Quedius (Microsaurus) cornutus Cai, Zhao & Zhou, 2015, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Cai, Yan-Peng
name: Zhao, Zong-Yi
name: Zhou, Hong-Zhang
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Quedius
Quedius cornutus

description: Quedius (Microsaurus) cornutus sp. nov.
(Figs. 2, 2-1)
Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA: Yunnan Province: Baoshan City, Tengchong County, Houqiao, Guyong Linchang (25°24′N, 98°18′E), 2584 m, 27. V. 2006, coll. H. B. Liang and Z. C. Liu. Paratypes: CHINA: Yunnan Province: 2 ♂♂, same data as holotype.
Description. Head black; pronotum and scutellum dark brown to blackish brown; elytra dark brown; abdomen entirely dark brown to blackish brown, strongly iridescent; antennae dark brown, with antennomere I darker, labrum and mandibles dark reddish brown, maxillary and labial palpi dark brown; legs dark brown.
BL = 9.8 mm, BW = 2.4 mm, HL/PL/EL = 1.00: 1.21: 1.67, HW/PW/EW/AW = 1.00: 1.20: 1.43: 1.20.
Head (Fig. 2 A) rounded quadrangular, distinctly wider than long, HW/HL = 1.21; eye large and convex, in dorsal view tempora shorter than length of eye, narrowed posteriad, HEL/HTL = 2.18; posterior frontal setiferous puncture situated on the same level of posteriomedial margin of eye, separated by distance about as long as diameter of puncture; temporal setiferous puncture situated slightly closer to posterior margin of eye than to nuchal constriction of head, with a few small setiferous punctures arranged in an oblique curve below it; two basal setiferous punctures situated close to nuchal constriction; head with very fine and dense microsculpture of transverse waves and irregular meshes. Antenna slender, with segment I longer than segment II or III, segment III slightly longer than segment II, segments IV–XI longer than wide.
Pronotum (Fig. 2 B) wider than long, PW/PL = 1.20, narrowed anteriad, posteriolateral and posterior margins continuously and broadly rounded, posteriolateral margins slightly explanate; three setiferous punctures in each dorsal row, 2–3 setiferous punctures in each sublateral row, last sublateral row puncture situated slightly behind level of large lateral setiferous puncture; surface of pronotum with microsculpture similar to that of head, but finer.
Scutellum (Fig. 2 C) impunctate, sparsely and transversely rugose on basal portion, other part with very fine and dense microsculpture of transverse waves.
Elytra (Fig. 2 C) moderately long, about as wide as long, EW/EL = 1.04, ESL/EL = 0.60, slightly broadened posteriad, surface of each elytron covered with dense and coarse setiferous punctures, transverse interspaces between punctures slightly larger than diameter of puncture, surface between punctures without microsculpture. Wings fully developed.
Abdominal tergites III–V with middle portion almost impunctate, with transverse depressions at base; VI–VIII finely punctate, without transverse depression; VII with whitish apical seam of palisade fringe.
Male with first four segments of foretarsus strongly dilated, sub-bilobed, each heavily covered with tenent setae ventrally, segment II slightly wider than apex of tibia; tergite VIII with basal ridge complete and nearly straight, surface without long seta; sternite VIII (Fig. 2-1 A) with basal ridge complete, slightly sinuate, with two long setae on each side, apical margin with a deep and wide medioapical emargination, a small triangular area in front of the emargination impunctate; sternite IX (Fig. 2-1 B) with basal portion narrow, with a wide and deep subsemicircular medioapical emargination apically; tergite X (Fig. 2-1 C) with basal side broadly and shallowly concave, apical margin slightly protruded and subacute; aedeagus in lateral view (Fig. 2-1 D) with apex of paramere not quite reaching or just reaching that of median lobe, median lobe without any process at apex; aedeagus in parameral view (Fig. 2-1 E) with paramere slender, parallel-sided, distinctly narrower than median lobe, apex with very inconspicuous medioapical emargination, median lobe wide, nearly parallel-sided, abruptly constricted at about apical 1/6 forming characteristic horn-shaped apex (Figs. 2 E, 2-1G); apical portion of paramere with two apical setae at each side of apical emargination, and two similar subapical setae on each lateral side slightly below apex, underside without sensory peg setae (Figs. 2 D, 2-1F).
Female unknown.
Distribution. Quedius cornutus sp. nov. is at present known only from the type locality in western Yunnan Province: Tengchong County, Guyong Forest Farm, at the altitude of 2584 m. The specimens were collected in May.
Diagnosis. This new species belongs to the beesoni group by sharing the character combination of the presence of the transverse rugae on the basal portion of the impunctate scutellum, and the absence of the sensory peg setae on the underside of the paramere of the aedeagus. It can be easily distinguished from other similar species by the characteristic horn-shaped apex of the median lobe of the aedeagus.
Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin adjective cornutus (horned), referring to the horn-shaped apex of the median lobe of the male aedeagus.
description: Published as part of Cai, Yan-Peng, Zhao, Zong-Yi & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2015, Three new species of the genus Quedius (subgenus Microsaurus) from China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini: Quediina), pp. 567-578 in Zootaxa 3973 (3) on pages 571-574, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3973.3.10, http://zenodo.org/record/236690