Australotarsius tasmanicus Solodovnikov & Newton

Solodovnikov, Alexey & Newton, Alfred F., 2009, Australotarsius — a new genus of the rove beetle tribe Staphylinini from Australia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae), Zootaxa 2033, pp. 49-57 : 54-57

Australotarsius tasmanicus Solodovnikov & Newton , new species

( Figs. 2 , 18, 19 )

Type material. Holotype: AUSTRALIA: Tasmania: 3, “Corinna W Tas. [Tasmania], Mar.’57 Darlingtons [P.J. Darlington Jr., wife & son] / MCZ / Quediini Gen. A. sp. 2 det. A.F. Newton 1987” [FMNH-INS 0 0 0 0 0 36 008] ( MCZ).

Description. Measurements: HL: 0.92; HW: 1.00; PL: 1.20; PW: 1.24; EL: 1.68; EW: 1.56.

Habitus as in Fig. 2 . Body length 7.4 mm. Pale brown (the single available specimen may be teneral, without additional material the real coloration of the species is not clear), glossy, with entire body covered by moderately dense setae-bearing punctation; elytra more densely setose than head and pronotum; setae on abdomen slightly longer and stouter than those on head, pronotum and elytra; all body parts, in addition to even general setation, also with a few large conspicuous macrosetae in regular arrangement.

Head only slightly wider than long; eyes about as long as temporae; neck distinct laterally and dorsally; nuchal ridge present. Antennae: antennomere IV shorter than antennomere II; antennomeres V and VI, each, only slightly shorter than antennomere IV; antennomeres VII–XI gradually becoming shorter and wider towards apex of antenna, each no longer than wide; antennomere X wider than long, shorter than antennomere IX and about the same length as antennomere XI.

Pronotum as long as wide, parallel-sided behind anterior third of its length, with broadly rounded anterior and posterior angles, the former not so distinctly protruding anteriad. Pronotal disk without any dorsal or sublateral conspicuous macrosetae, only with large lateral seta latero-anteriorly, close to pronotal lateral margin.

Scutellum as setose as elytra. Elytra distinctly longer and wider than pronotum.

Abdominal tergite VII with whitish apical seam.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 18, 19 ): median lobe apically broadly rounded; paramere broad, symmetrical, deeply bilobed, each lobe with two pairs of apical setae and field of numerous sensory peg setae on the underside.

Comparison. Australotarsius tasmanicus strongly differs from A. grandis in the following complex of character states: neck constriction fully developed dorsally and laterally; last segment of maxillary palps relatively shorter and with widely truncated apex; antennomere X but slightly shorter than antennomeres IX and XI; setose prosternum with numerous irregularly arranged setae; aedeagus with deeply bifurcate symmetrical paramere. Australotarsius tasmanicus is also much smaller than A. grandis .

Distribution and bionomics. The species is known only from the type locality in western Tasmania. Nothing is known about its habitat requirements.

Etymology. The name refers to the species distribution confined to Tasmania. It is a Latin adjective of masculine gender.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Australotarsius grandis (1) and A. tasmanicus (2), habitus. Scale bar 5 mm.

FIGURES 12 – 19. Australotarsius grandis (12 – 17) and A. tasmanicus (18 – 19), details of structure. 12, hind wing, right; 13, abdominal sternites II + III, ventrally; 14, male terminalia (abdominal segments IX, X), ventrally; 15, female terminalia (abdominal segments IX, X), ventrally; 16, 18, aedeagus, laterally; 17, 19, aedeagus, dorsally (parameral side). Scale bars 1 mm.