Sunius baboricus, 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 : 96

4.57. Sunius baboricus nov.sp. ( Figs. 143-146 , Map 20 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype 3: " Mt-Babor , Algérie, A. Thery / coll. Kraatz / coll. DEI Müncheberg / Holotypus 3 Sunius baboricus sp. n. det. V. Assing 2007" ( DEI) . Paratypes: 1♀: " Mt-Babor , Algérie, A. Thery / Medon seminiger Frm. / H. seminiger Frm. Gallia mer." ( MNHUB) ; 13: " Mt-Babor , Algérie, A. Thery / Medon seminiger A. Thery vid. / coll. Kraatz " (cAss) ; 4 exs.: " Djebel Babor , Algérie / ex coll Tempère, ex coll. Giraud / Hypomedon seminiger Fairm. H. Coiffait det. 1969" ( MHNG, cAss) ; 13: " D. Babor, Algérie ( Vauloger ) / Medon seminiger / Hypomedon seminiger / Coll. P. Griveau, MHNG - 2007" ( MHNG) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: Small species, 2.5-2.7 mm. External appearance (coloration, size, and proportions) as in S. tuniseus and allied species; distinguished only by the male sexual characters:

3: sternite VIII weakly transverse, with densely pubescent median tubercle and with small posterior excision ( Fig. 146 ); aedeagus of similar general morphology as in S. seminiger and S. brachypterus , but apical part of ventral process shorter and distinctly concave in lateral view; apex of ventral process rounded (not acute) in ventral view ( Figs 143-144 ); internal sac with four distinctly sclerotised short and stout spines ( Fig. 145 ).

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Latin, adjective) refers to the Djebel Ta Babor, the mountain where the species was discovered.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: The species is distinguished from other small-sized, brachypterous and pale-coloured congeners from Algeria especially by the morphology of the aedeagus, including its internal structures, and by the morphology of the male sternite VIII (minute posterior excision, median tubercle).

C o m m e n t: COIFFAIT (1961, 1984) reports S. seminiger from the Djebel Ta Babor. However, his interpretation of the species is clearly erroneous and apparently refers to a different, probably undescribed species. Based on his illustrations of the aedeagus and the fact that it lacks a tubercle on the male sternite VIII, there is no doubt that it is conspecific with neither S. seminiger nor S. baboricus .

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 type locality is situated in the Djebel Ta Babor [= Massif des Babors, 36°32'N, 5°28'E], Petite Kabylie, in the east of northern 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.