Neosclerus obscurus Assing 2013, nov.sp.
Creators: name: Assing, V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Neosclerus
Neosclerus obscurus

description: Neosclerus obscurus nov.sp.
(Figs 9-17, Map 3)
Type material: Holotype: " India: Assam #9d, North Cachar Hills dist., Mt. Borail, Borail Peak-Notun Leikul, 1550 m, 20.x.2005, 25°06'51''N, 93°03'07''E / sifting moist broadleaf litter in mixed forest, Cuccodoro & Marletta / Holotypus Neosclerus obscurus sp.n. det. V. Assing 2013" (MHNG).
Etymology: The name (Latin, adjective: dark) refers to the blackish-brown legs and antennae, one of the characters distinguishing this species from its congeners.
Description: Body length 4.2 mm; length of forebody 2.25 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 9. Coloration: body black; legs and antennae blackish-brown.
Head (Fig. 10) distinctly transverse, nearly 1.2 times as broad as long; punctation coarse and moderately dense; interstices distinct, but narrower than diameter of punctures, without microsculpture. Eyes large, but not reaching posterior margin of head; postocular portion short, but noticeable.
Pronotum (Fig. 10) approximately as long as broad and approximately 0.85 times as wide as head; punctation similar to that of head; impunctate midline of moderate breadth; interstices without microsculpture and glossy.
Elytra (Fig. 10) approximately 0.9 times as long as pronotum; punctation dense, moderately defined, and rather fine. Hind wings fully developed. Metatarsomere I longer than II, but shorter than the combined length of II and III.
Abdomen nearly as broad as elytra; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.
: sternite VII (Fig. 11) weakly transverse and with dense pubescence, posterior margin indistinctly concave in the middle, at posterior margin with row of rather long black marginal setae, these setae directed diagonally postero-mediad in the middle; sternite VIII (Fig. 17) distinctly oblong, posterior excision V-shaped and of moderate size, anterior portion of sternite and pubescence unmodified; aedeagus (Figs 12-15) 0.77 mm long and slender; ventral process long, straight, apically hooked, and weakly sclerotized; internal sac with long series of minute spines (Fig. 16).
Comparative notes: Based on the synapomorphically derived morphology of the aedeagus, N. obscurus is closely allied to N. fortepunctatus CAMERON 1924, N. dupleseriatus, and N. barbatus ASSING 2011. It differs from all of them by the shape of the ventral process of the aedeagus, by the dark colour of the legs and antennae, and additionally as follows:
from N. barbatus by the denser pubescence of the male sternites VII and VIII and by the sparse and less coarse punctation of the head and pronotum;
from N. dupleseriatus by the shorter marginal setae of the male sternite VII and the smaller posterior excision of the male sternite VIII;
from N. fortepunctatus by the less coarse and less dense punctation of the head and pronotum.
For illustrations of the compared species see ASSING (2011a).
Distribution and bionomics: The type locality is situated in Assam, Northeast India (Map 3). The holotype was sifted from moist leaf litter in a mixed forest at an altitude of 1550 m.
description: Published as part of Assing, V., 2013, A revision of Neosclerus CAMERON III. Two new species from India and Laos, and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), pp. 1549-1559 in Linzer biologische Beiträge 45 (2) on pages 1555-1557, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5302500