Via Vittorio Veneto 13, Monteforte d Alpone (Verona), Italy (

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1 Tropical Zoology 21: , 2008 Description of Leptonia onorei n. sp. and Orphnebius belloi n. sp. from Ecuador and new synonym of the genus Leptonia Sharp 1883 (Coleoptera Staphylinidae) * Roberto Pace Via Vittorio Veneto 13, Monteforte d Alpone (Verona), Italy ( pace.ent@tiscali.it) Received 6 March 2008, accepted 29 May 2008 Two new species are described and illustrated, one of the tribe Athetini: Leptonia onorei n. sp. and one of the tribe Lomechusini: Orphnebius belloi n. sp. A syntype female of Leptonia picta Sharp (= lunata Erichson) is illustrated for the first time. Pseudognypeta Cameron 1923 is a junior synonym of Leptonia Sharp Leptonia jamaicensis Pace, is the new name for Pseudognypeta picta Cameron. key words: Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae, taxonomy, new species, synonymy, new name, Ecuador, Jamaica. INTRODUCTION The Neotropical fauna of the subfamily Aleocharinae is still little known. Recent scientific research has led to the description of new taxa (Pace 1983, 1986, 1996a, 1996b, 2001, 2002, 2007). The wealth of species of the subfamily Aleocharinae is not only a result of the great ecological differences across Neotropical areas, but also because species of Aleocharinae tend to occupy different ecological niches with consequent evolutionary differentiation of the structures of the mouth. MATERIAL AND METHODS I have examined 69 undetermined specimens collected in Ecuador by Prof. Giovanni Onore of the Pontifical University of Quito and by Cesare Bellò, expert on * (238th Contribution to the knowledge of the Aleocharinae).

2 254 R. Pace Curculionidae of Castelfranco Veneto, at the request of Dr Pier Mauro Giachino, expert on Catopidae and Carabidae of Turin. The generic diagnosis for the Aleocharinae from Ecuador is essentially based on the mouthparts, particularly the ligula, and partially on the tarsal formula and spermatheca. The specific diagnoses are essentially based on the form of the aedeagus in lateral and ventral view and on that of the internal copulatory pieces. The spermatheca also provides reliable and stable diagnostic characters. Given the small body size of Aleocharinae species from Ecuador, it is essential to mount the aedeagus, spermatheca, mouthparts and tarsus in Canada balsam for microscopic examination. Body parts prepared in Canada balsam are included on plates of plastic laminate pierced with the same pin as the sample to which they belong. Species determinations have been made through the comparison of the aedeagus, spermatheca and other anatomical parts, against specimens and types I have examined from Neotropical faunas. The descriptions are limited to the main characters such as the microsculpture and the granularity which are not visible photographically. The author s conviction is that a photo or sketch, even if defective, is worth a lot more than a minute and long description for future recognition of the species. In the present paper the median lobe of the aedeagus (deprived of the two lateral parameres that obscure the median lobe), is called, for reasons of brevity and clarity, the aedeagus. The holotypes of the new species and paratypes are preserved in the Museum of Natural History, Verona (MV), Italy. SYSTEMATICS Family Staphylinidae Latreille 1802 Subfamily Aleocharinae Fleming 1821 Tribe Athetini Casey 1910 Genus Leptonia Sharp 1883 Leptonia onorei n. sp. (Figs 1-5) Holotype, Ecuador, Napo, via Jondachi-Loreto km 59, ex cave, 700 m, 13.VIII.2006, G. Onore leg. (MV). Paratypes: 67 specimens, same origin. Description. Length mm. Body shiny and brown, abdomen yellow-reddish with median stain on four basal free urotergites, free urotergites fifth and sixth reddish, antennae brown with the two basal antennomeres and third base yellow-reddish, apex of the eleventh reddish, legs yellow-reddish. Eyes longer than temples. 2nd antennomere shorter than 1st, 3rd longer than 2nd, 4th as long as wide, antennomeres 6th to 10th transverse. Reticulation of head and elytrae evident, that of the pronotum almost strong, that of the abdomen very transverse and superficial. Punctuation of

3 Aleocharinae from Ecuador 255 Figs 1-7. Habitus, aedeagus in lateral and ventral view, spermatheca and sixth free urotergite of the male. Figs 1-5: Leptonia onorei n. sp.; Figs 6-7: Leptonia picta Sharp, syntype (= lunata Erichson 1839). Scale bar habitus Fig. 1: 3 mm; Fig. 7: 2.3 mm. Other scale bars: 0.1 mm.

4 256 R. Pace the head very superficial and little dense. Granularity of pronotum and elytrae dense and salient. Fifth free urotergite of the with very salient posterior median tubercle, sixth free urotergite with posterior median incision (Fig. 5). Aedeagus (Figs 2-3), spermatheca (Fig. 4). Comparisons. For the form of the habitus and for the colour of the abdomen the new species seems very similar to L. lunata (Erichson 1839) of which I have examined the syntype no of the Zoological Museum, Humboldt University in Berlin, labelled: Bras. Reut., picta, Type. In the literature the valid name for L. picta Sharp is L. lunata (Erichson 1839). The form of its spermatheca is very different from that of the new species (Figs 4 and 6). Etymology. The new species is dedicated to its collector, Prof. Giovanni Onore of the Pontifical University of Quito. NEW SYNONYMY AND NEW NAME The genus Pseudognypeta Cameron 1923 of Panama and Jamaica have was recently revised (Paśnik 2007). According to the descriptions and the figures given of the oral parts, the aedeagus, the spermatheca and the habitus, the genus Pseudognypeta is no different from Leptonia Sharp 1883 of Brazil and Colombia, which I know well. This genus is also known from Mexico, Central America and Argentina. For this reason the following synonymy is proposed here: Leptonia Sharp 1883: 196 Pseudognypeta Cameron 1923: 365, n. syn. The type of the genus Leptonia is picta Sharp The type of the genus Pseudognepeta is picta Cameron The new generic synonymy involves the following homonymy: Leptonia picta Sharp and Leptonia picta (Cameron). Since the two species are very different, a new name is necessary: Leptonia jamaicensis Pace, nom. nov. Pseudognypeta picta Cameron 1923: 366. Leptonia picta (Cameron 1923), nec Leptonia picta Sharp Tribe Lomechusini Fleming 1821 Genus Orphnebius Motschulsky 1857 Orphnebius belloi n. sp. (Figs 8-10) Holotype, Ecuador, Pichincha, 3150 m, S. José de Minas, Cerro Blanco, S W , 7.VIII.2006, C. Bellò leg. (MV).

5 Aleocharinae from Ecuador 257 Figs Habitus and aedeagus in lateral and ventral view of Orphnebius belloi n. sp. Scale bar habitus 3 mm. Other scale bar: 0.1 mm. Description. Length 3 mm. body shiny and yellow-reddish, head black, antennae yellow-reddish with the three basal antennomeres yellow, legs yellow-reddish. Eyes longer than temples. 2nd antennomere shorter than 1st, 3rd shorter than 2nd, antennomeres 4th to 7th longer than wide, antennomeres 8th to 10th transverse. Body without reticulation, except that on the 5th free urotergite with strong reticulation. Granularity of the head very superficial, that of the pronotum salient. Two weak median anterior impressions and a deep basal furrow on the pronotum. 6th free urotergite of the with two median posterior marginal lobes between two shorter lateral ones. Aedeagus (Figs 9-10). Comparisons. The new species is separate from O. importunus (Erichson 1839) from Colombia, of which I have examined the holotypus, labelled: Columbia, Moritz, importuna Er. Typus no of the Zoological Museum of the Humboldt University in Berlin. The new species is distinguishable for the more transverse pronotum and for the notable length and width of the protarses. Etymology. The new species is dedicated to its collector Cesare Bellò, expert on Curculionidae.

6 258 R. Pace ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank very cordially my colleague Dr Pier Mauro Giachino of Turin, specialist on Catopidae and Carabidae, who gave me access to the Aleocharinae studied in the present paper. For the loan of types, I thank Dr Manfred Uhlig of the Zoological Museum of the Humboldt University in Berlin and Dr Lothar Zerche, D.E.I. of Müncheberg, Berlin. REFERENCES Cameron M Description of new species of Staphylinidae from West Indies. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History 9: Pace R Nuove Aleocharinae brasiliane e boliviane del Museo Zoologico dell Università Humboldt di Berlino (Coleoptera Staphylinidae) (XXXVIII Contributo alla conoscenza delle Aleocharinae). Giornale Italiano d Entomologia 2: , 92 figs. Pace R Aleocharinae del Perù (Coleoptera Staphylinidae) (LXXXV Contributo alla conoscenza delle Aleocharinae). Redia 69: , 23 figs. Pace R. 1996a. Aleocharinae della Colombia e dell Ecuador, Parte I (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) (131 Contributo alla conoscenza delle Aleocharinae). Revue Suisse de Zoologie 103: , 155 figs. Pace R. 1996b. Aleocharinae della Colombia e dell Ecuador, Parte II (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) (132 Contributo alla conoscenza delle Aleocharinae). Revue Suisse de Zoologie 103: , 128 figs. Pace R Nuove Aleocharinae del Perù e dell Ecuador (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae). Bollettino del Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali di Torino 18: , 29 figs. Pace R Gyrophaenini e Bolitocharini del Sudamerica (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae). Nouvelle Revue d Entomologie (N.S.) 19: , 88 figs. Pace R Nuovi dati tassonomici su specie di Aleocharinae del Sudamerica delle tribù Gyrophaenini, Placusini, Diestotini, Homalotini, Bolitocharini, Paglini e Falagriini (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae). Beiträge zur Entomologie 57: Paśnik G Redescription of the genus Pseudognypeta Cameron (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae). Linzer Biologische Beiträge 39: Sharp D Biologia Centrali-Americana: Insecta, Coleoptera 1: