Sunius mouzaianus, 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 : 94-95

4.56. Sunius mouzaianus nov.sp. ( Figs. 139-142 , Map 20 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype 3: " Algier / Medon aveyronensis Math. Coll. Reitter / Holotypus 3 Sunius mouzaianus sp. n. det. V. Assing 2007" (HNHM). Paratypes: 13 [without head], 2♀♀: "Massif des Mouzaia / Hypomedon seminiger / Coll. P. Griveau MHNG - 2007 (MHNG, cAss).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Small species, 2.6-2.8 mm. External appearance (coloration, size, and proportions) as in S. tuniseus and allied species, but head somewhat more slender, approximately 1.05 times as long as wide, only indistinctly (<1.05 ✕) wider than pronotum, not dilated in posterior half, and lateral margins weakly convex. Pronotum and elytra somewhat depressed (i. e. less convex in cross-section).

3: sternite VIII oblong, with deep and narrow posterior excision, otherwise unmodified ( Fig. 142 ); aedeagus shaped as in Figs 139-140 , apex slender, long, and subapically distinctly dentate; internal sac with 4 moderately sclerotised slender spines of different lengths ( Fig. 141 ).

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Latin, adjective) refers to the locality where the paratypes (possibly also the holotype) were collected.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: The species is distinguished from other small-sized, micropterous and pale-coloured congeners from Algeria especially by the shape of the aedeagus and its internal structures, and by the morphology of the male sternite VIII. From most species, it is additionally separated by the shape of the head.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: Theparatypes–andprobablyalsothe holotype – were collected in the Djebel Mouzaïa [36°23', 02°44'E], to the southwest of Blida, Algeria ( Map 20 ). Bionomic data are not available.

Figures

Map 20: Distributions of species of the S. seminiger group in Algeria: Sunius berberus (COIFFAIT) (filled circles), S. baboricus nov.sp. (open circle), S. mouzaianus nov.sp. (filled square), S. vaulogeri (COIFFAIT) (open square), and S. rectus nov.sp. (open square).

Figs 139-146: Sunius mouzaianus nov.sp. (139-142) and S. baboricus nov.sp. (143-146): (139-140, 143-144) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (141, 145) internal structures of aedeagus in lateral view; (142, 146) male sternite VIII. Scale bars: 142, 146: 0.2 mm; 139-141, 143-145: 0.1 mm.