Scydmepitoxis paradoxa Jałoszyński, 2014, sp. n.
Creators: name: Jałoszyński, Paweł
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Scydmepitoxis
Scydmepitoxis paradoxa

description: Scydmepitoxis paradoxa sp. n.
(Figs. 1–9)
Type material. Holotype: AUSTRALIA: ♂, four labels: “ AUSTRALIA: NSW / Kyogle Wiangarie / S.F. Brindle Ck. / 800m 21 Jun. 1978 / temperate forest / S. & J. Peck” [white, printed], “Bark and / log litter” [white, printed], “Aust. Nat. / Ins. Coll.” [green, printed], “ SCYDMEPITOXIS / paradoxa m. / det. P. Jałoszyński ’14 / HOLOTYPUS ” [red, printed] (ANIC). Paratypes: 1 ♂, 1 ♀: three original labels: “ AUSTRALIA: QLD / Lamington N.P. / Binna Burra / 900m 23 Jun. 78 / S. & J. Peck” [white, printed], “rotted bark / and litter” [white, printed], “ ANIC / specimen” [green, printed]; during the present study labeled with standard yellow “ PARATYPUS ” labels (ANIC).
Diagnosis. This species of Scydmepitoxis can be identified on the basis of generic diagnosis and aedeagus.
Description. Body of male (Fig. 1) moderately convex, light brown, covered with yellowish vestiture; BL 1.50 mm.
Head (Figs. 1, 3) broadest at moderately large, weakly convex and finely faceted eyes, HL 0.25 mm, HW 0.30 mm; vertex and frons confluent, posterior portion of frons (between eyes) and vertex together convex and transverse, anterior portion of frons rapidly lowering anteriorly; supraantennal tubercles indistinct. Punctures on frons and vertex inconspicuous, fine; setae on frons and median portion of vertex short, sparse and suberect; tempora and posterior margin of vertex with dense thick bristles. Antennae (Fig. 1) slender, AnL 0.80–0.83 mm, antennomeres I–VIII distinctly elongate; IX slightly longer than broad; XI about twice as long as broad.
Pronotum (Figs. 1, 4) with nearly pentagonal disc sharply demarcated from short posterior 'collar' by deep constriction, broadest posterior to middle; PL 0.38–0.40 mm, PW 0.33–0.35 mm. Anterior margin weakly arcuate; anterior corners obtuse but well-marked; sides of large discal part rounded and divergent posteriorly, in the broadest place rapidly convergent; posterior 'collar' with rounded sides; posterior corners well-marked, obtuse; posterior pronotal margin barely noticeably bisinuate. Pronotum near base with two pairs of small distinct circular pits. Punctures on pronotal disc as small and sparse as those on head dorsum; setae on dorsal surface of disc denser and longer than those on frons, suberect, sides of pronotum with longer and denser erect setae and in the broadest place with dense setal brushes directed posteriorly.
Elytra (Fig. 1) oval, broadest distinctly behind middle; EL 0.85–0.88 mm, EW 0.58 mm, EI 1.48–1.52; humeral calli distinct; elytral apices rounded together. Punctures on elytra much more distinct than those on head and pronotum, small and shallow, separated by spaces 1–1.5x their diameter; setae shorter, sparser and more recumbent than those on pronotum. Hind wings well developed.
Legs (Fig. 1) moderately long and slender, without modifications.
Aedeagus (Figs. 8–9) elongate; AeL 0.35 mm; median lobe in ventral view narrowing from middle to subtriangular apical region; internal armature with elongate fibrous structure in distal half; parameres slender and without apical setae.
Female. Differs from males in distinctly smaller eyes and shorter antennae in relation to body length; BL 1.48 mm; HL 0.25 mm, HW 0.30 mm, AnL 0.73 mm; PL 0.38 mm, PW 0.33 mm; EL 0.85 mm, EW 0.58 mm, EI 1.48.
Distribution. North-eastern New South Wales (Fig. 2 a).
Etymology. The Latin adjective paradoxus (fem. paradoxa) meaning “marvelous, strange, paradoxical” was chosen to reflect the unusual and strange shape of the prothorax.
description: Published as part of Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2014, Scydmepitoxis gen. n., a new genus of Cyrtoscydmini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae) from Australia, pp. 289-296 in Zootaxa 3866 (2) on pages 295-296, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3866.2.7, http://zenodo.org/record/226590