Lithocharodes lescheni, Irmler, 2021

Irmler, Ulrich, 2021, The Neotropical species of the genus Lithocharodes SHARP, 1876 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Xantholinini), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 71 (1), pp. 29-85 : 50-51

Lithocharodes lescheni spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:56C738F3-B7E8-48CD-8D89-549249716A46

Figs 28 a-d, 44 D, 48 A

Type material: male, holotype: Peru , Tambopata Prov. , Madre de Dios Dpto. , 15 km N Puerto Maldonado, Reserva Cuzco Amazônica (12°33'S, 69°03'W), 200 m elev., plot #Z1 trail 26, flight intercept trap, 16.7.1989, leg. J.S. Ashe, R. Leschen, #519 ( KNHM) . Paratypes: Bolivia : Cochabamba , Cochabamba, 67.5 km NE Est. Biol. Valle del Sajita, Univ. de San Simon (64°47'52"W, 17°6'33"S) 300 m elev., flight intercept trap, 1 male, 1 female, 7.- 9.2.1999, leg. F. Genier, #BOL1G99 041 ( KNHM) ; same location but 2 males, 9.- 13.2.1999, leg. R. Hanley, #BOL1H00 078 ( KNHM) ; Cochabamba , 117 km E Yungas, (Cochabamba-Villa Tunari Rd.) (65°41'12"W, 17°6'32"S), 1040 m elev., flight intercept trap, male, 8.- 10.2.1999, leg. R. Hanley, BOL1H99 062 ( KNHM) ; Santa Cruz Dept. , 3.7 km SSE Buena Vista Hotel Flora y Fauna (63°33'W, 17°29'S), flight intercept tarp, female, 2.5.2004, leg. A.R. Cline, #BOL1 Cline 04 014.5 ( KNHM) ; Peru : 4 males, 10 females, same data as holotype and 30.6., 13.7., 15.7., 16.7., 28.7., (12 KNHM, 2 UIC) ; same location and collectors but trail to Z1, flower fall, male, 13.7., 14.6.1989, #058 ( KNHM) ; Madre de Dios, Pentiacolla Lodge , Alto Madre de Dios River (71°13'55"W, 12°39'22"S), 400 m elev., flight intercept trap, male, 23.- 26.10.2000. leg. R. Brooks, # PERU 1B00099 ( KNHM) ; Ecuador : Zamora-Chinchipe, Rio Bambuscaro (78°59'W, 4°7'S), flight intercept trap, male, 26.6.- 4.7.2001, leg. P. Hibbs, #ECU1H96 001 ( KNHM) .

Diagnosis: Regarding the small size, dark colouration, and dense punctation of the head, L. lescheni most closely resembles L. pampana and L. peruana from the same region. In contrast to L. lescheni , head of L. peruana is more divergent posteriad and sternite VII of males is not emarginate. The aedeagus is long oval with rectangular apex and not nearly circular. Females of L. lescheni and L. pampana can hardly be separated. However, males are easy to identify. Sternite VII of L. lescheni is widely emarginate without central triangular prominence such as in L. pampana . The endophallus of L. lescheni is apically straight with lobes and not with spiral torsions such as in L. pampana and in L. peruana .

Description: Length: 4.8 mm. Colouration: Head black, pronotum slightly lighter, brown; elytra even lighter brown; abdomen as brown as pronotum; legs and antennae as light brown as elytra.

Head: 0.83 mm long, 0.63 mm wide; eyes large, slightly prominent; postocular space twice as long as eyes; slightly divergent to posterior angles; posterior angles widely rounded; posterior margin nearly convex; only small part close to neck straight; interantennal furrows deep; reaching mid-length of eyes; setiferous punctation moderately deep and irregularly dense; anteriorly denser than close to neck; between eyes, punctation nearly coriaceous; close to neck, interstices between punctures nearly twice as wide as diameter of punctures; space between interocular furrows with few punctures; vertex with moderately wide impunctate midline; surface with irregular weak striae; surface not glossy. Antennae with first antennomere as long as half-length of head; second and third antennomere longer than wide and conical; subsequent antennomeres wider than long and increasing in width; fourth antennomere slightly less than twice as wide as long; tenth antennomere slightly more than twice as wide as long; antennomeres four to eleven densely pubescent. Pronotum: 0.92 mm long, 0.60 mm wide; widest in anterior third; shortly convergent to neck; posteriad, slightly convergent to middle; posterior half nearly parallel; posterior angles sub-rectangular; posterior margin slightly convex; setiferous punctation deep and moderately dense; on average, interstices between punctures as wide as diameter of punctures; wide midline impunctate; adjacent to midline with irregular row of 16-17 punctures; surface without microsculpture; glossy. Elytra: 0.90 mm long, 0.78 mm wide; humeral angles sub-rectangular; sides parallel; posterior angles shortly rounded; posterior margin slightly convex with incision to suture; setiferous punctation moderately deep and dense; on average, interstices slightly shorter than diameter of punctures; punctures partly in irregular rows; surface with weak isodiametric microsculpture; less shiny than pronotum. Abdomen with much weaker but denser setiferous punctation than elytra; surface with distinct isodiametric microsculpture; even less shiny than elytra; posterior margin of tergite VII of male weakly convex; posterior margin of sternite VII of male deeply sinuate; outer angles more prominent than medial prominence. Meso- and metatibia with three subapical ctenidia each. Aedeagus large; in posterior half oval; in central part slightly constricted; anterior angles sub-rectangular; endophallus anteriorly with two strings; one string densely covered by large lobes; second string with several large teeth; posterior part sack-like and heart-shaped covered by numerous minute teeth; paramere short; curved; with long setae at inner face.

Etymology: The species is named in honour of Richard Leschen, who extensively collected staphylinids in the Neotropical region.

Figures

Fig. 25–30: L.-??-group: Lithocharodes nigrita (25), L. aculeata (26), L. ecuadoriensis (27), L. lescheni (28), L. armata (29), L. ashei (30); aedeagus (a), paramere (b), sternite VII of male (c), tergite VII of male (d); scale bare: A–D: 0.2 mm; B: 0.1 mm.