Antimerus gracilis, Solodovnikov, A. & Newton, A. F., 2010

Solodovnikov, A. & Newton, A. F., 2010, Revision of the rove beetle genus Antimerus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylininae), a puzzling endemic Australian lineage of the tribe Staphylinini, ZooKeys 67, pp. 21-63 : 43-44

Antimerus gracilis sp. n. Fig. 18

Type locality:

Australia: Queensland:Bellenden Ker, 1994 Crash site, 1325m, 17°16'S, 145°51'E

Material examined.

AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Holotype, pinned, genitalia not dissected, with labels: “NEQ17°16’ S X 145°51'E / Bellenden Ker, 1994/ Crash site. 1 Dec. 1998/ G. Monteith. Pyrethrum/ trees. 1325m 1992", "QUEENSLAND/ MUSEUM LOAN/ DATE: Sept. 2004/ No. LE 04.51", "FMNH-INS/ 0000 019 173", "Antimerus/ n. sp.4/ det. A. Newton 2004", "HOLOTYPE/ Antimerus/ gracilis sp.n./ A. Solodovnikov des. 2006", ♀ in QM.

Description.

Measurements (holotype): HL: 1.8; HW: 2.6; PL: 2.4; PW: 2.5; EL: 3.1; EW: 3.3. Total length of the body: 15 mm.

Head and pronotum metallic green, with slight brassy reflection, very glossy; elytra, on disc dark brown with bluish metallic reflection, but at shoulders, in epipleural areas, along suture and apical margins brown, without metallic reflection; abdomen dark brown except for orange apex (apical part of segment VII and entire segment VIII (fifth and sixth visible) orange); legs dark brown; antennae paler. Disc of head and pronotum without punctuation or pubescence, their surfaces with microsculpture of transverse waves and faint micropunctuation. Elytra with sparse punctuation and brown to black pubescence, interspaces without distinct microsculpture. Abdomen moderately densely punctuated, without distinct metallic reflection, with brown to black pubescence.

Head wider than long, with tempora strongly tapered towards relatively narrow neck, about as long as eye (in lateral view) forming poorly distinct broadly rounded hind angles; neck not delimited from head dorsally. Antennae with antennomeres VIII–X distinctly wider than long, transverse.

Pronotum about as wide as long, and about as wide as head; pronotal anterior and posterior angles rounded but distinct; pronotum widest in the area of its middle, its sides very gradually converging posteriad, and more strongly converging anteriad. Pronotal hypomera inflexed, but slightly visible from lateral view.

Elytron elongate, longer than pronotum.

Wings well developed.

Abdominal tergites III–V (first to third visible) with moderately deep transverse impression in basal part; tergite VII (fifth visible) with whitish seam at apical margin.

Male unknown.

Comparison.

Antimerus gracilis is most similar to Antimerus jamesrodmani , from which it differs in coloration (cf. Figs 18 and 16) and in the slightly more pronounced posterior angles of the head. From Antimerus bellus , another similar species, Antimerus gracilis also differs in coloration of the body (cf. Figs 18 and 17).

Distribution and bionomics.

Antimerus gracilis is known only from the type locality in northeastern Queensland (Fig. 55, B, square). The only available specimen was collected by low-scale fogging of trees from the ground, in the forest at the elevation 1325 m.

Etymology.

The name of the new species is from the Latin adjective gracilis, or slender.