Cephennodes (Cephennodes) churtanus, Jałoszyński, 2017

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2017, Ant-like stone beetles on the roof of the world. Cephenniini of Nepal and Bhutan (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 4349 (1), pp. 1-120 : 30-32

Cephennodes (Cephennodes) churtanus sp. n.

( Figs 39 , 57–58, 78–79, 91)

Type material. Holotype: NEPAL (Jumla District): ♂, one label: " NEPAL, Prov. Karnali / vor Pass SE Churta / 3400 m NN; BF / 17.V.1995 / leg.: J. Weipert" [white, printed] ( NME). Paratypes (7 exx): 3 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, same data as for holotype ( NME, cPJ).

Diagnosis. BL 1.50–1.58 mm; elytra stout, EI 1.06–1.13; body dark reddish-brown with much darker, dark chocolate head and pronotum; antennae unmodified; protibiae in male strongly thickened and nearly straight, distinctly broadened mesally in sub-basal region, with long patch of dense spatulate setae; apical projection of median lobe in ventral view strongly elongate and strongly recurved, strongly narrowing distally, in lateral view very weakly curved; each paramere with one apical and one subapical seta unequal in length and only slightly thickened.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 39 ) dark reddish-brown with much darker, dark chocolate head, pronotum and antennae, also elytral suture slightly darkened; stout, with distinct constriction between pronotum and elytra, strongly convex, covered with light brown setae; BL 1.50–1.55 mm.

Head subtrapezoidal, HL 0.23 mm, HW 0.40 mm; vertex and frons confluent and weakly convex; supraantennal tubercles distinct but weakly elevated; eyes moderately large, strongly convex, coarsely faceted. Punctures on frons and vertex fine and inconspicuous; setae very short, sparse, suberect. Antennae moderately long and moderately thickened, AnL 0.58–0.75 mm; antennomeres relatively compactly assembled, pentamerous club so indistinctly delimited that antennae appear gradually thickened; antennomere I about 1.4 × as long as broad; II distinctly narrower and slightly shorter than I, about 1.4 × as long as broad; III–V subequal in shape, each slightly narrower than II and much shorter, indistinctly transverse, VI indistinctly larger than V and distinctly transverse, VII slightly broader and slightly longer than VI, strongly transverse, VIII–X each gradually larger than preceding one and strongly transverse, XI indistinctly broader than X, as long as IX–X together, about 1.7 × as long as broad.

Pronotum in dorsal view nearly semicircular, equally broad from base to slightly in front of middle, PL 0.45– 0.48 mm, PW 0.63–0.68 mm; pronotum strongly convex at middle and strongly flattened near each hind corner but the flattened area very small; anterior margin in strictly dorsal view slightly convex; lateral margins not microserrate, strongly convex in anterior third and straight in posterior half; posterior corners slightly obtuseangled; posterior margin shallowly bisinuate; lateral carinae very narrow, fused with lateral margins; antebasal pits small and shallow, diffuse, each nearly equally distant from posterior and lateral pronotal margin. Punctures on disc fine and inconspicuous, surface glossy; setae short and moderately dense, suberect.

Elytra elongate, oval, broadest between middle and anterior third, EL 0.83–0.85 mm, EW 0.75–0.80 mm, EI 1.06–1.10. Humeral calli weakly elevated, elongate; subhumeral lines short, equal to only about 0.2 EL but relatively distinct, developed as sharp stepwise border between more convex humeral region and less convex adsutural area; basal pit on each elytron large and located in very short, deep, round basal impression; apices of elytra separately rounded. Punctures more distinct than those on pronotum but superficial and inconspicuous; setae similar to those on pronotum.

Hind wings not studied.

Metaventrite with indistinct postmesocoxal impressions, median area covered with fine punctures.

Protibiae (Figs 57–58) strongly thickened dorso-ventrally and nearly straight, distinctly expanded mesally in sub-basal region, with large mesal patch of dense spatulate setae.

Abdomen and hind legs unmodified.

Aedeagus ( Figs 78–79 ) in ventral view with slightly asymmetrical median lobe broadest near base, AeL 0.45 mm, median lobe in ventral view with nearly straight and asymmetrical distal margin, oblique in relation to the long axis of aedeagus, diaphragm with deeply and narrowly emarginate edge; apical projection in ventral view long and slender, strongly recurved and strongly narrowing distally to pointed apex, in lateral view very weakly curved, curved portion short; each paramere with one apical and one subapical seta of unequal length, setae only slightly thickened.

Female. Very similar to male, only protibiae slightly more slender, but still with mesal patch of dense setae; wingless; BL 1.53–1.58 mm; HL 0.23 mm, HW 0.40 mm, AnL 0.70 mm; PL 0.45–0.48 mm, PW 0.65–0.68 mm; EL 0.85–0.88 mm, EW 0.75–0.78 mm, EI 1.13.

Distribution ( Fig. 91 ). Western Nepal.

Etymology. Locotypical, after Churta (= Chutta) in Nepal.

Remarks. This Cephennodes is very similar to C. karnaliensis ; see remarks for the latter species.

Figures

FIGURES 32 – 39. Dorsal habitus of Cephennodes (s. str.) bagmatianus sp. n. (32), C. (s. str.) popeye sp. n. (33), C. (s. str.) clavodentatus sp. n. (34), C. (s. str.) meredaranus sp. n. (35), C. (s. str.) yangrianus sp. n. (36), C. (s. str.) suturalis sp. n. (37), C. (s. str.) karnaliensis sp. n. (38), and C. (s. str.) churtanus sp. n. (39).

FIGURES 72 – 79. Aedeagus in ventral (72, 74, 76, 78) and lateral (73, 75, 77, 79) views. Cephennodes (s. str.) yangrianus sp. n. (72 – 73), C. (s. str.) suturalis sp. n. (74 – 75), C. (s. str.) karnaliensis sp. n. (76 – 77), C. (s. str.) churtanus sp. n. (78 – 79). Abbreviations: ap, apical projection.

FIGURES 90 – 91. Distribution of Cephennodes (s. str.) suturalis sp. n. (90, circle), C. (s. str.) karnaliensis sp. n. (90, triangle), C. (s. str.) churtanus sp. n. (91, circle), C. (s. str.) sermathangensis sp. n. (91, triangle).