Euconnus (Napochus) feeneyi, Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2015

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2015, Taxonomy of ' Euconnus complex'. Part III. Morphology of Euconnus subgenus Napochus and revision of the Australian species (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 3925 (1), pp. 1-24 : 18

Euconnus (Napochus) feeneyi sp. n.

( Figs. 31–34 , 47–56 , 63–64 )

Diagnosis. Small species, BL 1.00– 1.38 mm; aedeagus in ventral view with long and narrow ventral apical projection either gradually broadening from base to subapical region or with nearly parallel sides, in both cases not reaching apex of dorsal apical projection, internal lateral projections slender, with pointed apices, distinctly shorter than ventral apical projection and distinctly or slightly convergent distally; external lateral projections broad and with rounded apices or distinctly narrowing distally and with subtriangular apices; in lateral view only dorsal apical projections curved dorsally, but at an obtuse angle; parameres with slightly expanded apices.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to Paul Feeney, the leader of the Royal Geographical Society's 1992 Cape York Scientific Expedition, during which many specimens used in the present study were collected. His name is misspelled on all labels as Feehney, and in this incorrect form cited for all type specimens in the present paper.

Remarks. Euconnus feeneyi is here divided into two subspecies, Euconnus feeneyi feeneyi and Euconnus feeneyi parallelilaminatus ssp. n. described below, based solely on genital structures.

Both subspecies of Euconnus feeneyi show variability in the body length and proportions of various body parts, a phenomenon rarely encountered within Cyrtoscydmini . A relatively large number of specimens of Euconnus feeneyi feeneyi made it possible to analyze the distribution of the body length, and it was found that in the studied material it is distinctly bimodal ( Fig 55 ), with two overlapping distributions showing peaks at 1.10–1.15 and 1.25–1.30 mm. Specimens from and near these two peaks were initially (before studying the aedeagi) assigned to two separate morphospecies (provisionally named "short" and "long"), but there were also specimens showing intermediate length and intermediate body shape. The "short" specimens are also stouter than the largest "long" specimens. This variability was illustrated for Euconnus feeneyi parallelilaminatus ( Figs. 33–34 ), but a very similar difference between the smallest and the largest individuals was found in both subspecies. All specimens come from the tip of Cape York, and "short" and "long" males were often found in the same trap. As demonstrated in Fig. 56 , the body length and elytral width increase gradually from the smallest to largest individuals and it is not possible to tell whether individuals from the middle area of this morphocline belong to the "short" or "long" morphotype. Therefore, they are all treated as belonging to one, externally variable species, Euconnus feeneyi , and one of the "short" males is fixed as a holotype of Euconnus feeneyi feeneyi . Since differences in the aedeagal structures do not form a morphocline but two clear and easily distinguishable genital morphotypes, two subspecies are proposed. It should be noted that they are sympatric and show a great external variation, and therefore this taxonomic problem requires further study, including genetic analysis.

Figures

FIGURES 24 – 34. Napochus of Australia; dorsal habitus (24 – 25, 28 – 34) and original labels of holotypes (26 – 27). Euconnus palmwoodianus (Franz) (24, 26), E. pisoniae Franz (25, 27), E. setiphallus sp. n. (28), E. yadhaigana sp. n. (29), E. microlaminatus sp. n. (30), E. feeneyi feeneyi sp. n. (31, 32), E. feeneyi parallelilaminatus ssp. n. (33, 34).

FIGURES 47 – 54. Napochus of Australia; aedeagus in ventral (47, 49, 51, 53) and lateral (48, 50, 52, 54) views. Euconnus feeneyi feeneyi sp. n. (47 – 50), E. feeneyi parallelilaminatus ssp. n. (51 – 54).

FIGURES 55 – 56. Euconnus feeneyi feeneyi sp. n., distribution of body length among 58 measured males (55) and gradual linear increase in body length vs. elytral width (56).

FIGURES 57 – 64. Distribution of Napochus in Australia. Euconnus palmwoodianus (Franz) (57, 58), E. pisoniae Franz (59), E. setiphallus sp. n. (60), E. yadhaigana sp. n. (61), E. microlaminatus sp. n. (62), E. feeneyi feeneyi sp. n. (63), E. feeneyi parallelilaminatus ssp. n. (64).