Additions to the knowledge of South Indian Scaphisomatini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae)

Abstract: A study of a collection of South Indian Scaphidiinae yielded six new species and several interesting records. The following species are described: Scaphisoma boukali sp. nov., S. divali sp. nov., S. holi sp. nov., S. kejvali sp. nov., S. onam sp. nov. and S. pooram sp. nov. Scaphobaeocera stipes Löbl, 1971 is reported from India for the first time. An updated key to identification of South Indian species of Scaphisoma is provided.

characterized by short antennomeres III, the pronotal and elytral pubescence strongly reduced, the basal angles of the pronotum extended, the hypomera oblique, the metacoxae distant, the profemora with ctenidium, and the ventrite I with submetacoxal lines, in combination.The keys in Löbl (1979Löbl ( , 1992) ) provide criteria to distinguish Scaphisoma from other Scaphidiinae genera occurring in India.As only some species possess conspicuous external characters, their identification is often difficult without use of the primary male genital characters.The Bold System (Ratnasingham & Hebert, 2007) provides data on only 14 species (accessed on March 25, 2023), all European and North American, and is thus useless as an identification tool for the subfamily.
refer to their morphological sides with the ostium situated dorsally, while it is in resting position rotated 90°.The dissected body parts are embedded in Euparal and fixed on a separate card on the same pin as the respective specimen.Primary references are given for all taxa dealt with in the present paper; for other Scaphidiinae taxa only mentioned, and for the distribution of taxa, see Löbl (2018).

TAXONOMY
Scaphisoma Leach, 1815 is with over 800 species the most speciesrich genus of the Scaphidiinae and has nearly worldwide distribution (Löbl, 2018).It is Diagnosis: Small species with black pronotum and usually bicolorous elytra (Fig. 3); antennomere III much shorter than antennomere IV; elytra lacking basal striae, hypomeron and mesanepisternum smooth, mesoventrite punctate, mesepimeron long, metaventrite lacking microsculpture, with punctation conspicuously dense on apicomedian area, submesocoxal lines convex, antecoxal puncture rows absent; ventrite I with submetacoxal areas about half as long as shortest interval between its margin and apical margin of ventrite, aedeagus symmetrical, apical process moderatelly long, gradually narrowing apicad, with rather acute tip, dorsal valve weakly sclerotized and split, basal bulb oval, lacking prominent articular process, parameres narrowed posteriad of midlength, straight; internal sac with dense rows of long spines, and fine duct visible in lateral view.

Scaphisoma boukali
Etymology: Eponymous.The species is named in honour of one of its collectors, David S. Boukal of České Budějovice, Czech Republic.

Comments:
The aedeagal characters suggest rela tionship of S. holi with S. mirandum Löbl, 1990 from Thailand.The new species may be easily distinguished by the median lobe narrowed proximally and incurved apicad, the internal sac with an incurved rod expanded in proximal section, and the right paramere not notably narrower than the left paramere.The species differs from S. mirandum notably by the dark body colour and the elytra with basal striae not joining the lateral striae.
median lobe curved and acute at apex and lack prominent parameral tubercles.In addition, they have narrow, unlobed parameres and a simple internal sac.Scaphisoma penangense from Western Malaysia may be readily distinguished by the light body colour and the colour pattern of the elytra, the antennomere V as long as the antennomeres III and IV combined and only somewhat shorter than the antennomere VI, the much shorter submesocoxal and submetacoxal areas, and the very finely punctate ventrite I. Scaphisoma oppositum from Yunnan has the body black, the abdominal microsculpture punctulate, the submetacoxal lines coarsely punctate, and the antennomere VI about as long the antennomeres II to V combined.Scaphisoma weigeli, also from Yunnan and with black body, differs by the straight tibias and the ventrite I very finely punctate.
Distribution: India: Kerala.Diagnosis: Rather small species with ochraceous body, elytra lighter apicad; antennomere IV much longer than antennomere III, elytra with sutural striae not extending along base, hypomeron and mesanepisternum smooth, mesoventrite impunctate, mesepimeron long, metaventrite lacking microsculpture, with very fine and sparse punctation, submesocoxal lines convex, antecoxal puncture rows absent, abdomen with strigulate microsculpture, ventrite I with submetacoxal areas about half as long as shortest interval between its margin and apical margin of ventrite, aedeagus symmetrical, apical process rather short, inflexed with concave ventral side, acute at tip, with sclerotized dorsal valve incurved at tip, basal bulb large, oval, without prominent articular process, parameres rather wide, curved, lobed near base, internal sac bulbous basally, narrowed and tubular in middle section, widened apicad, with very small denticlelike structures becoming larger and scalelike in widened apical section.

Scaphisoma holi
Etymology: Eponymous.The species is named in honour of one of its collectors, the coleopterist Zbyněk Kejval of Domažlice, Czech Republic.

Comments:
The aedeagal characters suggest a relationship with S. inhospitale Löbl, 1990, from Himachal Pradesh.The new species may be easily distinguished by the body and aedeagus significantly smaller, the conspicuous colour pattern of the elytra, the abdomen with strigulate microsculpture and the size of the antennomeres, especially by the very short antennomere IV and the antennomere XI nearly 5 times as long as wide.Paratypes: MHNG, 5 males, 5 females; with same data as the holotype.
information.Christina LehmannGraber (MHNG) kindly assisted technically.Suggestions of Elisa von Groll improved the paper.
The species epithet is the name of one of the South Indian festivals.Metaventrite lacking microsculpture, flattened on apicomedian area, lacking impressions, with punctation very fine and sparse between mesocoxae and on lateral areas, rather conspicuous on most of median area and between mesocoxae and metacoxae; antecoxal puncture rows absent; submesocoxal areas ca.0.04 mm long, about as long as fourth of shortest interval between its margin and metacoxa; submesocoxal lines convex, appearing impunctate.Metanepisternum lacking microsculpture, flat, narrowing anteriad, suture impressed, oblique, slightly rounded at posterior angle.Tibiae straight.Exposed tergites and ventrites with strigulate microsculpture.Ventrite I with punctation rather coarse on median area, very fine and sparse on lateral areas; submetacoxal areas 0.05 mm long, about as long as fourth of shortest interval between its margin and apical margin of ventrite; submetacoxal lines convex, rather coarsely punctate.Following ventrites very finely punctate.Male.Protarsomeres I to III slightly widened, protarsomere I narrower than apex of protibia.Mesotarsomeres I to III not widened.Lobe of ventrite VI triangular, 0.05 mm long.Aedeagus (Figs 19, 20) 0.43 mm long. Etymology: