Parabolitobius macropterus Yin & Du, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Yin, Zi-Wei
name: Du, Jing-Zhe
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Parabolitobius
Parabolitobius macropterus

description: Parabolitobius macropterus sp. nov.
Chinese common name: ẗûũȇūẽûDz
(Figs 1, 2)
Type material (7 exx.). HOLOTYPE: CHINA: Jiangxi: ♂, ‘ China: Jiangxi, Nanchang City, Meiling, valley N Daxi sec. X004, 28°44’49”N, 115°40’22”E, 750 m, 27.x–17.xi.2024, FIT, J.-Z. Du leg., dzĸ X004 大ȉā以 北Ɯëüḏä / HOLOTYPE (red, hand-written), Parabolitobius macropterus sp. nov., ♂, det. Yin & Du, 2025, SNUC’ (SNUC). PARATYPES: CHINA: Jiangxi: 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, same collecting data as for holotype; 1 ♂, same data, except ‘ 17–27.x.2024 ’ (all in SNUC). Each paratype bears a following label: ‘PARATYPE (yellow, printed), Parabolitobius macropterus sp. nov., ♂, det. Yin & Du, 2025, SNUC’.
Diagnosis. Body medium-sized, total body length (TBL) approximately 7.6 mm; fore body length (FBL) 3.7–3.8 mm. Elytral length (along suture, excluding scutellum)/width 0.82 (male) and 0.84 (female); disc pubescent, with distinct sutural, discal and lateral rows of thickened macrosetae. Male sternite VIII narrowly and roundly triangularly emarginate at posterior margin. Aedeagus with apices of parameres distinctly exceeding that of median lobe, each paramere narrowing toward apex, bearing one apical and two preapical setae; endophallus with symmetric, complex structure comprised of multiple sclerites.
Description. Male (Fig. 1A). Body medium-sized, total body length (from anterior margin of clypeus to apex of abdomen) 7.56–7.65 mm, fore body length (from anterior margin of clypeus to apex of elytra along midline) 3.73–3.80 mm. Head and most parts of pronotum black, posterior margin of pronotum, elytra, posterior portions of each tergite and legs reddish brown, mouthparts, and tibiae lighter; antennomeres 1 and 2 light reddish-brown, 3–11 much darker.
Head small, length from anterior margin of clypeus to base 0.63–0.68 mm, width across eyes (also maximum width) 0.87–0.88 mm; surface vaguely punctate, lacking microsculpture. Eyes moderately large, elliptical, much longer than tempora, convex, slightly prominent laterally; with long ocular seta located near inner posterior margin of each eye, separated from margin by distance of twice diameter of one puncture. Antenna elongate, length 2.69– 2.71 mm, with apex of antennomere 11 reaching approximately posterior 2/3 of elytron; antennomeres 1 and 2 more sparsely setose; antennomeres 3–11 densely and finely pubescent and 4–11 slightly compressed; relative lengths of antennomeres 1–11: 2.0: 1.0: 1.6: 1.3: 1.3: 1.3: 1.2: 1.1: 1.0: 1.0: 1.5. Maxillary palpi with palpomeres 1 small, palpomeres 2–3 much larger, rather widened apically and sparsely pubescent, palpomere 4 conical. Labial palpi with palpomere 3 largest, 2.7 times as long as 2.
Pronotum broadly transverse, length along midline 1.32 mm, maximum width 1.65–1.68 mm, widest at basal 2/5, disc moderately convex, less so at basal portion; with arcuate lateral margins; posterolateral corners rounded; disc with punctures similar to those on head, without microsculpture; anterior, lateral, and basal margins each with four, three, and four macrosetae; preapical punctures separated from anterior margin, located at apical 1/4; each puncture bearing one long, suberect seta. Scutellum moderately large, subtriangular and impunctate, with shallow transverse microsculpture.
Elytra (1A, B) slightly transverse, length along suture 1.51–1.55 (including scutellum 1.78–1.80) mm, maximum width 1.82–1.84 mm, sides slightly roundly expanded at middle; conjoint apical margin broadly emarginate at middle, anterolateral corners broadly rounded; disc with distinct sutural, discal and lateral rows of punctures, each with nine, seven and nine black macrosetae; posterior margin of each elytron with row of 12 punctures, each puncture bearing one seta similar to those of disc. Metathoracic wings fully developed.
Legs elongate and slender; apical spines of mesotibia slightly longer than those of metatibia; metatibiae 0.53 times as long as metatarsi; relative lengths of metatarsomeres 1–5: 3.0: 1.9: 1.6: 1.0: 1.1.
Abdomen elongate, length 3.83–3.85 mm, width 1.45–1.50 mm, gradually tapering from base to apex; surface densely punctate and pubescent; punctures moderately coarse; pubescence long and gradually becoming longer posteriorly; lacking microsculpture; apical margin of tergites III–VII bearing 4–5 pairs of long bristles. Sternite VII (Fig. 1C) with posterior margin truncate and almost straight, bearing 11–12 long bristles; sternite VIII (Fig. 1D) with posterior margin narrowly and roundly triangularly emarginate, bearing six long bristles.
Aedeagus (Fig. 1E–G) elongate, length 1.6 mm; median lobe evenly tapering apically; parameres rather narrow throughout, narrowing at apices, each paramere (Fig. 1G) bearing one apical and two preapical setae; endophallus armature (Fig. 1F) symmetric, with complex structure comprised of multiple sclerites.
Female. General appearance similar to male, with slightly shorter antennae and elytra; sternite VIII with posterior margin broadly rounded. Measurements (as for male): TBL 7.47–7.64 mm; FBL 3.70–3.76 mm; length/width of head 0.63–0.65/0.84–0.82, pronotum 1.33/1.65 and elytra 1.50–1.56 (including scutellum 1.74–1.78)/ 1.79–1.85 mm; antennae 2.29–2.42 mm, relative lengths of antennomeres 1–11: 2.7: 1.1: 2.0: 1.6: 1.4: 1.3: 1.3: 1.1: 1.1: 1.0: 1.5; metatibiae 0.57 times as long as metatarsi; relative lengths of metatarsomeres 1–5: 3.1: 2.0: 1.6: 1.0: 1.2.
Comparative notes. Among the eastern Palaearctic representatives of the genus Parabolitobius, this species shares the long, narrow parameres that distinctly surpass the apex of the median lobe with P. prolongatus. However, they can be easily distinguished by the significantly longer elytra and fully developed hind wings of P. macropterus sp. nov., in contrast to the shorter, subquadrate elytra and greatly reduced metathoracic wings of P. prolongatus. Additionally, the pronotum of the new species is predominantly black, whereas in P. prolongatus, it is reddish-brown (Kim & Ahn 2022). Parabolitobius macropterus sp. nov. further differs from P. yezoensis by its considerably longer parameres of the aedeagus; in P. yezoensis, the parameres are only slightly longer than the apex of the median lobe. Moreover, the new species can be distinguished from P. sinensis by its slender parameres of the aedeagus, as opposed to the distinctly rounded and expanded apices of the parameres in P. sinensis. The elytra of P. sinensis also lack the sutural, discal, and lateral rows of punctures adorned with black, thickened setae that are characteristic of the new species.
Distribution. East China: Jiangxi (Fig. 2A).
Biology. The flight intercept trap was deployed in a mixed forest (Fig. 2B, C) on 16 September 2024, and subsequent checks conducted until 17 October revealed no specimens captured. This absence suggests a late autumn occurrence of this species within the annual cycle. Continuous investigation is warranted to determine whether adults of this species are also present during other times of the year, which would further elucidate the phenology and seasonal activity patterns of this species.
Etymology. The epithet macropterus is derived from New Latin, based on Ancient Greek μακρός (makrós), meaning ‘long’, and πτερόν (pterón), meaning ‘wing’. The name is an adjective referring to the long elytra and fully developed hind wings of this species.
description: Published as part of Yin, Zi-Wei & Du, Jing-Zhe, 2025, Description of Parabolitobius macropterus sp. nov. from Jiangxi, China: a major southern range expansion for the genus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Mycetoporinae), pp. 286-292 in Zootaxa 5609 (2) on pages 287-290, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5609.2.9, http://zenodo.org/record/15215163