Domene (Macromene) malaisei Scheerpeltz, 1965

Feldmann, Benedikt, Peng, Zhong & Li, Li-Zhen, 2014, On the Domene species of China, with descriptions of four new species (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), ZooKeys 456, pp. 109-138 : 116

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Staphylinidae

Domene (Macromene) malaisei Scheerpeltz, 1965 Figs 1, 5, 6

Domene (Macromene) malaisei Scheerpeltz, 1965: 187.

Type material examined.

Holotype ♀: "N. E. Burma, Kambaiti, 2000 m, 4/6.1934, Malaise / HOLOTYPUS [red label] / TYPUS Domene malaisei O. Scheerpeltz [red label] / Domene malaisei nov. spec. det. Scheerpeltz, 1941 / 3884 E91" (RMS).

Additional material examined

(5 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀). China: Yunnan: 4 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, Tengchong County, Mingguang, Zizhi, Donghe, 25°42'N, 98°34'E, 2100-2300 m, 01.V.2013, leg. Peng & Song (SNUC, cAss); 4 ♀♀, same data, but 25°42'N, 98°35'E, 2500 m, 30.IV.2013 (SNUC); 1 ♂, Dehong Dai Autonomous Prefecture, mountain range 31 km E Luxi, 24°29'31"N, 98°52'58"E, 2280 m, secondary pine forest with old deciduous trees, litter sifted, 3.VI.2007, leg. Pütz (cFel).

Redescription.

Measurements (in mm) and ratios: Holotype: TL 8.90, FL 5.20, HL 1.38, HW 1.30, PL 1.45, PW 1.25, EL 1.50, HL/HW 0.94, HW/PW 1.10, HL/PL 0.89, PL/PW 1.16, EL/PL 1.03. Additional material: TL 7.90-9.20, FL 4.70-5.05, HL 1.24-1.33, HW 1.17-1.25, AnL 3.17-3.40, NW 0.40-0.46, PL 1.35-1.50, PW 1.15-1.25, EL 1.28-1.45, EW 1.44-1.53, TiL 1.57-1.65, TaL 1.14-1.33, AW 1.26-1.34, AL 1.07-1.18 HL/HW 1.06-1.07, HW/PW 0.99-1.01, HL/PL 0.89-0.93, NW/HW 0.34-0.38, PL/PW 1.15-1.20, EL/PL 0.95-0.97.

Habitus as in Fig. 5. Body black; legs with blackish brown profemora and brown protibiae, basal halves of metafemora light brown, distal halves gradually infuscate; antennae dark brown to brown.

Head orbicular, broadest across eyes; punctation (Fig. 6A) coarse, distinctly umbilicate, and very dense, interstices forming very narrow ridges. All antennomeres longer than broad; antennomeres IV–X of equal length; antennomere I 1.3 times, II 0.9 times, III 1.1 times, XI 1.1 times as long as IV. Maxillary palpus very slender, preapical joint 2.8-3.1 times as long as broad.

Pronotum nearly as broad as head, widest in the middle; lateral margins convex in dorsal view; punctation (Fig. 6B) somewhat coarser than that of head; midline with rudiment of fine glossy line.

Elytra without distinct longitudinal ridges; disc more or less weakly impressed; suture elevated in posterior three-fourths; macropunctation coarse, irregular, partly confluent, and partly somewhat seriate; interstices with shallow and irregular micropunctation. Hind wings fully developed. Protarsomeres I–IV moderately dilated.

Abdomen with fine and dense punctation on tergites III–VI; tergite VIII with dense pubescence, posterior margin of tergite VIII broadly and weakly convex (Fig. 6C); interstices with distinct microreticulation; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

Male. Sternites III–VI unmodified; sternite VII (Fig. 6F) distinctly transverse, with very shallow median impression posteriorly, this impression with sparse modified black setae, posterior margin broadly concave; sternite VIII (Fig. 6G) with shallow median impression posteriorly, this impression with stout black setae, posterior excision deep, almost V-shaped, on either side of the posterior excision with dense cluster of dark setae; aedeagus as in Figs 6 H–J, ventral process evenly curved and apically acute in lateral view; dorsal fig long, apical portion distinctly sclerotized and apically acute in lateral view, basal portion short.

Female. Posterior margin of sternite VIII (Fig. 6D) broadly convex; genital segments with an asymmetric and weakly sclerotized structure (Fig. 6E).

Comparative notes.

The similar chaetotaxy and shape of the male sternite VIII and the similar shape of the ventral process of the aedeagus suggest that Domene malaisei is closely allied to Domene reducta . Domene malaisei is readily distinguished from other species of the group by on average darker coloration, smaller body size, the deeper posterior excision of the male sternite VIII, the evenly curved ventral process of the aedeagus and by the shape of the sclerotized structure in the female genital segments.

Distribution and natural history.

The currently known distribution is confined to the type locality Kambaiti in northeastern Myanmar at the border with Yunnan, and two localities in western Yunnan (Fig. 1). The examined non-type specimens were sifted from forest leaf litter at altitudes of 2000-2500 m.