Speleogona cavernicola, Assing, 2007

Assing, V., 2007, A new genus and species of Aleocharinae from a cave in Georgia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 39 (1), pp. 33-38 : 36-37

Speleogona cavernicola nov.sp. ( Figs 1-16 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype Ƌ: Georgia - Imereti, Terjola distr., Nakhshirghele vill., Navenaheli cave, 42°14.51'N, 42°51.78'E, 275 m, leg. P. Stoev & S. Lazarov / Holotypus Ƌ Speleogona cavernicola sp.n. det. V. Assing 2008 (National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia). Paratype ♀: same data as holotype (coll. Assing).

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Lat., noun: inhabitant of caves) refers to the habitat where the species was discovered.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Measurements (in mm) and ratios (holotype, paratype): length of antennae: 0.86, 0.80; head length from anterior margin of clypeus to posterior margin of head (HL): 0.41, 0.39; head width (HW): 0.48, 0.44; length of pronotum (PL): 0.46, 0.42; width of pronotum (PW): 0.62, 0.57; length of elytra at suture from apex of scutellum to posterior margin (EL): 0.35, 0.32; combined width of elytra (EW): 0.65, 0.59; width of abdomen at segment V (AW): 0.63, 0.60; length of metatibia (TiL): 0.56, 0.50; length of metatarsus (TaL): 0.39, 0.36; length of median lobe of aedeagus from apex of ventral process to base: 0.32, -; total length: 3.0, 2.8; HL/HW: 0.84, 0.90; PW/HW: 1.28, 1.31; PW/PL: 1.34, 1.36; EL/PL: 0.75, 0.75; EW/PW: 1.05, 1.03; AW/EW: 0.98, 1.03; TiL/TaL: 1.42, 1.38.

Coloration: body almost uniformly pale reddish brown with yellowish abdominal apex;

legs dark yellowish.

Head transverse (see measurements and ratio HL/HW); puncturation sparse and extremely fine, barely noticeable; integument with pronounced microreticulation ( Fig. 3 ); pubescence whitish and suberect. Antenna stout; antennomere IV coniform and approximately as wide as long; V distinctly transverse, more than twice as wide as long; VI-X of increasing width and increasingly transverse; X almost 3 times as wide as long; XI rather massive, of ovoid shape, slightly longer than the combined length of IX-X ( Fig. 3 ).

Pronotum distinctly transverse and wider than head (see measurements and ratios PW/PL and PW/HW), maximal width in anterior half ( Fig. 2 ); near posterior angles with shallow impression; puncturation very indistinct in anterior half, slightly more distinct in posterior half; microreticulation as pronounced as that of head; pubescence similar to that of head, but on average less erect and slightly denser; lateral pronotal margins each with four rather long dark setae.

Elytra of reduced length (see ratio EL/PL) and approximately as wide as pronotum ( Fig. 2 ); posterior margin near posterior angles strongly sinuate; area near posterior angles shallowly impressed; puncturation more distinct than that of head and pronotum, somewhat granulose; microsculpture absent or very shallow. Hind wings reduced. Legs with relatively long tibiae (see ratio TiL/TaL); metatarsomere I distinctly longer than II, as long as the combined length of II-III or nearly so.

Abdomen approximately as wide as elytra (see ratio AW/EW); puncturation fine and sparse on anterior tergites, very fine and very sparse on posterior tergites; microsculpture shallow, composed of short transverse meshes on tergites VI and VII; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe.

Ƌ: posterior margin of sternite VIII pointed in the middle ( Fig. 8 ); median lobe of aedea-

gus as in Figs 10-11 ; paramere as in Figs 12-13 .

♀: posterior margin of sternite VIII pointed in the middle ( Fig. 14 ), but slightly less so

than in Ƌ; spermathecal duct very long and with numerous helical coils ( Figs 15-16 ).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The Navenahevi Cave (type locality) is situated in the hills to the west of Kutaisi, Georgia, at an altitude of less than 300 m. According to Stoev (pers. comm.) the specimens were collected under stones on humid clay and on walls. Morphological adaptations to its habitat are the completely reduced eyes (not even traces have remained), the reduced pigmentation (especially of the pubescence), the long setae at the lateral margin of the pronotum, as well as the reduced elytra, hind wings, and palisade fringe at the posterior margin of tergite VII.

Figures

Figs 1-9: Speleogona cavernicola nov.sp.: (1) habitus; (2) forebody; (3) head and pronotum; (4) head in lateral view; (5) maxilla; (6) labium; (7) male tergite VIII; (8) male sternite VIII; (9) female tergite VIII. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2-4: 0.5 mm; 7-9: 0.2 mm; 5-6: 0.1 mm.

Figs 10-16: Speleogona cavernicola nov.sp.: (10-11) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (12) paramere; (13) apical lobe of paramere; (14) female sternite VIII; (15) spermathecal capsule and distal part of duct; (16) proximal part of spermathecal duct. Scale bars: 14: 0.2 mm; 10-13, 15-16: 0.1 mm.