Paraploderus grandis, Makranczy, 2016

Makranczy, György, 2016, Review Of The Genus Paraploderus Herman, 1970 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 62 (1), pp. 59-116 : 70-72

Paraploderus grandis sp. n.

(Figs 12–17, 89)

Typematerial – Holotype (m): KENYA: Mt. Elgon, [Kaptegariver], 2380 m [01°10’N, 34°43’E], 17.I.1979, leg. Th. Palm, [sifting moist grass litter] ( MZLU) ; Paratypes (34): same dataasholotype (1 m, 1 f, MZLU) ; Mt. Elgon , 1900–2500 m, 12.I.–5.II.1979, leg. Th. Palm (1 m, 8, MZLU, 4, MHNG, 1, HNHM) ; Mt. AberdaresprèsentréeduParkNational, 2300 m [00°27.5’S, 36°51.0’E], 25.XI.1974, leg. V. Mahnert & J-L. Perret (45), tamisagefeuilles mortes et bois mort (5, MHNG, 1, SDEI, 1, ZMHB, 1, NHMW, 1, SMNS, 1, AMNH, 1, FMNH, 1, NMPC, 1, MNHP, 1, CNCI, 1, ISNB) ; UGANDA: Mt. Elgon , Kapkwata, 2250 m [01°21‘41“N, 34°37‘46“E], 30. V.1993, leg. G. Cuccodoro & D. Erne (16a), vegetationaldebris andoldrottingtrunkinpineplantation, sifted (1, MHNG) ; D. R. CONGO: ParcNational Albert , MassifRuwenzori , Kirivata (Migeri), 1760 m [00°15‘N, 29°47‘E], 10–20.IV.1953, leg. P. Vanschuytbroeck & J. Kekenbosch (3171-3202) (1, MRAC, 1 m, BMNH) .

Description – Measurements (in mm, n = 10): EW = 0.56 (0.54–0.58); TW = 0.59 (0.56– 0.62); PW = 0.66 (0.62–0.69); SW = 0.65 (0.62–0.68); AW = 0.85 (0.81–0.90); HL = 0.39 (0.38– 0.41); EL = 0.12 (0.11–0.13); TL = 0.14 (0.13–0.15); PL = 0.46 (0.43–0.49); SL = 0.56 (0.53–0.62); SC = 0.52 (0.49–0.57); FB = 1.51 (1.42–1.63); BL = 3.16 (2.89–3.42). Habitus as in Fig. 89. Pro- notumandelytradarkbrownwithreddishtint. Headblackishdarkbrown, towardscly- peuslighter, epistomalsuturedarker. Abdomendarkbrown, withmorereddishapicesof tergites. Legs, basalantennomeresandmouthpartsmediumbrown, antennalarticles 3–10 darkbrown, ultimateantennomerelighteratapex. Head transversewithrounded, bulging templeswiderthaneyes. Clypeusalmostimpunctatewithonlyfeebletracesofmicrosculptureandthefinestpuncturesonsurface. Epistomalsuturebetweentipsofsupraantennal prominencesoronlyalittlebehindimaginarylineconnectingthem. Medialportionofoc- cipitalgroovebendinganteriorly, neckmediallyshiny, laterallywithtracesofcoriaceous microsculpturewithisodiametriccells. Vertexwithindefinite-borderedbutlargeanddeep puncturesonlyonimpressedparts, elevatedmiddleunpunctured; somealsoneartemplesbutventrallypunctationturningintoruggednessaroundeyes, obscuringapostocularridge. Faintlongitudinalimpressionsrunningonbothsidesofvertexfromepistomal suturetooccipitalgroove, becomingmoremarkedposteriorly. Headsurfaceotherwise shiny, withoutmicrosculpture. Pronotum withcomplete, thinmarginalbead. Surfaceshiny, withoutanymicrosculpturebutpuncturedlikehead, withscattered, indefinite-bordered, mostlyratherlargepits, slightlyumbilicate. Longitudinalmidlineunmarkedbutpunc- turesmissingonabroadstripeonbothsidesandpartlyalonghindmargin. Onbothsides ofmidlinemiddle-posterior 3/5 ofdiscslightlyimpressed. Elytra withdiscgentlyconvex, slightlyimpressedanteriorly, twoverythinandshallowlongitudinalimpressionsalong suturebehindscutellum. Epipleuralridgepresentonalmostentirelength. Thinmarginal beadwithobscureconnectiontoepipleuralridgecontinuingalongposteriormargin, not reachingsuturalcorner, slightlycurvinganteriorlybeforeit. Alongsutureveryfinemar- ginalbeadconspicuousonlybecauseofdarkercolour. Elytralpunctationmoderatelydeep, equallyspaced, moderatelysparse, missingonathin, slightlyelevatedstripealongsuture. Abdomen shinyandsmoothwithonlytinyinsertionpointsofsetaeandextremelyfaint coriaceousmicrosculpturewithisodiametriccells. MalesterniteVIIIasinFig. 15, aedeagus asinFigs 13–14, femalesterniteVIIIasinFig. 16, spermathecaasinFig. 17.

Distribution – Thepresent (restricted) selectionoftypematerialispartlyduetothe factthatthistaxonhassomewhatreducedwingsandisapparentlyfoundathigheral- Figs 13–17. Paraploderus grandis sp. n. 13 = aedeagus, lateral view, 14 = aedeagus, frontal view (parameral setation shown on left), 15 = sternite VIII, male, 16 = sternite VIII, female, 17 = spermatheca. Scales: 0.1 mm for Fig. 17, 0.16 mm for Figs 13–14, 0.3 mm for Figs 15–16. titudes. Amorenarrowrangeofspecimensandlocalitiesperhapsensuresamoreclear identityforthistaxon; theprevioustypeseriesinfactmaybeamixtureofseveralclosely relatedspecies. Asrecognizedhere, thedistributionof P. grandis isconfinedtotheRuwen- zorirange, Mt. AberdaresandMt. Elgon. Atthelatterlocationtherecordedhabitatwas “primevalforestareauphillMountElgonatKaptegariver, deciduousforests, shrub-and tallherbaceousvegetation” – thisdoesnotsuggestaverynarrowdistribution, butfurther materialandworkisnecessarytoclarifytheexactdistributionandvariability.

Etymology – Namedaftertheratherlargesizeofthespecies.

Remarks – ThespecieswasfirstrecognizedbyP. M. Hammond, who labelled a series of specimens with the name ‘ grandis ’ in the 1970s, but it remainedunpublished – hisseries, however, appearsratherheterogenous. At leastitisdifficulttodecidewhetherthespecimensfromavarietyoflocalities reallybelongtothesamespeciesorrepresentcloselyallieddistinctforms. A furthercomplicationiscausedbythefactthatthepresentauthorusedthis Paraploderus speciesforaphylogeneticanalysisin 2005 ( MAKRANCZY 2006) misidentifiedas “ P. parcepunctus ”. Adecadelateritisimpossibletodeter- minewhatcircumstancesledtothisconfusionofidentities. Havingconsid- eredthesefacts, whilekeepinghisname‘ grandis ’, onlythetwospecimens fromHammond’soriginaltypelocalityofhismanuscriptnameareincluded inthenewtypeseries (includingtheformer‘ holotype’), andastheholotype exactlythesamespecimen (collectedbyThurePalmin 1979 atKaptegariver, tributaryofSuamr.) thatwasusedintheanalysis (aedeagusillustratedinfig. 92, p. 76, MAKRANCZY 2006) is chosen. Almost all of Hammond’s other specimensarefemales, thetwomalesfoundwereinlessthanperfectcondition, onehastheaedeagusdissected (parameresdetached), theotherhasaweakly sclerotizedaedeagus, makingitverytrickytodrawsolidconclusiononthe identitiesofthesespecimens.

Figures

Figs 88–90. Habitus of Paraploderus species. 88 = P. nigronitens (Cameron, 1951), 89 = P. grandis sp. n., 90 = P. rufescens sp. n.