Scaphisoma pellax Löbl 2018, sp. nov

Scaphisoma pellax sp. nov. (Figs 28–30) Type locality. Indonesia, South Sulawesi, Gowa District, 6 km E of Malino, Gunung Bawakaraeng [Mt.] Area, near Lembanna Base camp, ca. 05°15.4 ′ S, 119°54.5 ′ E. Type material. HOLOTYPE: (NMPC), INDONESIA, S SULAWESI: Gowa Distr. / 6 km E of Malino, Gn. Bawakaraeng Area / border of gardens and mixed forest / (dominant Pinus) nr Lembanna Base camp / 05°15.4 ′ S, 119°54.5 ′ E, 1520 m / J.Hájek & J.Šumpich leg., 11-13.ii.2015. PARATYPE: ♀ (MHNG), with the same data as the holotype. Description. Length 1.44–1.47 mm, width 0.93–0.96 mm. Head, pronotum and most of elytra dark reddish brown, elytra blackish near apical margins and with yellowish apices, or pronotum and elytra uniformly blackish with yellowish apical margins; mesoventrite, median part of metaventrite and most of abdomen dark reddish-brown to blackish; hypomera, mesanepisterna, lateral parts of metaventrite and apicolateral parts of abdominal ventrite I blackish, apical abdominal segments yellowish; legs, mouthparts and antennomeres I to V ochreous, following antennomeres light brown. Antennae long, length/width ratios of antennomeres as: III 9/6: IV 25/5: V 28/6: VI 35/8: VII 42/11: VIII 34/9: IX 41/12: X 40/12: XI 48/12. Pronotum and elytra not microsculptured. Pronotum strongly narrowed anteriad, with regularly rounded lateral margins, lateral margins carinae concealed; punctation on disc fine, dense, visible at magnification 20×, consisting of sharply delimited punctures, puncture intervals much larger than puncture diameters, punctation along lateral carinae very fine. Tip of scutellum exposed. Elytra moderately narrowed apically, lateral margins almost regularly curved, lateral margin carinae exposed throughout in dorsal view, apical margin truncate, inner apical angles situated in same level as outer angles, apical serration inconspicuous, sutural margin not raised, adsutural areas flat, narrow, each with single puncture row. Sutural striae parallel in basal halves, converging apically, curved near pronotal lobe, not extended laterad of pronotal lobe. Punctures along lateral margins very fine. Elytral disc with punctures almost evenly large, sharply delimited, larger than those on pronotal disc, puncture intervals mostly about as large to three times as large as puncture diameters. Hind wings fully developed. Exposed tergites with strigulate microsculpture, extremely fine punctate. Hypomera smooth, not microsculptured. Mesepimera shorter than intervals between them and mesocoxae and four times as long as wide. Metaventrite not microsculptured, with mesal part convex, lacking apical impression, with very fine mesal stria, densely and finely punctate, apical intercoxal margin slightly concave. Lateral parts of metaventrite smooth, antecoxal puncture rows absent. Submesocoxal lines convex, distinctly punctate; submesocoxal areas 0.04 mm, about as long as third of shortest intervals between them and metacoxae. Metanepisterna flat, hardly narrowed anteriad. Tibiae straight. Abdomen with strigulate microsculpture and extremely fine punctation; ventrite I with submetacoxal lines convex, coarsely punctate; submetacoxal areas each 0.07 mm, somewhat longer than half of shortest intervals between them and apical margin of ventrite. Male characters. Protarsomeres I–III slightly widened, mesotarsomeres not widened.Abdominal ventrite VI with angular apical margin. Tergite IX with one macroseta on each plate, stalk thickened proximally, oblique laterally (Fig. 30). Aedeagus (Figs 28, 29) 0. 33 mm long, symmetrical. Median lobe with apical process about as long as basal bulb, strongly inflexed, tapering and with concave ventral side in lateral view, parallel-sided and with obtuse tip in dorsal view; dorsal valve weakly sclerotized. Articular process small, not prominent. Parameres wide at bases, narrowed toward apical thirds, in apical third evenly broad. Internal sac tubular, straight in resting position, bearing short spine-like structures to part appearing scale-like. Female characters. Protarsomeres not enlarged. Differential diagnosis. The aedeagal characters of this new species suggest relationships with S. bugi, S. ogawai sp. nov. and S. flavolineatum sp. nov. (see differential diagnoses under S. ogawai sp. nov. and S. flavolineatum sp. nov.). While S. bugi and S. flavolineatum sp. nov. may be readily distinguished by their colour pattern, S pellax sp. nov. resembles S. ogawai sp. nov. by its colour and also shares with it the mesally striate metaventrite. It may be readily distinguished from S. ogawai sp. nov. by the notably coarser elytral punctation, the larger submetacoxal areas, the median lobe of the aedeagus with a much longer, less inflexed and curved apical process, and the internal sac bearing distinct spine-like structures. Etymology. The species epithet is a Latin adjective pellax, meaning ‘guileful’. Distribution. Indonesia, South Sulawesi.
Published as part of Löbl, Ivan, 2018, A review of Scaphisomatini from Sulawesi, with descriptions of ten new species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae), pp. 151-165 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 58 (1) on page 158, DOI: 10.2478/aemnp-2018-0013, http://zenodo.org/record/3699163