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

description: Oedichirus depravatus nov.sp.
(Figs 1-5, Map 1)
Type material: Holotype: " India: Meghalaya #2b, West Garo Hills dist., Trail Tura - Tura Peak, summit, 800 m, 14.X.2004, 25°30'12''N, 90°40'07''E / Leg. G. Cuccodoro, C. Carlton, R. Leschen & D. Erne / Holotypus Oedichirus depravatus sp.n. det. V. Assing 2013" (MHNG). Paratypes: 1: same data as holotype (cAss); 1: " India: Meghalaya #4, road Rongram - Phulbari, ca. 5 km W Rongram, 450 m, 16.X.2004, 25°36'15''N, 90°14'27''E / Leg. G. Cuccodoro, C. Carlton, R. Leschen & D. Erne " (MHNG).
Etymology: The specific epithet is the past participle of the Latin verb depravare (to deform) and alludes to the distinctly asymmetric male sternite VIII.
Description: Body length 7.5-9.0 mm; length of forebody 2.8-3.4 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1. Coloration: body reddish, with abdominal segments VII-X black; legs and antennae dark-yellowish.
Head (Fig. 2) transverse, approximately 1.2 times as broad as long, broadest across eyes; posterior angles sharply marked by a small setiferous projection; dorsal surface with few coarse punctures, the median ones arranged in a transverse oval or rectangle, near posterior margin with a transverse row of densely set punctures. Eyes strongly convex, almost reaching posterior margin of head. Antenna 2.2-2.4 mm long.
Pronotum (Fig. 2) approximately 1.1 times as long as broad and 1.1 times as broad as head, widest in anterior half and distinctly tapering posteriorly; punctation very coarse, coarser than that of head, somewhat irregularly spaced in anterior third and forming a dorsal series of 4-5 punctures on either side of middle in posterior two thirds of pronotum.
Elytra (Fig. 2) short, approximately 0.65 times as long as pronotum, widest in posterior half; humeral angles completely obsolete; punctation very coarse. Hind wings completely reduced.
Abdomen approximately as broad as elytra; anterior impression of tergite III with normal punctation, impressions of tergites IV-VI with numerous longitudinal keels separated by small impressions; remainder of tergal surfaces with coarse punctures arranged in two (tergite III) or three (tergites IV-VII) transverse rows; punctures on tergite VII distinctly less coarse than those on tergites III-VI; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe.
: sternite VIII (Fig. 3) with distinctly asymmetric posterior excision, this excision furnished with modified stout yellowish setae; aedeagus (Figs 4-5) 1.3 mm long and somewhat asymmetric.
Comparative notes: Using the key in CAMERON (1931), O. depravatus would key out at couplet 6, together with O. rufotestaceus BERNHAUER 1902 (Sri Lanka), from which it differs by larger size (O. rufotestaceus: 7 mm) and by the different punctation of the pronotum and of the elytra (O. rufotestaceus: pronotum with fine punctation; elytral punctation arranged in distinct rows). The male sexual characters of O. rufotestaceus are unknown.
Distribution and natural history: The type specimens were collected in two geographically close localities in Meghalaya, Northeast India (Map 1), at altitudes of 450 and 800 m.
description: Published as part of Assing, V., 2013, Three new species of Paederinae from Northeast India (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), pp. 1561-1570 in Linzer biologische Beiträge 45 (2) on pages 1562-1564, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5302817