Cuccodorodes Yin 2018, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Yin, Zi-Wei
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Cuccodorodes

description: Cuccodorodes gen. nov.
(Figs 1–6)
Type species. Cuccodorodes darjeelingensis sp. nov. (here designated).
Comparative diagnosis. At present Cuccodorodes cannot be placed near any known genus of the Indomalayan Batrisini. The relationship of the new genus to other members of the group is difficult to discern given the extensive amount of homoplasy in Batrisitae (LÖBL & KURBATOV 2001). Members of Cuccodorodes are probably confined to the Himalayan region due to the complete absence of functional wings. The concept of the new genus is based on a unique combination of many peculiar external characters, notwithstanding that these may be homoplasious in other batrisine genera: head rounded-triangular in shape, lacking distinct frontal rostrum, vertex with a distinct reversed U-shaped sulcus connecting nude foveae, temples rounded, eyes small; antennal clubs loosely assembled by apical three antennomeres. Pronotum roundly expanded laterally, narrowing at the apex and base, disc with three basolateral foveae, and five longitudinal sulci, lateral pair of sulci strongly sinuate, densely setose and broadening in basal half, overlapping small lateral antebasal foveae, transverse antebasal sulcus absent, lacking antebasal and discal tubercles, ventral surface of pronotal lateral expansion deeply sulcate. Elytra small, much narrower than abdomen, strongly constricted at the base, each elytron with single basal fovea, lacking discal striae; lacking metathoracic wings; abdomen large, all foveae densely setose; tergite 1 (IV) longest, much longer than tergite 2 (V), with thin, oblique inner and thick outer marginal carinae, tergite 1 (IV) with four, and sternite 2 (IV) with eight basal foveae which are connecting internally. Male has mesotibia spinose at the apex, sternite 2 (IV) decorated with arched median projection. Female has strongly sclerotized genital complex.
Description. Body length 2.93–3.26 mm; habitus (Figs 1–2) stout, antennae relatively short, not reaching half elytral length when angled posteriorly.
Head (Figs 3A, 3C, 3E, 4 A–C) rounded-triangular; lacking distinct frontal rostrum, antennal tubercles strongly raised; vertexal foveae (Fig. 4A; vf) nude and small, connected by complete reversed U or V-shaped sulcus (Fig. 4A; vs); with 11 antennomeres, clubs loosely formed by three apical antennomeres, antennomeres XI elongate and conical; ocular-mandibular carinae (Fig. 4B; omc) distinct; eyes small; maxillary palpus with trapezoid palpomeres III, palpomeres IV narrowed at apex and base; punctiform gular foveae (Fig. 4C; gf) in shared round opening.
Pronotum (Figs 3A, 3C, 3E, 4D) transverse, lateral margins roundly expanded near middle, narrowing at apex and base, anterior and posterior margins slightly curved; lateral antebasal foveae (Fig. 5A; laf) small, covered by dense setae and not visible in dry specimens, median antebasal fovea (Fig. 4D; maf) tiny and obscure, lacking discal or antebasal spines/tubercles; disc convex; with three pairs of basolateral foveae (Figs 4D, 5A; blf) and one pair of basolateral pits (Fig. 5A; p); median (Figs 4D, 5A; mls), discal (Figs 4D, 5A; dls), and lateral (Figs 4D, 5A; lls) longitudinal sulci present, lateral pair of sulci strongly sinuate, densely setose and broadening in basal half, lacking transverse antebasal sulcus; prosternite with distinct paranotal sulci (Fig. 4E; ps); ventral side of lateral expansion deeply sulcate; opening of lateral procoxal foveae (Fig. 4E; lpcf) at base of broad, setose sulci.
Elytra (Figs 1–2) strongly constricted at base; each elytron (Fig. 4F) with one basal fovea (Fig. 4F; bef), lacking subbasal fovea, lacking discal stria, with complete sutural stria, thin marginal carina present in posterior half of lateral side.
Mesoventrite with median foveae (Fig. 5B; mmsf) in transverse opening, with large lateral mesoventral foveae unforked internally (Fig. 5B; lmsf), with oval mesoventral foveae, metaventrite with lateral foveae (Fig. 5B; lmtf), posterior margin with narrow notch at middle; metacoxae well-separated.
Abdomen with lateral margins of visible tergite 1 (IV) produced as thick, triangular ridge edged by thin inner and thick marginal carinae; tergites 2–3 (V–VI) with lateral margins similarly edged; tergite 4–5 (VII–VIII) lacking marginal carinae; tergite 1 (IV) longest, 2–3 (V–VI) distinctly shorter and subequal in length, 4 (VII) longer than 3 (VI); tergite 1 (IV) with one pair of mediobasal (Fig. 5C; mbf) and one pair of basolateral foveae (Fig. 5C; blf), lacking discal carinae and basal impression, tergites 2–4 (V–VII) each with one pair of basolateral foveae. Visible sternite 2 (IV) with one pair of mediobasal (Fig. 5C; mbf) and three pairs of basolateral foveae (Fig. 5C; blf) in broad, setose basolateral sulci, sternites 3–4 (V–VI) each with two pairs of basolateral foveae, and sternite 5 (VII) with one pair of basolateral foveae. All foveae of abdomen densely setose, those of tergite 1 (IV) and sternite 2 (IV) deep and connecting internally (Fig. 5C).
Legs relatively stout; tarsomeres II and III subequal in length.
Male has relatively longer antennae than female (Fig. 1); mesotibia with one tubercle (Fig. 4G; at) and two small spines (Fig. 4G; as) at apex; sternite 2 (IV) (Figs 3B, 3D, 3F) modified with arched median projection (Figs 3B, 3D, 3F, 5C; mp); sternite 7 (IX) semi-membranous (Figs 6A, 6D, 6G); aedeagus (Figs 6 B–C, 6E–F, 6H–I) with parameres fused to median lobe to form elongate ventral lobe, with large basal capsule and foramen, with well-developed basoventral projection. Female genital complex composed of strongly sclerotized structure (Figs 5 D–E).
Etymology. The new genus is named in honor of Dr. Giulio Cuccodoro, who has offered support and help during my visits to Geneva. The gender is masculine.
Key to males of Cuccodorodes
Notes. The three new species described below are exceptionally similar in external morphology, and probably restricted to a small area in eastern Nepal and northern India (Fig. 7). Reliable species identification of additional material from this region requires an examination of the aedeagus.
1 Vertexal sulcus evenly convergent anteriorly, more or less V-shaped (Fig. 3C); sternite 2 (IV) with area surrounded by median projection broadly triangular (Fig. 3D). (Nepal: Koshi; Fig. 7). ............................... ................................................. C. koshiensis sp. nov.
– Vertexal sulcus truncate anteriorly, more or less U-shaped (Figs 3A, 3E); sternite 2 (IV) with area surrounded by median projection narrowly triangular (Figs 3B, 3F). .......................................................... 2
2 Median area of sternite3 (V) distinctly microsculptured (Fig. 3B); membranous basal half of sternite 7 (IX) obliquely and lengthily elongate (Fig. 6A); aedeagus in ventral view lacking narrowly elongate sclerite at left side (Fig. 6C). (India: Darjeeling; Fig. 7). ........... ........................................ C. darjeelingensis sp. nov.
– Median area of sternite 3 (V) lacking microsculpture (Fig. 3F); membranous basal half of sternite 7 (IX) roundly expanded (Fig. 6G); aedeagus in ventral view with narrowly elongate sclerite at left side (Fig. 6I). (Nepal: Mechi; Fig. 7). .............. C. weiperti sp. nov.
description: Published as part of Yin, Zi-Wei, 2018, Cuccodorodes gen. nov., an apterous Batrisitae from the tropical Himalayas (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), pp. 321-330 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 58 (2) on pages 322-326, DOI: 10.2478/aemnp-2018-0027, http://zenodo.org/record/4504756