Zyras (Zyras) porrectus Assing 2016, spec. nov.
Creators: name: Assing, Volker
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Zyras
Zyras porrectus

description: Zyras (Zyras) porrectus spec. nov.
(Figs 181–183, 459–460)
Type material: Holotype ♂ [slightly teneral]: “ China: Sichuan Prov., Baoxing, 1020–1280 m, Wenxian Shan Park, 30°22'12"N 102°48'57"–49'02"E, / 12.VI.2014, individually from vegetation; mixed forest with Pinus; forest margin, J. Hájek, J. Růžička & M. Tkoč leg. / Holotypus ♂ Zyras porrectus sp. n. det. V. Assing 2015” (NMP).
Paratypes: 1 ♂ [slightly teneral], 1 ♀ [apical antennomeres of both antennae missing]: same data as holotype (NMP, cAss).
Etymology: The specific epithet is the past participle of the Latin verb porrigere (to elongate) and alludes to the conspicuously long antennomere XI.
Description: Rather large species; body length 8.0–9.0 mm; length of forebody 3.8–4.0 mm. Coloration: head and pronotum black; elytra yellowish, with the postero-lateral portions blackish; abdomen blackish, with the posterior margins of all tergites and parts of the paratergites dark-yellowish; legs pale-yellowish; antennae blackish, with antennomere I brown to dark-brown, and antennomere II and base of III pale-reddish.
Head (Fig. 181) distinctly transverse, broadly impunctate along middle; punctation in lateral dorsal portions coarse and rather sparse. Eyes much longer than postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna (Fig. 182) slender, 3.0– 3.2 mm long; antennomeres IV–VI weakly oblong, VII as long as broad to weakly transverse, VIII–X weakly transverse, and XI conspicuously elongate, longer than the combined length of VIII–X.
Pronotum (Fig. 181) 1.17–1.21 times as broad as long, and 1.18–1.20 times as broad as head, rather weakly convex in cross-section, laterally with a more or less pronounced impression on either side; punctation rather sparse and irregularly distributed, laterally and/or anterolaterally and near posterior margin with rather extensive impunctate areas; midline moderately broadly impunctate; lateral margins and antero-lateral portion with five long black setae on either side.
Elytra (Fig. 181) approximately 0.95 times as long as pronotum; punctation defined, dense, and rather coarse. Hind wings fully developed. Metatarsomere I approximately as long as the combined length of II–IV.
Abdomen (Fig. 183) narrower than elytra and with shallow anterior impressions on tergites III–V; anterior impressions of tergites III–V and anterior portion of tergite VI each with an irregular transverse series of sparse, but coarse non-setiferous punctures; tergite III with a median pair of setiferous punctures and with a lateral and a postero-lateral setiferous puncture on either side; tergite IV with a median pair of setiferous punctures at posterior margin, and with a lateral and a posterolateral setiferous puncture on either side, additionally with a variable number of non-setiferous punctures laterally; tergite V with a lateral setiferous puncture on either side and with six setiferous punctures at posterior margin, additionally with an irregular transverse series of non-setiferous punctures on disc; tergite VI with a lateral setiferous puncture on either side and with six setiferous punctures at posterior margin, additionally with a cluster of few non-setiferous punctures laterally; tergite VII with a transverse band of rather fine non-setiferous punctures in anterior fourth or third, with few setiferous punctures laterally, and with a median pair of granulose setiferous punctures; tergite VIII with some setiferous punctures bearing long black setae in posterior fourth, otherwise impunctate; integument without microsculpture and very glossy; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe; posterior margin of tergite VIII concave in the middle.
♂: posterior concavity of tergite VIII pronounced; sternite VIII somewhat longer than tergite VIII, its posterior margin convex; median lobe of aedeagus (Fig. 459–460) approximately 1.1 mm long; ventral process rather slender in ventral view; apical lobe of paramere moderately long and rather slender.
♀: posterior concavity of tergite VIII shallow; posterior margin of sternite VIII weakly concave in the middle.
Comparative notes and comment: This species is characterized by the shape of the aedeagus, the conspicuously long antennomere XI, the abdominal punctation pattern, and the combination of rather large size, coloration pattern, and an irregularly punctate pronotum. It is readily distinguished from Z. fratrumkadooriorum, the only other species with a similarly long antennomere XI recorded from China, by much larger body size alone (Z. fratrumkadooriorum: body length 4.3–5.0 mm; length of forebody 1.9–2.1 mm).
Using the key in ASSING (2016), Z. porrectus would key out at couplet 48 together with the widespread Z. notaticornis PACE, 1998, from which the new species additionally differs by larger body size, a less convex pronotum (cross-section), much darker antennae (Z. notaticornis: antennomeres V–X dark-brown, XI reddish) and the coloration of the elytra (Z. notaticornis: elytra reddish with the postero-lateral portions more extensively infuscate).
Since the apical antennomeres of both antennae of the only female available are missing, it is at present uncertain if the elongate antennomere XI represents a secondary male character or not.
Distribution and natural history: The type locality is situated very close to Baoxing in Sichuan. The partly teneral specimens were collected from vegetation in a mixed forest with pine at an altitude of 1020–1280 m.
description: Published as part of Assing, Volker, 2016, On some Lomechusini of the Palaearctic and Oriental regions (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), pp. 13-111 in Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 66 (1) on pages 105-106, DOI: 10.21248/contrib.entomol.66.1.13-111, http://zenodo.org/record/6421171