) , P. lucanicus Besuchet, 1964 and P. neapolitanus Besuchet, 1964 . Pselaphogenius chloe sp. n. is distinguished from the males of these three species by the characters of the aedeagus (cfr. Fig. 1B and Figs 28–33 in Besuchet, 1964), as well as by the secondary sexual characters. The male of P. chloe sp. n. has the metaventrite raised in the middle in a conical process rounded at the apex (this conical process is pointed in the males of the other three species) and, especially, the dorsal surface of first ventrite of P. chloe sp. n. is raised in the middle from the base up to about 2/3 of its length, while it is occupied almost for the entire length of the ventrite by a median longitudinal oval-shaped depression in the males of the other three species. The female P. chloe sp. n. is easily distinguished because its last abdominal tergite bears a long and stout median spine prolonged backwards ( Figs 1A , 2D ), while in the P. aspromontanus female the last abdominal tergite ends in a pointed tip ( Fig. 2C ) and the posterior margin of the last abdominal tergite of P. neapolitanus is rounded ( Fig. 2A ). The female of P. lucanicus is still unknown.

P. calabrus ( Reitter, 1910) is also present in Calabria, this species is easily distinguished from P. chloe sp. n. by the tegument of the head and the pronotum smooth and shiny, the features of the aedeagus (cfr. Fig. 1B and Figs 10-11 in Sabella 1992), the metaventrite of the male that is raised in the middle in a pointed conical process (rounded at the apex in P. chloe sp. n.), the dorsal surface of the first ventrite of male that is traversed almost for its entire length by a median longitudinal oval-shaped depression (raised in the middle from the base up to about 2/3 of the ventrite length in P. chloe sp. n.). The last tergite of the female of P. calabrus is triangular (bearing a long and stout median spine in P. chloe sp. n.) (cfr. Figs 2B and 2D ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pselaphogenius chloe sp. n. A. Dorsal habitus of female (paratype) (Photo by F. M. Viglianisi). B. Aedeagus, dorsal view, holotype.

FIGURE 2. Abdomen of females of Pselaphogenius. A. P. neapolitanus. B. P. calabrus. C. P. aspromontanus. D. P. chloe sp. n. (Photos by F. M. Viglianisi).

FIGURE 3. Distribution map of the species of the Pselaphogenius of the fiorii group. •: P. fiorii; O: P. argentarius; Ó: P. conosternum; Ɨ: P. gardinii; ▼: P. latinus; ✚: P. neapolitanus;.: P. lucanicus; *: P. chloe n. sp.; ×: P. aspromontanus; Δ: P. calabrus; -: P. peloritanus; D: P. carusoi.