Lesteva ruzickai Latreille 1797, sp. n.
Creators: name: Shavrin, Alexey V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Lesteva

description: Lesteva (incertae sedis) ruzickai Shavrin, sp. n.
(Fig. 3)
Holotype: female: ‘ CHINA, GUANDONG prov., | exposed wet rock, ca. 0.5 km NE of | Taipingdong Ziran Baohuqu [dam] | 24°58.478'N, 110°38.633'E, 660 m | J. Hájek & J. Růžička leg.’ (NMPC).
Description. Measurements (in mm). WH: 0.72; LH: 0.47; LA: 1.54; LE: 0.26; LT: 0.11; LP: 0.75; WPmax: 1.00; WPmin: 0.55; LEl: 1.41; WE: 1.45; WA: 1.30; TL: 3.82.
Habitus as in Fig. 3. Dark brown, basis and lateral sides of pronotum in anterior parts, basis of scutellum, antennomeres III−VI, abdominal paratergites and abdominal segment VIII brown, legs, mouthparts, ocelli, antennomeres I−II, VII−XI yellow; each elytron with three yellow maculae: one large in mediolateral part, one narrow obliquely macula in first third and one small macula near suture. Pubescence on head and pronotum short, adjoining, white; elytra with long white pubescence, on coloured maculae pubescence yellow, apical margins of each elytron forming small oval area with long dense yellow pubescence; pubescence of abdomen moderately sparser and shorter. Head 1.5 times as wide as long with large prominent eyes; eyes 1.3 times longer than temples; ocelli large, distinct; distance between ocelli slightly more the distance between ocellus and posterior margiò of eye. Punctation fine, dense and regular; interstices between puctures as large as the diameter of one or two punctures, without microsculpture, glossy. Antennae short, reaching base of pronotum; measurements of antennomeres: I: 0.17 × 0.035; II: 0.15 × 0.025; III: 0.14 × 0.026; IV−VII: 0.13 × 0.026; VII−IX: 0.13 × 0.028; X: 0.13 × 0.03; XI: 0.17 × 0.035. Pronotum moderately convex, strongly transverse, cordate, 1.3 times wider than head; with two indistinct impressions in anterior third of disc reaching the middle length of pronotum and with very deep foveae in lateral margins. Punctation denser and deeper than that of head; interstices between punctures as the diameter of one puncture, without microsculpture, glossy. Scutellum moderately large, with rounded apical part; densely punctated by fine small punctures. Elytra 1.8 times longer than pronotum, elytral disc slightly depressed, posterior angles broadly rounded. Punctation larger and deeper than that on pronotum, densely distributed; interstices between punctures as the diameter of puncture, without microsculpture, glossy. Wings fully developed. Tarsomere I of metatarsus shorter than tarsomeres II−III, disticntly shorter than tarsomere V. Abdomen slightly narrower than elytra; abdominal tergites with fine punctation and with distinct isodiametric microsculpture; abdominal tergite V with small paired tomentose patches.
Male unknown.
Female. Sternite VIII without emargination, rounded apically.
Comparative notes. Based on the shape of strongly transverse pronotum with large deep foveae on lateral margins, short antennae and enlarged maxillary galea extending apices of mandibles, the new species is closely related to L. septemmaculata Rougemont, 2000 and L. rufimarginata Rougemont, 2000 (both known from China: Shaanxi province). From L. septemmaculata it is differ by the smaller size, by the more transverse pronotum, by the shorter antennomeres, by the elytra with six yellow maculae, by the character of pubescence on the elytra (apical margins of elytra of the new species with area of long dense yellow pubescence). From L. rufimarginata it is differ by the more transverse pronotum and by the more light coloration with yellow macula on each elytron.
For illustrations of the compared species see Rougemont (2000).
Remarks. I am not assigning the new species to any known subgenus of the genus Lesteva herein. The presence of such morphological characters as a very deep fovea on lateral margins of the pronotum in these three species suggests a new subgenus closely related to the European subgenus Lestevina Bordoni, 1973, but, nevertheless, the known Chinese species listed in the Comparative notes above are less convex and more finely punctated, and also differs by the original structure of the maxilla (maxillary galea extending to the apices of the mandibles), by the shorter antenna and by the more transverse pronotum. No male was known among these three species until now, so the erection of a new subgenus is possible after the study of the male genitalia in the future and phylogenetic analysis of species of the entire genus (see also Rougemont 2000).
Etymology. The species is dedicated to my friend and colleague Dr. J. Růžička (Prague, Czech Republic), specialist on Agyrtidae, Silphidae and Leiodidae, and one of the collectors of the type specimen.
description: Published as part of Shavrin, Alexey V., 2014, Two new species and records of the genus Lesteva Latreille, 1797 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae) from southeastern China, pp. 291-296 in Zootaxa 3821 (2) on pages 293-295, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3821.2.10, http://zenodo.org/record/4920058