Spinosciacharis Jałoszyński, 2014, gen. n.
Creators: name: Jałoszyński, Paweł
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Spinosciacharis

description: Spinosciacharis gen. n.
Type species: Horaeomorphus puncticeps Franz, 1975: 142 (here designated).
Diagnosis. Body (Figs. 112, 114–116) elongate and flattened; head short and convex; vertex not projecting dorsocaudad, its posterior margin slightly to distinctly concave; supraantennal tubercles distinct but weakly raised and not accompanied posteriorly by pits; frontoclypeal groove present; eyes located in anterior part of head; tempora long and strongly curved toward occipital constriction; tempora, genae and postgenae with dense bristles; 'neck region' distinctly demarcated from anterior part of head capsule by constriction and as narrow as nearly half width of vertex; hypostomal ridges (Fig. 97; hr) sharply marked and long, reaching nearly to posterior tentorial pits but not connected in middle; posterior tentorial pits (Fig. 97; ptp) elongate and located distinctly in front of transverse groove demarcating 'neck' ventrally; submentum (Fig. 97; smn) without lateral sutures; each mandible with robust subapical tooth (Fig. 100; sat) and densely setose dorsomesal prostheca (Fig. 100; pst); maxillary palpomeres III and IV (Fig. 101; mxt3–4) slender, strongly elongate; pronotum with one pair of small internal antebasal pits (Fig. 103; ip) which are separated by narrow longitudinal wrinkle or carina (Fig. 103; mc), external pair of diffused impressions (Fig. 103; li) and distinct sublateral carinae (Fig. 103; slc) extending from posterior pronotal corners to 1/5–1/4 PL; prosternum laterally demarcated from hypomera by pronotosternal sutures (Fig. 102; nss), with indistinct intercoxal carina; procoxal sockets (Fig. 102; pcs) closed by posterolateral lobes of prosternum; prothoracic hypomera (Fig. 102; hy) with large internal (adcoxal) parts demarcated from sides of pronotum by complete hypomeral ridges (Fig. 102; hyr); sides of pronotum with dense thick bristles (Fig. 102) well visible in dorsal view; mesoventrite with short anterior ridge (Fig. 105; ar) medially connected with mesoventral process (Fig. 105; msvp) which is narrow and weakly expanding ventrally and reaching only to middle of mesocoxal cavities, so that mesocoxae are indistinctly separated; ventrolateral foveae (Fig. 110; vlf) present, dorsolateral foveae absent; anterior metaventral process (Fig. 106; amvp) present; metaventral intercoxal process (Fig. 111; mtvp) broadly subtriangular, with small median notch; metacoxae (Fig. 109; cx3) narrowly separated in middle; each elytron with two deep and relatively large asetose basal foveae (Fig. 104; bef) not connected by groove and well visible in dry-mounted specimens; metafemora in males with ventral projection (Figs. 117–120); aedeagus (Figs. 121–128) with free and slender parameres.
Description. Body (Figs. 112, 114–116) moderately large (BL 1.78–2.45 mm), flattened and slender, with long appendages, pigmentation brown, cuticle setose.
Head (Figs. 97, 112, 114–116) with occipital constriction (Fig. 97; occ) much narrower than vertex and dividing the head capsule into exposed anterior part and narrow posterior 'neck region' retracted into prothorax; eyes small and slightly oval, located in anterior part of head; tempora long and in posterior half strongly curved posteromesally, with sparse bristles; vertex transverse, uniformly convex, not projecting dorso-caudad, with posterior margin slightly concave and distinctly demarcated from occiput; frons confluent with vertex, transverse and subtrapezoidal, convex, strongly but not abruptly lowering toward labrum; frontoclypeal groove present; antennal insertions broadly separated, located beneath distinct but weakly raised supraantennal tubercles.
Labrum (Fig. 99) transverse and semioval with slightly emarginate anterior margin, with small number of long dorsal setae. Mandibles symmetrical, subtriangular, each with broad base and large subapical tooth (Fig. 100; sat), also distal mesal margin of basal part forms broad and blunt tooth in front of densely setose dorsomesal prostheca reaching mandibular base. Each maxilla composed of small cardo (Fig. 101; cd) bearing three setae; subtriangular basistipes (Fig. 101; bst); elongate mediostipes (Fig. 101; mst); elongate galea (Fig. 101; gal) and lacinia (Fig. 101; lac); large, elongate palpifer (Fig. 101; pfp); and strongly elongate and moderately large maxillary palpus (Fig. 97; mxp) composed of elongate palpomere I (Fig. 101; mxp1), strongly elongate, slightly clavate and slender palpomere II (Fig. 101; mxp2), large and strongly elongate, slender palpomere III (Fig. 101; mxp3) broadest near distal third, and small, slender, subconical and pointed palpomere IV (Fig. 101; mxp4). Labium (Figs. 97–98) with large submentum (Fig. 97; smn) not demarcated laterally from postcardinal parts of hypostomae; subtrapezoidal mentum (Fig. 97; mn); and short prementum bearing narrowly separated at bases long 3-segmented labial palpi and a pair of median bristles inserted on small subtrapezoidal ligula (Fig. 98; lg). Hypostomal ridges (Fig. 97; hr) sharply marked, long and extending nearly to posterior tentorial pits but not connecting in middle.
Gular plate (Fig. 97; gp) large and subtrapezoidal, with rapidly narrowed anterior part; gular sutures (Fig. 97; gs) superficial; posterior tentorial pits (Fig. 97; ptp) narrow and straight, located clearly in front of transverse groove ventrally demarcating 'neck region'.
Antennae (Figs. 112, 114–116) long and slender, gradually but only slightly thickening distally; antennomere XI unremarkable.
Prothorax (Figs. 102, 112, 114–116) in dorsal view weakly to strongly elongate and broadest near anterior third, with rounded anterior margin and anterior parts of lateral margins, with barely marked, blunt and strongly obtuse anterior corners; posterior corners distinct, obtuse; posterior margin shallowly bisinuate. Base of pronotum with distinct sublateral carinae (Fig. 103; slc) extending from posterior pronotal corners and as long as 1/5–1/4 of PL; base with one pair of small internal pits (Fig. 103; ip) in middle separated by narrow longitudinal wrinkle or carina (Fig. 103; mc), and with variously distinct lateral impressions (Fig. 103; li) adjacent to sublateral carinae. Sides of pronotum with thick and sparse bristles (Fig. 103).
Prosternum with long basisternal part (Fig. 102; bst) distinctly demarcated from procoxal cavities (Fig. 102; pcc); median part of sternum slightly raised and forming narrow and indistinct prosternal carina; procoxal sockets (Fig. 102; pcs) closed by posterolateral lobes of prosternum; hypomera (Fig. 102; hy) elongate, each divided into broad lateral part confluent with pronotum and narrower internal (adcoxal) part; hypomeral ridges (Fig. 102; hyr) complete; pronotosternal sutures (Fig. 102; nss) entire.
Mesocutellum (Fig. 104; scl2) subtriangular, in intact specimen hidden by posterior margin of pronotum overlapping with elytral base; mesoscutoscutellar suture (Fig. 104; sss) present.
Mesoventrite (Fig. 105) with narrow and distinctly demarcated anterior ridge (Fig. 105; ar); mesoventral process (Fig. 105; msvp) carinate and moderately expanding ventrally, anteriorly connected with anterior ridge and terminated near middle of mesocoxal cavities, indistinctly separating mesocoxae; sides of mesoventrite with shallow procoxal rests (Fig. 105; pcr) filled with bristles (= setose impressions) but without asetose impressions; mesanepisternum with moderately long prepectus (Fig. 105; pre), sides of mesoventrite with moderately broad and deep setose ventrolateral foveae (Figs. 108, 110; vlf); dorsolateral foveae absent; mesocoxal projections (Figs. 105, 107, 109–110; mcp) prominent, with mesocoxal sockets (Figs. 105, 107, 109–110) located on their mesoventral surface and visible in ventral view.
Metaventrite (Figs. 109–110; v3) subrectangular, anteriorly fused with mesoventrite, posteriorly shallowly bisinuate and with broadly subtriangular metaventral intercoxal process (Fig. 111; mtvp) bearing small median notch; anterior metaventral process present (Fig. 106; amvp). Metanepisterna and metepimera narrow.
Metafurca with long stalk and divergent lateral furcal arms (Fig. 110; lmfa).
Elytra (Figs. 104, 112, 114–116) oval, each with two moderately large, deep and asetose basal foveae (Fig. 104; bef) not connected by groove; humeral denticles and sub-humeral lines absent.
Hind wings well-developed, about twice as long as elytra.
Legs (Figs. 112, 114–116) long and slender; procoxae subglobose, mesocoxae oval, metacoxae strongly transverse; all trochanters short; all femora moderately strongly clavate; tibiae and tarsi long and slender. Males of all species have variously shaped projections on ventral margin of metafemora (Figs. 117–120).
Aedeagus (Figs. 121–128) elongate and moderately darkly sclerotized, relatively thin-walled, with symmetrical median lobe and symmetrical, complicated assemblage of internal sclerites; parameres free and slender, with apical setae.
Etymology. Spinosciacharis is a combination of the stem Sciacharis (a genus name) with the prefix spino - referring to the femoral spines found in males of all species. Gender feminine.
Composition and distribution (Fig. 196). Three species of Spinosciacharis are distributed in the southeastern part of the Australian continent (New South Wales and Victoria) and one in Tasmania.
Remarks. Among all Australian genera of Cyrtoscydmini, Spinosciacharis is most similar to Horaeomorphus in the general body form, but to Sciacharis s. str. in ventral structures. The flattened and slender body with weakly rounded sides of elytra, the shape of pronotum, and the femoral projections in males may be mistaken with similar features of some Horaeomorphus species. Spinosciacharis clearly differs from Horaeomorphus in numerous characters: the absence of pits on posteromesal margins of weakly marked supraantennal tubercles (in Horaeomorphus pits present and tubercles prominent); posterior tentorial pits located far in front of the anterior margin of 'neck region' (in Horaeomorphus pits are adjacent to the anterior margin of 'neck region'); much narrower occipital constriction; absence of median antebasal pronotal pit (present in Horaeomorphus); presence of sublateral pronotal carinae (absent in Horaeomorphus); narrow, ridge-like prosternal intercoxal carina (carina narrow but subrectangular with distinct lateral margins in Horaeomorphus); basal elytral foveae not connected by inversely U-shaped groove (in Horaeomorphus groove present); narrow anterior ridge of mesoventrite (broad in Horaeomorphus); presence of ventrolateral mesothoracic foveae (absent in Horaeomorphus); mesocoxae indistinctly separated by narrow mesoventral process only in their anterior half (distinctly separated in Horaeomorphus); presence of anterior metaventral process (absent in Horaeomorphus); and metaventral intercoxal process without spines (with a pair of long spines in Horaeomorphus). Spinosciacharis is similar to Sciacharis s. str. in the general body shape (especially the shape of the head), all ventral characters of the head; the presence of pronotal internal antebasal pits and sublateral carinae; feebly developed prosternal intercoxal carina; presence of two distinct basal elytral foveae; presence of only ventrolateral mesothoracic fovea; and the shape of metaventral intercoxal process. Spinosciacharis differs from Sciacharis s. str. in robust subtriangular mandibles with two subapical teeth (one small subapical tooth beneath narrow apical tooth and above strongly broadened mandibular base in Sciacharis s. str.); sublateral pronotal carinae extending much farther anteriorly; prosternum completely demarcated from adcoxal parts of hypomera (in Sciacharis s. str. prosternum partly fused with hypomera); the mesoventral intercoxal process not interrupted (in Sciacharis s. str. interrupted near anterior margins of mesocoxal cavities); and the presence of anterior metaventral process (absent in Sciacharis s. str.). The same characters, except for the prosternum completely separated vs. partly fused with hypomera differentiate Spinosciacharis from Sciacharis (Maorinus). The latter taxon has an elongated head, distinctly thickened maxillary palpi, hypomeral ridges not reaching posterior margins of adcoxal parts of hypomera; and long mesoventral intercoxal process extending from just behind anterior ridge of mesoventrite up to posterior margins of mesocoxal cavities (all these characters different in Spinosciacharis). The similarities between Spinosciacharis and Sciacharis may in future justify placing the former as a subgenus of Sciacharis.
description: Published as part of Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2014, ' The curse of Horaeomorphus ': taxonomy of misplaced Australian Cyrtoscydmini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae), pp. 1-76 in Zootaxa 3828 (1) on pages 38-41, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3828.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/286513