Thoracostrongylus aduncatus, Yang & Zhou & Schillhammer, 2011

Yang, Zhuo, Zhou, Hong-Zhang & Schillhammer, Harald, 2011, Taxonomy of the genus Thoracostrongylus Bernhauer (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) with descriptions of five new species from China, Journal of Natural History 45 (7 - 8), pp. 407-433 : 413-414

Thoracostrongylus aduncatus sp. nov.

( Figures 1B , 3 A–E)

Type material

Holotype. Male, CHINA: Yunnan, 14 – 21.6, 100 km W Baoshan , 1993, Gaoligongshan Nat. Res., E. Jendek & O. Sausa leg. (NMW).

Description

Measurements. Body length: 9.5 mm. ♂: HL: 1.3; HW: 1.8; CL: 0.9; PO: 0.2; PL: 1.7; PW: 1.5; EL: 2.1; EW: 2.05; ELS: 1.15.

Male. Dark brown, dull; mandibles reddish black, maxillary palpi, labial palpi and first four segments of antennae reddish brown, remaining segments black brown; legs brown yellow, femora with black ring at midlength and distal end.

Head large, transverse, distinctly wider than pronotum; eyes large and prominent, occupying almost entire sides, longitudinal diameter four times as long as temporal region; vertex with a small longitudinal specular black spot medially, more or less indistinct; surface densely and regularly covered with umbilicate punctures, with short, scarce, brassy pubescence. Antennae with 1st segment longest, 2nd narrower than and almost one-third as long as 1st, 3rd narrower and two times longer than 2nd, 4th longer than wide, 5 – 10th gradually increasing in breadth, longer than wide, last segment two times as long as wide and subacuminate towards tip.

Pronotum oblong and dorsal surface well convex, distinctly longer than wide, and much narrower than elytra; widest at level of large lateral seta, slightly narrowed towards rounded anterior angles, distinctly concavely narrowed towards base; anterior margin almost straight, posterior margin moderately convex, hind angles broadly rounded; punctation and pubescence similar to that on head, with brassy pubescence. Scutellum triangular, with dense, black, velvety pubescence.

Elytra subquadrate, slightly dilated posteriorly; surface densely and finely punctate, with brassy pubescence, mixed with grey pubescence.

Abdomen gradually narrower towards apex, finely and densely punctate; 3–7th tergites dark, with black pubescence, abdomen lateral plate black; apical margin of 8th sternite ( Figure 3A ) shallowly and broadly excised medially, with densely short, golden, erect pubescence; 10th tergite ( Figure 3B ) wider than long, posterior margin almost straight with abundant long golden pubescence; apical margin of 9th sternite ( Figure 3C ) shallowly emarginate medially, with moderately long, yellow pubescence.

Male genitalia ( Figure 3D, E ) moderately sclerotized, median lobe elongate, in ventral view almost symmetrical, gradually constricted above phallobase, apex distinctly sharply pointed; paramere stout, gradually narrowed towards apex, apex moderately pointed, with eight fine apical setae; in lateral view, apical half bent dorsad, with a small acutely pointed process projecting dorsad at about one-fifth from apex.

Remarks

In general appearance, the species is similar to Th. miyakei Bernhauer, 1943 , but differs from the latter by the colour of abdomen lateral plate and the shape of the male genitalia.

Distribution

The species is at present known only from the type locality in Yunnan, China .

Etymology

The species name (Latin) means “hook-shaped”.

Figures

Figure 1. (A) Thoracostrongylus acerosus sp. nov.; (B) Thoracostrongylus aduncatus sp. nov.; (C) Thoracostrongylus baoxingensis sp. nov.; (D) Thoracostrongylus diaoluoensis sp. nov.; (E) Thoracostrongylus fujianensis sp. nov.; (F) Thoracostrongylus birmanus, (Fauvel, 1895).

Figure 3. Thoracostrongylus aduncatus sp. nov., holotype, male from Yunnan, China. (A) 8th sternite, male; (B) 10th tergite, male; (C) 9th sternite, male; (D) aedeagus, ventral view; (E) aedeagus, lateral view. Scale bar 1 mm.