Baeocera punctiventris Löbl 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Löbl, Ivan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Baeocera
Baeocera punctiventris

description: Baeocera punctiventris sp. nov.
Figs 17-19
Materiel examined: Holotype; male; MHNG; MALUC: Tanimbar Isl., Kai Besar, G. Dab, 400 m 5.IX.81, D. Agosti F911046.
Paratype; MHNG; female; with the same data as the holotype.
Etymology: The species epithet is a Latin adjective meaning punctate ventrally.
Diagnosis: The species is defined by the following characters in combination: Body-length about 1.35- 1.40 mm, body dark brown; lateral margins of pronotum and elytra nearly continuously arcuate; pronotum, elytra, hypomeron, mesanepisternum, lateral parts of metaventrite and ventrite I with similar, distinct punctation; elytron with sutural stria entire, basal stria present, broadly separated from lateral stria; mesepimeron punctate along anterior margin; ventrite I without basal striae or wrinkles; aedeagus symmetrical, with ventral side of apical process sinuate and bent at tip (lateral view), parameres nearly straight and slightly narrowed apically in dorsal view, evenly broad and weakly sinuate in lateral view, internal sac with complex sclerites, lacking membranous scale or denticle-like structures.
Description: Length 1.37-1.40 mm, width 0.95- 0.97 mm. Head and body dark brown, femora and tibiae lighter, reddish-brown, tarsi and antennae lighter than tibiae, brown to yellowish. Head with interocular distance as dorsoventral eye diameter. Antennomere II hardly longer than antennomere III. Length/width ratios of antennomeres as: III 30/6: IV 33/6: V 46/7: VI 43/7: VII 51/9: VIII 40/8: IX 51/13: X 44/14: XI 48/14. Pronotum and elytra nearly continuously arcuate. Pronotum not microsculptured, pronotal punctation conspicuously dense and fairly coarse, barely distinct at 15 times magnification, consisting of sharply delimited punctures as large as and smaller than puncture intervals; lateral carinae of pronotum not or hardly visible in dorsal view, with punctures very dense, larger than puncture intervals. Minute point of scutellum exposed. Elytra nearly entirely covering abdomen, weakly narrowed apically, with lateral margins evenly, weakly rounded; adsutural area flat and narrow; sutural stria punctate, entire, bent at base and extended to form very shallow basal stria reaching about elytral midwidth, widely separated from lateral stria; lateral stria densely punctate. Elytral disc not microsculptured; punctation all over dense and fairly coarse, punctures not or only somewhat larger than those on pronotum, well delimited, puncture intervals larger than puncture diameters. Hind wings fully developed. Hypomeron not microsculptured, distinctly punctate except on smooth area along upper margin, with punctures about as large pronotal punctures, most puncture intervals larger than puncture diameters. Mesoventrite punctate, without median ridge, fused with metaventral process. Mesanepisternum punctate, punctures distinct, as large as on pronotum and hypomeron. Mesepimeron with dense row of puncture along anterior margin, about three times as long as wide and four times as long as interval to coxa. Middle of metaventrite convex and finely punctate; punctures on lateral part of metaventrite conspicuous, as on mesanepisternite and hypomeron. Submesocoxal lines parallel, with marginal punctures not smaller than punctures on lateral area of metaventrite and not extended laterally along margin of metaventrite. Submesocoxal areas about 0.03 mm long, as fourth of shortest distance to metacoxae. Metanepisternum flat, fused with metaventrite, its margin indicated by outer puncture row of metaventrite. Tibiae straight. Abdomen not microsculptured. Ventrite I with punctation as that on lateral area of metaventrite, basal punctures not enlarged, elongate, basal striae or wrinkles absent. Following ventrites finely punctate.
Male characters: Protarsomeres I to III slightly widened. Aedeagus (Figs 17-19) 0.43 mm long, symmetrical, with ventral side of apical process sinuate and bent at tip (lateral view). Parameres nearly straight and slightly narrowed apically in dorsal view (Fig. 18), evenly broad and weakly sinuate in lateral view. Internal sac with complex sclerites, lacking membranous scale- or denticle-like structures.
Habitat: South slope of G. Dab, secondary forest on limestone, soil and very humid leaf litter.
Distribution: Indonesia: Moluccas, Tanimbar Islands.
Remarks: The aedeagal characters suggest relationship with B. incurva. Unfortunately, the sole available male has the internal sac extruded. Therefore, its structure cannot be compared to that of internal sacs in resting position. This species may be easily distinguished from B. incurva by the elytra having entire sutural striae curved at bases and extended laterally to form basal striae. The mesepimeron punctate along anterior margin is a feature shared only with B. punctigera.
description: Published as part of Löbl, Ivan, 2022, Supplement to the knowledge of the Scaphidiinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) of the Moluccas, pp. 103-118 in Revue suisse de Zoologie 129 (1) on pages 110-111, DOI: 10.35929/RSZ.0064, http://zenodo.org/record/6461022