Estimates of global biodiversity and costs of biodiversity research revisited, with a review of Sabah Scaphisoma Leach and descriptions of 56 new species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae)

Abstract

Estimates of species richness and of costs of descriptions are popular, in disregard of their divergences and uncertainty. A review of the Sabah, Malaysia species of Scaphisoma provides hard data that question these estimates and highlight incongruities impacting studies of faunal richness. The present review is based on extensive collections that yielded the following 56 species described below as new: S. adami sp. nov., S. affectuosum sp. nov., S. affluens sp. nov., S. alesi sp. nov., S. alternum sp. nov., S. amicale sp. nov., S. ancoroides sp. nov., S. assingi sp. nov., S. atavum sp. nov., S. bihamatum sp. nov., S. brevistyle sp. nov., S. burckhardti sp. nov., S. caudatulum sp. nov., S. ciampori sp. nov., S. constrictum sp. nov., S. cornutum sp. nov., S. crassum sp. nov., S. cursitor sp. nov., S. danum sp. nov., S. dichroum sp. nov., S. distortum sp. nov., S. ernsti sp. nov., S. immotum sp. nov., S. jankoi sp. nov., S. kalabitoides sp. nov., S. kecil sp. nov., S. keciloides sp. nov., S. klausnitzeri sp. nov., S. lescheni sp. nov., S. majale sp. nov., S. makar sp. nov., S. makkul sp. nov., S. malam sp. nov., S. malaysianum sp. nov., S. mediale sp. nov., S. melas sp. nov., S. memar sp. nov., S. meritum sp. nov., S. mirandoides sp. nov., S. mujur sp. nov., S. newtoni sp. nov., S. obsoletum sp. nov., S. omissum sp. nov., S. onerosum sp. nov., S. oxurum sp. nov., S. pallidulum sp. nov., S. panas sp. nov., S. parakalabitum sp. nov., S. paratrox sp. nov., S. pennatum sp. nov., S. placibile sp. nov., S. ruficoloroides sp. nov., S. setifer sp. nov., S. setigerum sp. nov., S. setosum sp. nov., S. tajam sp. nov., S. wagneri sp. nov. Scaphisoma laminatum Löbl, 1972 is placed in synonymy of Scaphisoma malaccanum (Pic, 1915a). Scaphisoma rufipenne (Pic, 1916b), described from “Borneo” though coming from Banggi Island, is fixed by lectotype designation and is placed in synonymy of S. ruficolle (Pic, 1915b). The species is redescribed. The aedeagus of S. lineatopunctatum (Pic, 1916b) is illustrated for the first time. Fourteen species are reported from Sabah for the first time: S. caudatoides Löbl & Ogawa, 2016, S. chujoi Löbl, 1982, S. complicans Löbl, 1982, S. jacobsoni Löbl, 1975, S. javanum Löbl, 1979, S. luteomaculatum Pic, 1915, S. malaccanum (Pic, 1915), S. malayanum Löbl, 1986, S. mindanaosum Pic, 1926, S. nigrum Löbl, 1986, S. obliquemaculatum Motschulsky, 1863, S. quadrimaculatum Pic, 1922, S. solutum Löbl, 1990, and S. surigaosum (Pic, 1926). A key to the Sabah species of Scaphisoma and a checklist of the Bornean Scaphidiinae are also provided.