Oedichirus coorgensis, Rougemont, 2018

Rougemont, Guillaume de, 2018, New oriental Oedichirus (Staphylinidae, Paederinae, Pinophilini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 461-536 : 474-475

Oedichirus coorgensis nov.sp.

(Figs 23)

Material studied: ♂ Holotype: S-INDIA, Karnataka state, Coorg distr., NE of Virajpet 75º50’E 12º13’N ca. 500 m, 4-8.vi.1999, Z. Kejval & M. Tryzna leg. / HOLOTYPE Oedichirus coorgensis des. 2016 G. de Rougemont [ JCN].

Description: length: length: 6.7 mm; length of fore-body: 3.1; length of head: 0.75; breadth of head: 0.87; length of antenna: 2; length of pronotum: 1.1; breadth of pronotum: 0.87; length of elytron: 0.9; breadth of elytra: 1. Fore-body pale reddishbrown, abdomen darker brown, mouthparts and antennae testaceous, the latter with segments III-IX somewhat infuscate, legs entirely testaceous. Dorsal surfaces glossy, devoid of microsculpture. Pubescence long, erect or semi-erect. Habitus: Fig. 23h.

Head strongly transverse, eyes large and protruberent; post-ocular border salient, consisting of a sharp carina ending anteriad in a salient tooth; puncturation of disc sparse, consisting of a pair of small setiferous punctures on anterior margin of frons, six punctures on vertex, the posterior three larger than anterior ones, an arcuate series of four punctures in occipital area, and 2-3 punctures on either side on margin of post-ocular border; antennae very long, when reflexed almost reaching half the length of elytra, with all segments strongly elongate. Pronotum strongly elongate, the sides retracted in straight lines to base; no discal series of punctures, but with only three punctures on each side on anterior margin, a lateral series of two widely spaced punctures, three punctures on lateral margins, and a pair of punctures before base. Elytra a little shorter than pronotum, leaving a large part of abdominal segment II exposed; puncturation very sparse, consisting on each elytron of four juxta-sutural punctures, a lateral series of three widely spaced punctures, and two punctures bearing very large setae on lateral margin. Puncturation of abdominal tergites arranged in discrete transverse rows: two between the anterior row of short basal keels, and a third on posterior margin of tergite, the punctures of the latter row fewer and much more widely spaced than those of anterior rows.

Male: abdominal sternite VII unmodified; sternite VIII: Fig. 23s8, with a deep narrow asymmetrical emargination; aedoeagus: Fig. 23arl, right paramere long, sinuate, fused to median lobe.

This is a sibling species of another two south Indian species, O. cardamomensis nov.sp. and O. lucabosmontis nov.sp.. Puncturation of fore-body as in O. cardamomensis . The puncturation of abdominal tergites III-VII differs from both the other species in that the punctures of the last row on each tergite (on posterior margin of tergite) are fewer and more widely spaced than on anterior rows. It also differs from O. cardamomensis in its slightly greater size and red head, concolorous with pronotum.

Key 4.