Belonuchus cyanipennis Márquez &amp; Asiain 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Márquez, Juan
name: Asiain, Julieta
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Belonuchus
Belonuchus cyanipennis

description: <i>Belonuchus cyanipennis</i> sp. nov. http://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/4ff36336-a7af-4f6e-b4a5-60ad1b256c6a Figs. 9b, k, 12c, 15g, 20n, 25f, 29b Total body length 7.6 mm. Body black, shiny, except elytra that are metallic blue, legs dark-brown and genital segment reddish. <b>Head</b>: oval (Fig. 10h); ratio length/width 1.03. Dorsal surface with sulcate longitudinal midline visible in anterior half of head; punctures slightly sparser than in majority of species; front moderately foveate between antennal insertions. Eyes slightly more than 0.5 times the cephalic lateral length, notably protruding at sides. First antennomere shorter than 2–3 combined (0.75 times), antennomere 2 slightly shorter than 3 (0.8 times), antennomere 3 the smallest and oblong, 4 as long as wide, 5–10 transverse; antennomeres 4–10 of characteristic shape, like pieces of a rosary (Fig. 9k). Mandibles shorter than head (ratio 0.78); narrow at base, each with a small middle tooth, no basal tooth discernible; mandibular channel slightly developed, with external margin not carinate and internal margin like impressed line extending forward slightly beyond level of middle tooth. Apical palpomere of maxillary palpi 1.8 times longer than preapical palpomere; apical palpomere of labial palpi almost as long as preapical palpomere. Head almost as wide as pronotum (ratio 1.03). <b>Thorax</b>: each dorsal row of pronotum with five punctures; pronotum slightly longer than wide (ratio 1.1) and almost as wide at anterior corners as at posterior corners (ratio 1.03). Scutellum very large, nearly 1/4 of elytral length measured at center, with punctures wider and denser than on elytra, latter with fine and sparse punctation. Prosternum with a narrow transverse area near anterior margin delimited backwards by slightly visible impressed line. Intercoxal process of mesoventrite (Fig. 12c) triangularly scutellum-shaped, but with its apex not as acute; transverse discal ridge well developed like curved wave, laterally reaching very close to margin of intercoxal process. Legs long and slender, with few setae and spines, particularly hind legs. Profemur without row of spines at external margin, internal margin visible only near apex of femur where having three to four small spines. Metafemur without modifications or spines. Tarsomeres very slender and not flattened dorsally. <b>Abdomen</b>: punctures and setae at medial part of each tergite very sparse, majority of setae large and placed at all margins of each tergite, so dorsal part of abdomen looks very glossy. Visible tergites 1–3 with fine posterior basal transverse carina, adjacent area weakly depressed, on tergite 3 practically not visible. Visible sternites 1–3 with entire surface covered with dense, wide-superficial punctures, combined with fine punctures, its density decreasing from anterior to posterior margin and from first visible to fifth visible sternite, on sixth visible sternite only with fine punctures. Male pregenital sternite not emarginate at posterior margin (Fig. 15g). Genital segment yellowish. Male genital sternite very elongate (3.14 times longer than wide), moderately asymmetrical, anterior portion occupying 36% and posterior portion 64% of its length, apical emargination very deep (Fig. 20n). Abdominal styli slender. <b>Aedeagus</b>: length 1.0 mm; oval in basal half and subparallel in apical half; apex subacute; basal half wider than apical half; internal sac weakly developed (Fig. 25f). <b>Variability</b>. Total body length in males 7.35 mm (range 6.3–8.1 mm), in females 7.41 mm (range 6.6–8.2 mm); ratio length/width of head in males 0.93 (range 0.90–0.95), in females 0.94 (range 0.91–0.95); ratio mandibular length/cephalic length in males 0.73 (range 0.60–0.85), in females 0.72 (range 0.70–0.75); ratio cephalic width/pronotal width in males 1.12 (range 1.07–1.16), in females 1.10 (range 1.05–1.16); ratio length/width of pronotum in males 1.13 (range 1.09–1.17), in females 1.15 (range 1.10–1.21); ratio anterior width/posterior width of pronotum in males 1.05 (range 1.03–1.08), in females 1.04 (range 1.00–1.08). Furthermore, the dorsal surface of head is more convex in some specimens; the metallic hue of elytra is mainly bluish, but may be slightly greenish or more rarely purplish violet; anterior portion of prosternum may not show the impressed line that separates it from the rest of prosternum; wide-superficial punctures can be dense on first visible sternite, less dense on second sternite, sparse on third sternite and very sparse on fourth sternite. <b>Taxonomic comments</b>. The main differences to distinguish <i>B. cyanipennis</i> from <i>B. godmani</i> are the same as those included in the key and since there are only two species in this group, it is not considered necessary to repeat them. <b>Etymology</b>. The name of this species is a combination of the words “cyaneus” and “pennis”, which denotes the dark blue metallic coloration of its elytra, while the rest of the body is glossy black. <b>Type material (15 males, nine females)</b>: <b>Holotype</b> (male, CC-UAEH): “ México: Hidalgo, Tlanchinol, cerca de La Cabaña, N21°01.328´, W98°38.770´, bosque mesófilo de montaña, 1450 m, en hongo de repisa de tronco, 16-IV-2003, J. Márquez y J. Asiain cols.”. <b>Paratypes</b>: <b>Mexico: Hidalgo:</b> “ Tenango de Doria, camino a La Viejita, N20°19´37.9”, W98°14´39.7”, bosque mesófilo de montaña, 1647 m, NTP-80 (calamar) # 5, 29-III a 12-IV-2011, J. Márquez col.” (1, CC-UAEH). “ Tlanchinol, cerca de La Cabaña, N21°01.328´, W98°38.770´, bosque mesófilo de montaña, 1450 m, en hongo de repisa de tronco, 16-IV-2003, J. Márquez y J. Asiain cols.” (9, CC-UAEH). Same data, except: “en tronco caído, 8-XII-1997, J. Márquez col.” (1, MAAS). “ Zacualtipán, camino a Santo Domingo, N20°37´44.9”, W98°34´51.06”, en troncos, 6 a 7-X-2006, J. Márquez y J. Asiain cols.” (3, CC-UAEH). “ Zacualtipán, camino a Tizapán, N20°39.076´, W98°36.055´, bosque mesófilo de montaña, 1690 m, trampa de intercepción de vuelo # 1, 14-IV a 28-IV-2011, J. Márquez col.” (1, CC-UAEH). Same data, except: “trampa de intercepción de vuelo # 3, 20-IX a 4-X-2011 ” (1, CC-UAEH). <b>Puebla</b>: “ Zacapoaxtla, Ex-hacienda Apulco, cascada La Gloria, N19°54´12”, W97° 37´00”, 1,508 m, dentro de cañada bosque mesófilo de montaña rodeado por pinos, trampa de intercepción de vuelo, 18 a 28-V-2021, familia Márquez-Asiain cols.” (3, MAAS). <b>Veracruz</b>: “ Córdoba, camino a Plan de Ayala, N18°57´15.2”, W96°58´41”, bosque mesófilo de montaña, 1352 m, en troncos caídos con hongos, 19-V-1999, J. Asiain, Q. Santiago y J. Márquez cols.” (4, MAAS).
description: Published as part of <i>Márquez, Juan &amp; Asiain, Julieta, 2022, Taxonomy of the Mexican species of Belonuchus Nordmann (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), pp. 1-129 in Zootaxa 5152 (1)</i> on pages 90-91, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5152.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6630873