Australosagola sunheei, Choi & Chandler & Park, 2025

Choi, Su-Ho, Chandler, Donald S. & Park, Jong-Seok, 2025, Australosagola, a new genus of pselaphine beetles from southern Australia (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae, Faronitae) with descriptions of seven new species, ZooKeys 1245, pp. 177-205 : 177-205

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1245.151556
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C4112641-FC74-4967-AC60-198EF5E7E381
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15930453
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/62B4359D-43A7-5407-85F1-10D658600847
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Australosagola sunheei
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Australosagola sunheei sp. nov.

Figs 1 H View Figure 1 , 2 E View Figure 2 , 9 View Figure 9 , 13 View Figure 13

Type material.

Holotype. Australia: South Australia: • ♂ (aedeagus dissected; ANIC), “ AUSTL: S. Austl., 10 / km SE Adelaide, / Belaire Rec. Pk. , / 29 - VI- 1983 // FMHD#83-248 , damp / leaf litter, L. E. / Watrous ” . Paratype (n = 1; 1 ♀). Australia: South Australia: • 1 ♀ (slide-mounted; UNHC), same data as holotype .

Diagnosis.

Australosagola sunheei sp. nov. can be distinguished by the following characters: head being widest at tempora (Fig. 9 C, D, H View Figure 9 ), median lobe of aedeagus with prominent broad projection at middle (Fig. 9 N View Figure 9 , black arrow).

Male description.

Length. 2.3–2.5 mm. Head. Head with frontal sulcus and area around frontal fovea concave in dorsal view. Vertexal foveae well-developed (Fig. 9 C View Figure 9 ). Antennomere 1 cylindrical and longer than wide; 2 slightly subconical and longer than wide; 3 subconical, smallest and slightly longer than wide; 4–8 subquadrate and as long as wide; 9 and 10 subquadrate and transverse (Fig. 9 A, G View Figure 9 ). Thorax. Prothorax slightly broader than long, widest at midpoint (Fig. 9 I View Figure 9 ). Elytra with two subbasal elytral foveae, three basal elytral foveae (one being fovea at base of sutural stria), discal elytral foveae with short discal striae, and fovea in sutural striae. Metatrochanter with posterior margin smoothly convex (Fig. 9 E View Figure 9 ). Abdomen. Only abdominal sternite 5 (VII) medially impressed; with pair of setal clusters at apex of median projection (Fig. 9 E View Figure 9 ). Abdomen with visible tergite 2 (V) ~ 2 / 3 length of 3 (VI) (Fig. 1 H View Figure 1 ). Genitalia. Length 0.36 mm, aedeagus symmetrical, projection of median lobe broadly expanded laterally at middle in basoventral view (Fig. 9 N View Figure 9 , black arrow), projection longer than parameres (Fig. 9 O View Figure 9 ). Projections at base slightly curved in lateral view, heart-shaped (chordate) in ventral view, phallobase with lateral margins evenly rounded in ventral view, flat, short, and evenly curved in lateral view (Fig. 9 M – O View Figure 9 ).

Female sexual characters.

Eyes smaller than those of male (Fig. 9 D View Figure 9 ). Hind wings comparatively small (Fig. 9 J View Figure 9 ). Abdominal sternites convex (Fig. 9 F View Figure 9 ); lacking setae at apex of abdominal sternite 5 (VII; Fig. 9 F, L View Figure 9 ).

Comment.

Australosagola sunheei can be separated from allied A. yongsooni by the features of the aedeagus, which in A. sunheei has a broader median projection of the median lobe than does A. yongsooni (Figs 9 N View Figure 9 (black arrow), 12 N).

Etymology.

This species is named for a respected mentor of the first author who is a specialist in biological control, Dr. Sun-Hee Hong.

Distribution.

South Australia (Fig. 13 View Figure 13 , black hexagon).

Habitat.

Specimens of this species were collected from damp leaf litter.