Protamaurops peristeri Karaman, 1961

Hlaváč, Peter, Brachat, Volker & Delić, Teo, 2025, Endogean and cavernicolous Coleoptera of the Balkans. XXIX. Further contribution to the taxonomy of the tribe Amauropini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from the Balkan Peninsula, Zootaxa 5665 (1), pp. 137-143 : 140-141

Protamaurops peristeri Karaman, 1961 , stat. resurr.

Fig. 5

Protamaurops peristeri Karaman, 1961: 159 , 168. Type data: Na Peristeru, jedan mužjak [one male].

Protamaurops peristeri Karaman : Bekchiev & Hlaváč, 2020: 376 (as synonym of P. winneguthi (Székessy, 1943)) . Protamaurops winneguthi Székessy : Besuchet, 1999: 48 (synonymy).

Material examined. NORTH MACEDONIA: 1♂: four labels “ Maced. Perister / Sv. Petka, 7.-14 / Dr. Rambousek “ [white, printed], “ Am. Roubal / purkyňei / R. Rous det., 1965“ [white, printed and handwritten], “Ex. Coll. R. Rous “ [white, printed], “Sammlung / Brachat Geretsried“ [yellow, printed] ( PCVB) .

Description. Body length 2.62 mm, maximum width of elytra 0.77 mm; slightly shiny, reddish-brown, densely pubescent, covered with long golden setae; legs, antennae and maxillary palpi slightly lighter. Head capsule about as long as wide, eyes composed from about 10 ommatidia located around ocular spine; clypeus large, round; frons with large, deep excavation that is slightly prolonged anteriorly, forming angled, distal projection; vertex elevated, forming large hump delimited on sides by parallel carinae and with one well-defined, long medial carina; vertexal pits separated, adjacent to parallel carinae and distant from lateral margin of head capsule; surface between carinae almost glabrous; antennae 1.05 mm long, scape about 1.4 times as long wide, pedicel about 1.6 times as long as wide, antennomere 3 1.33 times as long as wide, 4 slightly shorter than 3, 5 1.5 times as long as wide, about 1.3 times as long as 4, antennomeres 3, 6, 7, 10 subequal in length, 9 1.15 times as long as wide, 10 transverse, 1.25 times as wide as long, terminal antennomere subtriangular, 2.5 times as long as 10. Pronotum about 1.15 times as long as wide, as long as head capsule, surface between lateral carinae flat, with deep median fovea, its posterior margin V-shaped, posterior angle of median fovea prolonged by short median carina reaching posterior margin of pronotum, together with V shaped margin of median fovea Y-shaped; lateral carinae long and weekly prominent, lacking triangular dent in posterior part; lateral foveae well defined, deep. Elytra slightly wider than long, at sides round, about 1.45 times as long as pronotum, widest in posterior part, shortly behind middle; with three antebasal foveae, two inner ones confluent, sutural stria entire, with short, humeral impression. Abdomen about as wide as elytra, first visible tergite 1 (IV) large, distance between lateral carina and median carina and distance between median carinae equal. Legs long and slender, simple, metatrochanter lacking medium spine. Aedeagus ( Fig. 5 ) 0.48 mm long, about three times as long as its maximum width, distal part prolonged to long, pointed apex, with bunch of setae.

Remarks. Protamaurops peristeri , erroneously considered as a junior synonym of P. winneguthi , is instead a valid species, distinguishable from the latter by the following diagnostic characters: 1) body length about 2.6–2.7 mm, against 2.3–2.4 mm, 2) head capsule about as long as wide against head capsule 1.15 as wide as long, 3) antennomere 5 1.5 times as long as wide, against 1.25 times as long as wide and 4) lacking medium spine on metatrochanter, against spine on metatrochanter present.

Distribution. North Macedonia (so far known only by 2 male specimens, both known only from Baba planina Mts. Pelister).

Figures

FIGURES 4–6. Protamaurops. 4. P. macrophthalmus, habitus (microphthalmic form). 5. P. peristeri, aedeagus, ventral view. 6. P. macrophthalmus, aedeagus, ventral view (microphthalmic form).