Sunius inflexus, Assing & A, 2008

Assing, V. & A, North, 2008, A revision of the Sunius species of the Western Palaearctic region and Middle Asia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 40 (1), pp. 5-135 : 113-114

4.69. Sunius inflexus nov.sp. ( Figs 198-202 , Map 23 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype 3: "USSR - Tajikistan, Dušanbe env., Boháč lgt., 19.4.83 / Holotypus 3 Sunius inflexus sp. n. det. V. Assing 2007" (cAss). Paratype ♀: "USSR - Tajikistan, Dušanbe env., Javros [=Yavroz], 1.5.1977, J. Strejček lgt." (cBoh).

D e s c r i p t i o n: 2.3-2.7 mm. Similar to S. bohaci , but distinguished as follows:

Coloration of forebody bright to dark reddish; elytra dark brown to blackish, with the humeral region more or less extensively reddish.

Head approximately as long as wide. Pronotum slightly larger in relation to head, approximately 0.90-0.95 times as wide as head. Elytra slightly broader and shorter, approximately 0.70 times as long as pronotum; puncturation coarser and more defined ( Fig. 198 ).

3: sternite VII with posterior margin distinctly concave in the middle ( Fig. 201 ); sternite VIII with posterior excision slightly deeper and narrower ( Fig. 202 ); aedeagus 0.39 mm long, in lateral view with subapically strongly bent ventral process; internal sac with two rows of stouter and more strongly sclerotised spines.

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Latin, adjective: bent, curved) refers to the shape of the ventral process of the aedeagus, one of the most evident characters distinguishing this species from its most similar congeners.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: From other species occurring in Middle Asia, except S. bohaci (see above) and S. pennatus (following section), S. inflexus is readily separated by by its external morphology alone, especially the much smaller size, the shorter elytra without distinct humeral angles, and by the absence of a palisade fringe at the posterior margin of tergite VII. For characters distinguishing it from S. bohaci see the description above. Sunius pennatus has distinctly longer elytra with humeral angles, a palisade fringe at the posterior margin of tergite VII, and different male sexual characters.

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 species is known only from the surroundings of Dushanbe, Tajikistan ( Map 23 ). Additional bionomic data are not available.

Figures

Map 23: Distributions of species of the S. viator group in Tajikistan, based on examined records: Sunius wrasei (SCHÜLKE) (filled square), S. inflexus nov.sp. (open circle), S. bohaci nov.sp. (filled circle), and S. pennatus nov.sp. (open square). The territory of Tajikistan is highlighted to facilitate geographic recognition.

Figs 198-202: Sunius inflexus nov.sp.: (198) forebody; (199) aedeagus in lateral view; (200) internal structures of aedeagus in lateral view; (201) male sternite VII; (202) male sternite VIII. Scale bars: 198, 201-202: 0.2 mm; 199-200: 0.1 mm.