Quedius (Microsaurus) varius Cai, Zhao & Zhou, 2015, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Cai, Yan-Peng
name: Zhao, Zong-Yi
name: Zhou, Hong-Zhang
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Quedius
Quedius varius

description: Quedius (Microsaurus) varius sp. nov.
(Figs. 3, 3-1)
Type material. Holotype ♂, CHINA: Sichuan Province: Wolong National Nature Reserve, Wuyipeng, 2535 m, 14–29. VIII. 2004, coll. Xiaodong Yu. Paratypes: CHINA: Sichuan Province: 1 ♀, Wolong National Nature Reserve, Wuyipeng, 2535 m, 29. VI–14. VII. 2004, coll. Xiaodong Yu; 1 ♀, Wolong National Nature Reserve, Wuyipeng, 2540 m, 14–29. VI. 2004, coll. Xiaodong Yu; 2 ♀♀, Wolong National Nature Reserve, Wuyipeng, 2700 m, 14–29. VI. 2004, coll. Xiaodong Yu; 1 ♂, Wolong National Nature Reserve, Wuyipeng, 2540 m, 29. VI–14. VII. 2004, coll. Xiaodong Yu; 1 ♂, Wolong National Nature Reserve, Wuyipeng, 2600 m, 29. VI–14. VII. 2004, coll. Xiaodong Yu; 1 ♀, Wolong National Nature Reserve, Wuyipeng, 2600 m, 14–29. VII. 2004, coll. Xiaodong Yu; 1 ♀, Wolong National Nature Reserve, Wuyipeng, 2580 m, 29. VII–14. VIII. 2004, coll. Xiaodong Yu; 1 ♀, Wolong National Nature Reserve, Wuyipeng, 2630 m, 14–29. VIII. 2004, coll. Xiaodong Yu; 1 ♀, Wolong National Nature Reserve, Wuyipeng, Yuancaodi, 2495 m, 31. VII–16. VIII. 2004, coll. Xiaodong Yu; 1 ♂, Wolong National Nature Reserve, Wulidun, 2395 m, 22–25. VI. 2004, coll. Xiaodong Yu.
Description. Head black; pronotum blackish brown, with margins narrowly dark brown to reddish brown; scutellum blackish brown; elytra dark brown to reddish brown; abdomen dark brown to blackish brown, strongly iridescent, each tergite with posterior margin paler; antennae dark brown, labrum dark brown, mandibles dark reddish brown, maxillary and labial palpi dark brown; legs dark brown, tibiae blackish ventrally.
BL = 9.7 mm, BW = 2.0 mm, HL/PL/EL = 1.00: 1.10: 1.39, HW/PW/EW/AW = 1.00: 1.19: 1.26: 1.12.
Head (Fig. 3 A) round, slightly wider than long, HW/HL = 1.09; eye large and convex, in dorsal view tempora shorter than length of eye, gradually narrowed posteriad, HEL/HTL = 1.86; no additional setiferous punctures between anterior frontal setiferous punctures; posterior frontal setiferous puncture situated before level of posteriomedial margin of eye, separated by distance shorter than diameter of puncture, with 1–2 additional setiferous punctures situated close to medial margin of eye before it, and 1–4 additional punctures mediad or posteriomediad of it; temporal setiferous puncture separated from posterior margin of eye by distance a little longer than diameter of puncture, with some small setiferous punctures arranged in an oblique curve behind and below it; 2–3 basal setiferous punctures situated close to nuchal constriction; head with fine and dense microsculpture of irregular waves and meshes, and scattered with very sparse microscopic punctation. Antenna moderately long, with segment I longer than segment II or III, segment III distinctly longer than segment II, segments IV–XI slightly longer than wide.
Pronotum (Fig. 3 B) wider than long, PW/PL = 1.19, narrowed anteriad, posteriolateral and posterior margins continuously and broadly rounded, lateral margins not explanate; three setiferous punctures in each dorsal row, and two setiferous punctures in each sublateral row, last sublateral row puncture situated before level of large lateral setiferous puncture; surface of pronotum with microsculpture similar to that of head.
Scutellum (Fig. 3 C) with very fine and dense microsculpture of transverse waves, impunctate.
Elytra (Fig. 3 C) moderately long, about as wide as long, EW/EL = 0.99, ESL/EL = 0.59, slightly broadened posteriad, surface of each elytron covered with dense and coarse setiferous punctures, transverse interspaces between punctures about as wide as diameter of punctures, surface between punctures without microsculpture. Wings fully developed.
Abdominal tergite II impunctate; setiferous punctures of other tergites slightly finer and denser than those of elytra, becoming sparser toward posterior margin of each tergite, and generally becoming so toward apex of abdomen; VII with whitish apical seam of palisade fringe.
Male with first four segments of foretarsus moderately dilated, sub-bilobed, each heavily covered with tenent setae ventrally, segment II slightly wider than apex of tibia; tergite VIII with basal ridge complete and arched backward in middle, with one long seta on each side; sternite VIII (Fig. 3-1 A) with basal ridge complete, and arched backward in middle, with five long setae on each side, apical margin with a wide and moderately deep medioapical emargination, a small triangular area in front of the emargination impunctate; sternite IX (Fig. 3-1 B) with basal portion long and moderately wide, with shallow emargination medioapically; tergite X (Fig. 3-1 C) with basal side broadly and shallowly concave, apex protruded and subacute; aedeagus in lateral view (Fig. 3-1 F) with apex of paramere distinctly protruding beyond that of median lobe, median lobe dilated into spoon-shaped apex toward parameral side; aedeagus in parameral view (Fig. 3-1 G) with paramere nearly parallel-sided laterally, narrower than median lobe, only covering apex of median lobe, apical portion subtriangular, median lobe subparallel-sided and vaguely dilated laterally subapically, apex subtruncate with inconspicuous medioapical emargination (Figs. 3 E, 3-1D); apical portion of paramere with two long apical setae on each side of apex, and two similar subapical setae on each lateral side below apex, underside with 11–18 sensory peg setae arranged in two longitudinal groups along sides (Figs. 3 D, 3-1E).
Female with first four segments of foretarsus similar to those of male, only slightly less dilated, segment II slightly narrower than apex of tibia; tergite VIII with basal ridge complete, and arched backward in middle, with one long seta on each side; sternite VIII with basal ridge complete, nearly straight, with five long setae on each side; tergite X (Fig. 3-1 H) in characteristic shape, with basal side broadly and deeply concave, apical portion in middle forming a small and more strongly sclerotized lobe, with several long setae on apex.
Distribution. Quedius varius sp. nov. is at present known only from the type locality: Wolong National Nature Reserve in central Sichuan Province, at altitudes between 2395 m and 2700 m. The specimens were collected in forests using pitfall traps from June to August.
Diagnosis. This new species is rather distinctive, due to the coloration of the pronotum and the elytra, the unique chaetotaxy of the head, the spoon-shaped apex of the median lobe of the aedeagus, and the characteristic shape of the female tergite X. With this character combination, it cannot be confused with any congeners.
Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin adjective varius (various), referring to the various and irregular microsculpture on the head and the pronotum.
description: Published as part of Cai, Yan-Peng, Zhao, Zong-Yi & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2015, Three new species of the genus Quedius (subgenus Microsaurus) from China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini: Quediina), pp. 567-578 in Zootaxa 3973 (3) on pages 574-577, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3973.3.10, http://zenodo.org/record/236690