| Bryaxis biogradensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Staphyliniformia |
| Family: | Staphylinidae |
| Genus: | Bryaxis |
| Species: | B. biogradensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Bryaxis biogradensis Kolibáč, Kodada, Šíma & Hlaváč, 2024 | |
Bryaxis biogradensis is a species of rove beetle in the subfamily Pselaphinae. It is found in Montenegro. [1]
It is a small, reddish-brown beetle with a body length of 1.95–2.20 mm. The body is glossy with recumbent pubescence. The head is subtriangular with small eyes. The maxillary palpi are smooth, lacking granulation. The antennae are long; in males, the scape is cylindrical, coarsely punctate, and bears a minuscule rounded tubercle in the middle. The pedicel is elongate and coarsely punctate. Antennomeres 4–7 are moniliform, while 8–10 are transverse. The pronotum is about 1.1 times as wide as long, widest in the anterior third, and convex. The elytra are about 1.05 times as wide as long, with very small, shallow punctures and two basal foveae on each elytron. The legs are relatively long with slightly thickened femora. In males, the protibia has a spur on the inner edge in the distal third, and the metatibia is prolonged with a minuscule distal dent on the inner edge. The aedeagus is symmetrical, elongated, and narrow (approx. 0.54 mm long), with parameres forming projecting lobes. [1]
Females have a simple, cylindrical scape (without a tubercle), a simple pedicel, and more slender femora and tibiae. The protibiae and metatibiae in females are simple, lacking the spurs and dent found in males. [1]
This species is known only from Montenegro, specifically from a single area within the Bjelasica mountain range. All specimens were collected in and around the environs of the glacial lake in Biogradska Gora National Park at elevations ranging from 1130 to 1800 meters. [1]
All known specimens were collected by sifting leaf-litter in old-growth, primary mixed forests beech and fir, at elevations between 1130 and 1800 meters. [1]
The specific epithet biogradensis refers to the type locality, Biogradska Gora National Park. [1]
The species belongs to the Bryaxis sculptifrons species group. It can be distinguished from other members of the group by the specific shape of the male scape and pedicel, as well as the structure of the aedeagus. [1]