Revision of the genus Plesiochara Sawada (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae) Author Inoue, Shûgo Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819 - 0375 Japan. Author Maruyama, Munetoshi The Kyushu University Museum, Hakozaki 6 - 10 - 1, Fukuoka 812 - 8581, Japan. text Zootaxa 2022 2022-07-18 5165 4 501 519 journal article 99515 10.11646/zootaxa.5165.4.3 4c40b95b-6758-434e-a591-d909fccb58c3 1175-5326 6853869 B0760118-093B-4198-8EB4-B7B6CA39BE14 Genus Plesiochara Sawada, 1989 Japanese common name: Kusabira-hanekakushi-zoku Plesiochara Sawada, 1989: 304 [original description, type species: Plesiochara fusca Sawada, 1989 ]. Diagnosis. This genus is distinguished from the other genera of Aleocharini by the combination of the following character states: body elongate; head, pronotum, mesoventrite, metaventrite, abdominal sternites, elytra, and legs covered with setae rather densely; labial palpus with segment II longer, with setae e , f located far remote from mp ( Sawada 1989 : Fig. 14C); pronotum almost hexagonal; hypomera visible in lateral view; elytra longer than pronotum; inner coxal process of mesoventrite narrow, elongate, reaching beyond the half of mesocoxal cavities; surface of fore and middle tibia not covered with spines; median lobe of aedeagus fusiform; apical lobe rather thin from lateral view, dilated at apical in ventral view; internal sac composed of multiple sclerites; one pair of sclerites 1 (sc1) located near apex of apical lobe; one pair of sclerites 2 (sc2) located dorsal side of sclerites 1, oval at anterior part and arm-shaped at posterior part; sclerite 3 (sc3) located basal side of sclerites 2; flagellum long, curved ventrally and bifurcated at base; spermatheca with capsule (ca) spherical or ovate: chamber (ch) short, simple. Remarks. This genus is well characterized by the structure of aedeagus: shapes of sclerites 1–3 and flagellum as mentioned above though their polarities are unknown. Plesiochara is similar to Pseudocalea Luze in general appearance, but can be separated by the structure of aedeagus and short chamber of spermatheca. FIGURE 1. Plesiochara japonica comb. nov. : A, dorsal habitus; B–C, median lobe of aedeagus, lateral view; D–E, ditto, ventral view; F, spermatheca. FIGURE 2. Plesiochara japonica comb. nov. : A, mesoventrite and metaventrite; B, male tergite VIII; C, male sternite VIII. FIGURE 3. Distribution of Plesiochara japonica comb. nov. : black star, type locality of P. japonica ; black triangle, type locality of P. fusca syn. nov. FIGURE 4. Plesiochara nitida : A, dorsal habitus; B–C, median lobe of aedeagus, lateral view; D–E, ditto, ventral view; F, spermatheca. FIGURE 5. Distribution of Plesiochara nitida : black star, type locality. FIGURE 6. Plesiochara inflexa sp. nov. : A, dorsal habitus; B–C, median lobe of aedeagus, lateral view; D–E, ditto, ventral view; F, spermatheca. FIGURE 7. Plesiochara inflexa sp. nov. , variation of median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view (A, C) and ventral view (B, D): A–B, near Dôsaka tunnel, Dôshi-mura, Yamanashi Pref.; C–D, Mt. Tsurugi-san, Tokushima Pref. FIGURE 8. Distribution of Plesiochara inflexa sp. nov. : black star, type locality. FIGURE 9. Plesiochara rufula sp. nov. : A, dorsal habitus; B–C, median lobe of aedeagus, lateral view; D–E, ditto, ventral view; F, spermatheca. FIGURE 10. Plesiochara rufula sp. nov. , variation of median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view (A, C) and ventral view (B, D): A–B, Wakasugi forest, Nishiawakura-son, Okayama Pref.: C–D, Kirihagi, Yamato-chô, Kumamoto Pref. FIGURE 11. Distribution of Plesiochara rufula sp. nov. : black star, type locarity. Key to species of Plesiochara 1 Head, thorax and abdomen dark brown ( Figs 1A , 4A , 6A ); dorsal surface of head and pronotum with reticulation; basal impression of abdominal tergites III–VII with pores small to medium................................................. 2 - Head, thorax and abdomen reddish brown to light brown, darker in head and posterior part of abdomen ( Fig. 9A ); dorsal surface of head and pronotum without reticulation; basal impression of abdominal tergites III–VII with pores large; legs longer (HTL/ PL = 1.41–1.54)......................................................................... P. rufula sp. nov. 2 Hypomera with posterior part of carina directed posteriorly almost paralleled to lateral margin ( Fig. 12A ); legs shorter (HTL/PL 1.13–1.20); median lobe of aedeagus with apical lobe thick; sclerites 1 strongly convex and curved laterally at posterior margin ( Fig. 1B–E ); spermatheca with capsule spherical.......................................... P. japonica comb. nov. - Hypomera with posterior part of carina directed to posterolateral corners obliquely ( Fig. 12B, D–F ); legs longer (HTL/PL 1.27–1.47); median lobe of aedeagus thin; sclerites 1 not as above ( Fig. 4B–E , 6B–E ); spermatheca with capsule ovate ( Fig. 4F , 6F )................................................................................................. 3 3 Hypomera with carina not curved inward at posterior end ( Fig. 12B ); legs longer (HTL/PL = 1.35–1.47); median lobe of aedeagus with apical lobe weakly curved dorsally at apex, curved ventrally at base ( Fig. 4B–E ); spermatheca with capsule longer than chamber ( Fig. 4F )........................................................................... P. nitida - Hypomera with carina curved inward at posterior end in most cases ( Fig. 12D–E ); legs rather longer (HTL/PL = 1.27–1.40); median lobe of aedeagus with apical lobe entirely curved ventrally ( Fig. 6B–E ); spermatheca with capsule almost as long as chamber ( Fig. 6F )........................................................................ P. inflexa sp. nov.