Cephennodes (Cephennodes) bilaminatus, Jałoszyński, 2017

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2017, Ant-like stone beetles on the roof of the world. Cephenniini of Nepal and Bhutan (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 4349 (1), pp. 1-120 : 70-71

Cephennodes (Cephennodes) bilaminatus sp. n.

( Figs 158 , 203–206 , 228 )

Type material. Holotype: NEPAL (Sankhuwasabha District): ♂, one label: "E. NEPAL: KOSI / Col N-E Mangmaya / 2300 m, 6.IV.84 / Löbl - Smetana" [white, printed] ( MHNG) . Paratypes (5 exx): 4 ♂♂, "E. NEPAL: KOSI / Forêt N-E Kuwapani / 2350 m, 5.IV.84 / Löbl & Smetana" [white, printed] ; 1 ♂, "E. NEPAL: KOSI / Forêt N-E Kuwapani / 2250 m, 24.IV.84 / Löbl - Smetana" [white, printed] (paratypes in MHNG and cPJ).

Diagnosis. BL 1.14–1.18 mm; abdominal sternite II and III each with very large subtrapezoidal plate of similar shape directed posteroventrally; apex of median lobe of aedeagus subtriangular, blunt; apical projection of aedeagus partly hidden behind apex of median lobe, with distal margin nearly straight, its median portion transverse in relation to the long axis of aedeagus, apical portion of apical projection narrowly subtriangular.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 158 ) moderately dark brown, elongate, with shallow constriction between pronotum and elytra, strongly convex, covered with light brown setae; BL 1.14–1.18 mm.

Head subtrapezoidal, HL 0.18 mm, HW 0.28–0.30 mm (mean 0.28 mm); vertex and frons confluent and weakly, evenly convex, vertex with a pair of tiny but distinct tubercles; supraantennal tubercles small, weakly elevated; eyes moderately large, strongly convex, coarsely faceted. Punctures on vertex and frons small and shallow but distinct, moderately sharply marked, nearly evenly and densely distributed, separated by spaces slightly shorter than diameters of punctures; setae sparse, short, suberect. Antennae moderately long and relatively strongly thickened, AnL 0.63–0.68 mm (mean 0.66 mm), pentamerous club indistinctly delimited; antennomere I about 1.2 × as long as broad; II narrower and shorter than I, 1.2 × as long as broad; III slightly narrower and much shorter than II, about as long as broad, IV–VI similar in shape, each as broad as III and slightly longer, about 1.2 × as long as broad; VII slightly broader and much longer than VI, about 1.8 × as long as broad; VIII distinctly broader and much shorter than VII, about as long as broad; IX and X each distinctly larger than preceding ones, each about as long as broad; XI much broader than X, slightly longer than IX–X together, about twice as long as broad.

Pronotum in dorsal view subtrapezoidal, broadest near posterior third but very indistinctly narrowing posteriorly, PL 0.33–0.35 mm (mean 0.34 mm), PW 0.53 mm; anterior margin in strictly dorsal view slightly concave; lateral margins indistinctly microserrate, strongly rounded in anterior half, nearly straight in posterior third; hind corners nearly right-angled; posterior margin shallowly bisinuate; lateral carinae distinct but narrow, fused with lateral margins; antebasal pits small and shallow, each slightly closer to posterior than to lateral pronotal margin. Punctures on disc small but relatively deep and sharply marked, those on median area separated by spaces shorter than puncture diameters; setae moderately long, dense, suberect.

Elytra elongate, oval, broadest slightly anterior to middle, EL 0.63–0.68 mm (mean 0.64 mm), EW 0.55–0.58 mm (mean 0.56 mm), EI 1.13–1.18. Humeral calli weakly elevated; subhumeral lines distinct, divergent posteriorly, equal to about 0.3 EL, each developed as a moderately sharp stepwise border between more convex humeral region and less convex adsutural area; basal pit on each elytron located in shallow and round basal impression; apices of elytra separately rounded. Punctures slightly smaller and sparser than those on pronotum, distinct; setae similar to those on pronotum.

Hind wings not studied.

Metaventrite with moderately large, sharply delimited postmesocoxal impressions, with median area covered with fine, dense punctures.

Abdomen ( Figs 203–204 ) with sternite II and III each bearing very large subtrapezoidal plate of similar shape, directed posteroventrally.

Legs unmodified.

Aedeagus ( Figs 205–206 ) moderately slender, AeL 0.15 mm, apex of median lobe subtriangular and blunt; apical projection partly hidden behind median lobe, its distal margin nearly straight and transverse in relation to the long axis of aedeagus; apex of apical projection subtriangular; parameres very slender, nearly equal in length, not reaching apex of median lobe, each with one apical seta.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution ( Fig. 228 ). Eastern Nepal.

Etymology. The name bilaminatus refers to abdominal modifications.

Remarks. Abdominal sternites II and III each with a large, subrectangular lamina or plate directed posteroventrally are unique among the C. simplicipes species group and allow for unambiguous identification of C. bilaminatus .

Figures

FIGURES 156 – 162. Dorsal habitus of Cephennodes (s. str.) paralalitpuranus sp. n. (156), C. (s. str.) bahrabisensis sp. n. (157), C. (s. str.) bilaminatus sp. n. (158), C. (s. str.) ghorepanianus sp. n. (159), C. (s. str.) cordilaminatus sp. n. (160), C. (s. str.) mangmayanus sp. n. (161), and C. (s. str.) bilobatus sp. n. (162).

FIGURES 195 – 210. Abdomen of male in right lateral (195, 199, 203, 207) and ventral (196, 200, 204, 208) views and aedeagus in ventral (197, 201, 205, 209) and lateral (198, 202, 206, 210) views. Cephennodes (s. str.) paralalitpuranus sp. n. (195 – 198), C. (s. str.) bahrabisensis sp. n. (199 – 202), C. (s. str.) bilaminatus sp. n. (203 – 206), and C. (s. str.) ghorepanianus sp. n. (207 – 210).

FIGURES 227 – 228. Distribution of Cephennodes (s. str.) paralalitpuranus sp. n. (227, circle), C. (s. str.) bahrabisensis sp. n. (227, triangle), C. (s. str.) bilaminatus sp. n. (228, circle), C. (s. str.) ghorepanianus sp. n. (228, triangle).