| Bryaxis duboki | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Staphyliniformia |
| Family: | Staphylinidae |
| Genus: | Bryaxis |
| Species: | B. duboki |
| Binomial name | |
| Bryaxis duboki Kolimár, Kodada, Šíma & Hlaváč, 2024 | |
Bryaxis duboki is a species of rove beetle in the subfamily Pselaphinae. It is found in Montenegro. [1]
It is a very small, reddish-brown beetle with a body length of 1.56–1.59 mm. The body is shiny with long, recumbent pubescence. The antennae, maxillary palpi, and legs are slightly lighter in color. The head is subtriangular with small eyes. The maxillary palpi have uneven granulation on palpomeres 2 and 3. The antennae are moderately long; in males, the scape is subcylindrical, slightly narrowing distally, and bears a small, flat, rounded tubercle in the basal third. The pedicel is elongate. Antennomeres 4–7 are moniliform, while 8–10 are transverse. The pronotum is smooth and shiny, coarsely punctate behind the antebasal sulcus, and weakly convex. The elytra are wider than long, with shallow, minuscule punctures, two basal foveae on each, and a humeral projection. The legs are slender. In males, the protibia has a small tubercle 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, robust (approx. 0.37 mm long), with broad parameres and a pointed distal lobe. [1]
Females have a simple, cylindrical scape (without a tubercle) and simple protibiae and metatibiae. The femora and tibiae in females are slightly more slender than in males. [1]
This species is known from several localities in north-central Montenegro, primarily within the Prokletije mountain range. The holotype and numerous paratypes were collected at the type locality, Mrtvo Duboko, a small gorge near Međurijećije at approximately 200–220 m elevation. Additional specimens have been recorded from surrounding areas, including the Crkvine pass area (~1050 m), multiple sites within the Grebaje valley of the Prokletije National Park (1200–1300 m), including gravel slopes near snow fields and the Rapojane valley, also within Prokletije National Park (~1170 m). [1]
All known specimens were collected by sifting leaf-litter in deciduous beech forests, as well as from under stones in stony rubble in similar forests. Elevation records range from 200 to 1300 meters. [1]
The specific epithet duboki refers to the type locality, Mrtvo Duboko. [1]
The species is similar to Bryaxis verrucipalpis , sharing a similar scape and pedicel shape and granulation on the palpi. It is distinguished by the different shape of the aedeagus and the presence of a tubercle on the male protibia. [1]