Lesteva (s.str.) spergata, Shavrin, 2025

Shavrin, Alexey V., 2025, New species and records of Anthophagini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae) from the Eastern Palaearctic Region, Zootaxa 5691 (1), pp. 75-92 : 86-87

Lesteva (s.str.) spergata sp. n.

( Figs 6–7 , 12 )

Type material examined. Holotype ♂ (left apical antennomere missing; dissected): ‘ CHINA: Anhui, Dabie Shan | 40km N Yuexi, 5.11.1997 | env. Gui Xing Di, 800m | leg. M. Wang (CWBS 295)’ <printed>, ‘ HOLOTYPE | Lesteva | spergata sp.n. | Shavrin A.V. des. 2025’ <red, printed> ( NMW).

Paratypes: 2 ♂♂ ( one specimen without left antennomeres 7–11 ( Fig. 12 ) and other specimen without right hind leg): same data as the holotype, with additional red printed label: ‘ PARATYPE | Lesteva | spergata sp.n. | Shavrin A.V. des. 2025’ <red, printed> ( NMW).

Description. Measurements (n=3): HW: 0.57–0.61; HL: 0.37–0.41; OL: 0.22; TL: 0.08; AL ( paratype): 1.55; PL: 0.47–0.56; PWmax: 0.62–0.66; PWmin: 0.48–0.57; ESL: 1.14–1.20; EW: 1.10–1.15; MTbL: 0.60 ( holotype); MTrL ( holotype): 0.22 (MTrL 1–4: 0.12; MTrL 5: 0.10); AW: 1.07–1.15; AedL: 0.57; BL: 2.95–3.30 ( holotype).

Habitus as in Fig. 12 . Body dark-brown (lateral and apical portions of holotype paler); each elytron with moderately small and elongate yellow spot in front of middle; antennae and legs yellow-brown (apical part of each femur slighty darker, apical part of each tibia distinctly paler; antennomeres 1–2 in paratypes slightly paler); mouthparts and tarsi yellow. Forebody without microsculpture except for neck with fine and dense transverse meshes; abdominal tergites with dense isodiametric microreticulation, indistinct on tergites VI–VIII. Punctation of head regular, dense and moderately large, finer and sparser in frontal part; neck with dense and large punctation; punctation of pronotum dense, similar to that of head, finer and sparser in mediobasal third ( paratypes); abdominal tergites with dense and fine punctation, markedly finer and sparser on tergites VI–VIII.

Head 1.4–1.5 times as broad as long, with slightly elevated middle and infraorbital portions; middle part separated from lateral portions by deep and relatively wide longitudinal depressions; temples more than twice as long as longitudinal length of eyes, gradually rounded toward neck. Eyes large and convex. Ocelli large; distance between ocelli about as long as distance between ocellus and posterior margin of eye. Antennae reaching apical third of elytra when reclined, with elongate antennomeres; basal antennomere more than three times as long as broad, antennomere 2 distinctly shorter and slightly narrower than basal antennomere, 3 indistinctly narrower than 2, 4 slightly shorter than 3, 5–8 slightly shorter than 4, 9–10 slightly shorter and broader than 8, apical antennomere 1.7 times as long as 10, from preapical third strongly narrowed toward acute apex.

Pronotum 1.1–1.3 times as broad as long, slightly narrower than head, from widest anterior third sharply narrowed toward elongate, subparallel latero-basal margins; dorsal surface without impressions.

Elytra slightly broader than long, distinctly more than twice as long as pronotum, slightly broadened posteriad; hind margins rounded. Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen about as broad as elytra or slightly narrower; abdominal tergites IV and V with transverse tomentose spots, distinctly larger on tergite IV.

Male. Apical margin of abdominal tergite VIII rounded. Apical margin of abdominal sternite VIII widely and deeply concave. Aedeagus with wide basal portion, gradually narrowed toward moderately short and wide median lobe; apical part of median lobe strongly narrowed toward rounded apex; parameres wide and short, not reaching apex of median lobe, each with wide truncate apex and short apical setae; dorsal plate elongate sclerotized, long and narrow; internal sac moderately wide and short ( Fig. 6 ). Lateral aspect of aedeagus as in Fig. 7 .

Female. Apical margin of abdominal tergite VIII somewhat straight or rounded. Apical margin of abdominal sternite VIII rounded.

Comparative notes. Based on the presence of yellowish spots on elytra and the general shape of the aedeagus, L. (s.str.) spergata sp. n. is similar to L. (s.str.) fikaceki Shavrin, 2013 , originally described from Jiangxi (Shavrin 2013) and also known from Hunan ( Cheng et al. 2019), and to L. (s.str.) elongata Cheng, Li & Peng, 2019 , known from Zhejiang ( Cheng et al. 2019). From L. (s.str.) fikaceki it can be distinguished by the significantly shorter parameres with distinctly narrower apical portions. From L. (s.str.) elongata it can be distinguished by the paler legs, smaller spots on the elytra, slightly broader apical part of the pronotum, and broader apical part of the median lobe. From both species it differs by the paler coloration of the body, the lack of discal impressions on the pronotum, and details of the morphology of the aedeagus.

Distribution. Lesteva (s.str.) spergata sp. n. is known only from the type locality in Dabie Shan range, Anhui (Anqing Prefecture; Yuexi County), China.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the Latin adjective spergatus, - a, - um (spotted). It refers to the presence of spots on the elytra.

Bionomics. Specimens were collected at an elevation of 800 m a.s.l. near a stream, ca. 1–2 m wide, running over granitic rock, small waterfalls and sandy pools with decaying leaves, short sections with gravel and sand, surrounded by bushes and Cunninghamia and Pinus forest (CWBS 295).

Figures

FIGURES 4–9. Aedeagus of 4–5: Geodromicus turnai (holotype), 6–7: Lesteva spergata, 8–9: Trichodromeus haarlovi. 4, 6, 8—parameral view, 5, 7, 9—aedeagus, lateral view. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 10–14. Habitus of Lesteva: 10—L. fluviata (India: Kulu), 11—L. jaegeri (Nepal: Dhawalagiri), 12—L. spergata (paratype), 13—L. steeli (India: Kulu), 14—L. torrentum (Nepal: Dhawalagiri). Scale bar: 1.0 mm.