Cephennium constrictum, Assing, 2021

Assing, Volker, 2021, On the Cephennium fauna of the Iberian Peninsula and the Atlantic Islands (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 52 (2), pp. 891-931 : 897

Cephennium constrictum nov.sp. ( Figs 1 , 27-30 , Map 1 )

Type material: Holotype ♂: "E. Umg. Barcelona, Sierra del Cadi , 1700-2000 m, Col de Pal, 31.III.1994 Assing / Holotypus ♂ Cephennium constrictum sp. n. det. V. Assing 2020" ( cAss) . Paratype ♂: same data as holotype ( cAss).

Etymology: The specific epithet (Latin, adjective) alludes to the subapically constricted ventral process of the aedeagus (ventral view).

Description: Body length 1.6-1.7 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Body reddishbrown to dark-brown. External and male secondary sexual characters as in C. kiesenwetteri .

♂: aedeagus ( Figs 27-30 ) 0.62 mm long; ventral process rather weakly curved in lateral view, medially distinctly dilated and subapically strongly constricted in ventral view; internal sac apically with a pair of clusters of long thin spines.

Comparative notes: As can be inferred from the highly similar external and male sexual characters, this species is very closely related to C. kiesenwetteri , from which it is distinguished only by the less strongly curved (lateral view), medially strongly dilated, and subapically strongly constricted ventral process of the aedeagus, as well as by the slightly longer apical spines in the internal sac of the aedeagus. For comparison, the aedeagus of C. kiesenwetteri is illustrated in Figs 25-26 .

Distribution and natural history: Thetypelocalityisapassin Sierra del Cadi, approximately 100 km to the north-northwest of Barcelona ( Map 1 ). The specimens were sifted from litter and moss in north slopes with pine and juniper at altitudes between 1700 and 2000 m.

Figures

Map 1: Distributions of Cephennium spp. in the Iberian Peninsula: C. constrictum (black triangle); C. validum (black circles: examined material; white circles: based on Besuchet unpubl.)); C. conlectior (white triangle); C. algarvense (black diamonds); C. espunae (white star); C. tenuissimum (white star); C. tensum (black star).

Figs 1-6: Male habitus of Cephennium constrictum (1), C. validum (2), C. conlectior (3), C. algarvense (4), C. australe (5), and C. lompei (6). Scale bar: 1.0 mm.

Figs 25-33: Cephennium kiesenwetteri (25-26), C. constrictum (27-30; 27-28: holotype; 29-30: paratype), and C. asturicum (31-33; 32-33: based on Besuchet unpubl.): (25-32) aedeagus in lateral, dorsal, and in ventral view; (33) internal structures of aedeagus in ventral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.