Loncovilius semiflavus ( Fairmaire and Germain, 1862 )

Reyes-Hernández, José L., Hansen, Aslak Kappel, Shaw, Josh Jenkins & Solodovnikov, Alexey, 2024, Phylogeny-based taxonomic revision and niche modelling of the rove beetle genus Loncovilius Germain, 1903 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 202 (1), pp. 1-42 : 34-35

Loncovilius semiflavus ( Fairmaire and Germain, 1862)

( Figs 6C, 7D, 9D, G, 11A–C, 12G, 13G, 14G)

Fairmaire and Germain 1862: 428 (original description as Quedius semiflavus ); Gemminger and Harold 1868: 570 (as synonym of Quedius lividipennis ); Bernhauer and Schubert 1916: 434 (as Quedius semiflavus , catalogue); Germain 1903: 443 (as Loncovilius semiflavus , characters); Coiffait and Sáiz 1966: 411 (as Loncovilius s.s. semiflavus ; characters); Coiffait and Sáiz, 1968: 365 (as Loncovilius s.s. semiflavus , checklist); Sáiz 1971: 385 (as Loncovilius s.s. semiflavus ; additional material); Herman 2001b: 3083 (as Loncovilius semiflavus ; catalog).

Type material. Lectotype: male, pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial, with labels as follows: Coll. et det A. Fauvel Quedius semiflavus Fairm and Germ. R.I.S. c.N.B. 17.479/ Concepcion/Lectotype [Red label]/ Loncovilius (s. s.) semiflavus 1964 det. Coiff. et Sáiz/J. L. Reyes-Hernández det. 2022 [ RBINS]. Paralectotypes: Coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Quedius semiflavus Fairm and Germ., R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479/paralectotype [red paper]/ Loncovilius semiflavus , 1964 det. Coiff. et Sáiz/J. L. Reyes-Hernández det. 2022; concepcion/ semiflavus Fairm. Germ. /R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479, Coll. et det. A. Fauvel/paralectotype [red paper]/ Loncovilius semiflavus , 1964 det. Coiff. et Saiz/J. L. Reyes-Hernández det. 2022 [ RBINS].

Other material examined: Supporting Information, File S7.

Diagnosis: Elytra translucent yellow or yellowish-brown. Male tergite X with broad U-shape emargination medially ( Fig. 12G); female tergite X slightly emarginate medio-apically ( Fig. 13G). Aedeagus as in Figure 11A–C.

Description: Measurements ♂ [min–max (average); N = 10]: FBL = 3.82–4.19 (4.02); TL = 6.25–6.88 (6.54); HW = 1–1.05 (1.03); HL = 0.98–1.09 (1.02); HW/HL = 0.96–1.04 (1.01); PW = 1.28–1.44 (1.35); PL = 1.28–1.43 (1.35); PW/ PL = 0.99–1.01 (1); EW = 1.66–1.8 (1.74); EL = 1.5–1.8 (1.65); PW/HW = 1.27–1.37 (1.32).

Measurements ♀ [min–max (average); N = 10]: FBL = 4.1– 4.45 (4.29); TL = 7.2–8.6 (7.77); HW = 1.08–1.15 (1.1); HL = 1.04–1.13 (1.06); HW/HL = 1–1.06 (1.04); PW = 1.4– 1.5 (1.47); PL = 1.38–1.5 (1.46); PW/PL = 0.98–1.05 (1.01); EW = 1.85–1.9 (1.88); EL = 1.67–1.82 (1.77); PW/ HW = 1.27–1.39 (1.34).

Head and pronotum yellow-orange or reddish-brown, usually females darker than males; elytra translucent yellow; antennae, mouthparts, and legs yellow or yellowish-brown; mesosternum, metasternum, metacoxa and abdomen dark reddish-brown; abdominal segments with pale posterior margin.

Head from slightly wider than long, to slightly longer than wide; dorsally and ventrally glossy with few micropunctures and very fine microsculpture of transverse waves, without coarse non-setiferous punctures; posterior angles indistinct with sparse setiferous punctures of medium and small size. Eyes medium size (EYL/HL = x = 0.5), from 1.2 to 1.4 times as long as temples (in lateral view); distance between eyes about 1.2 times as long as length of eye in males and 1.39 times in females. Antennomeres 2 and 3 subequal in length; antennomeres 4 and 5 subequal in length; antennomeres 5 to 10 gradually becoming shorter apicad; a11 is from 1.88 to 2 times as long as a 10 in males and from 1.6 to 1.8 times in females. Basal puncture single; parocular puncture usually single too, distinctly separated from eye margin; posterior frontal puncture located anterior to temporal puncture; ventral basal ridge rather straight, almost united with gular sutures; postgenal ridge reduced; postmandibular ridge reaching close to eye margin; PMP greatly reduced; nuchal ridge distinct only laterally, nuchal and infraorbital ridges fused; gular sutures moderately and equally separated in both sexes. Mandibles without dorsolateral groove; labrum with trapezoidal sclerotized region and entire apical margin; mentum with seta alpha only; penultimate labial palpomere only weakly dilated apicad, subequal in width with more or less subconical apical palpomere.

Pronotum about as wide as long, strongly convex, evenly curved at sides, with two PPDS, without APP, with one SLSP; flexible postcoxal hypomeral extension (process) not interrupted by inferior line. Elytra evenly punctate, interspaces from about as long as, to three times as long as, diameter of punctures. Mesosternum with three or four macrosetae arranged in a row medially.

Protibiae not sexually dimorphic, without laterodorsal row of thick spines in both sexes. In males, mesotarsomeres 1–4 with pale adhesive setae, mesotarsomeres 1–3 with terminal plate. In females, mesotarsomeres 2–4 with pale adhesive setae without terminal plate. In both sexes, metatarsomeres 2–4 with pale adhesive setae, without terminal plate; metatarsomere 1 shorter than 5, metatarsomere 4 ventrally with apical margin straight or slightly sinuate.

Abdominal tergites III and IV with only a few rows of coarse punctures of moderate density, with large impunctate area; tergite VIII distinctly emarginate medio-apically. Sternite III with basal transverse carina descending medially at a sharp point; lateral tergal sclerites IX not dorsoventrally or laterally flattened. Male sterniteVIIIwithstrong ( Fig.14G),V-shapedemarginationmedially; female sternite VIII with weak apical medial emargination; male sternite IX with arcuate emargination medially, its basal portion distinctly longer than distal portion; male tergite X with broad U-shape emargination medially ( Fig. 12G); female tergite X slightly emarginate medio-apically ( Fig. 13G); ovipositor, its second gonocoxite with one macroseta medially.

Aedeagus as in Figure 11A–C, its length 1.21; median lobe rod-like with moderately emarginate apex; paramere slightly produced over apex of median lobe, wider than median lobe, its sides converging in a trapezoidal slightly emarginate apex, with small translucent ‘peg setae’, in lateral view almost straight and slightly concave apically.

Distribution and habitat: Loncovilius semiflavus is known only from Chile, from the Biobío, Maule, Ñuble, and Santiago Metropolitan regions where it occurs from 200 to 1200 m of elevation. Its distribution is confined to the northern portions of the Valdivian temperate forest ecoregion. It has been collected by sifting leaf litter and beating the forest vegetation and flowers, e.g. from Drimys winteri ( Winteraceae ).

Remarks: Lonvcovilius semiflavus was described as a species of Quedius based on an unspecified number of specimens from ‘Concepcion’ (Concepción city in Central Chile) ( Fairmaire and Germain 1862). Gemminger and Harold (1868) listed it as a synonym of Quedius lividipennis Fairmaire and Germain, 1862 , but Germain (1903) considered both species valid when erecting a new genus Loncovilius for them. Coiffait and Sáiz (1966) examined three specimens from the collection of A. Fauvel in Brussels that they considered syntypes of L. semiflavus and designated one male as a lectotype. Morphology and labels of these three specimens match the original description and the type locality, respectively. According to Camousseight (1980), the type material of the species described by Philibert Germain is kept at the National Museum of Chile in Santiago. However, even though Camousseight (1980) listed type material for L. lividipennis (see below that species) and some other Amblyopinini as being deposited there, he did not mention any types of L. semiflavus . Presumably, they could have disappeared, as some other material did during a period when this collection was neglected (Camousseight, 1980), while the material from RBINS studied by Coiffait and Sáiz (1966) are syntypes that P. Germain could have shared with A. Fauvel, a prominent colleague of that time. Based on that material, Coiffait and Sáiz (1966) illustrated the aedeagus of L. semiflavus and, together with L. lividipennis , treated it as a member of the subgenus Loncovilius s.s.. Apart from the types, a specimen from La Jaula in Curicó Province of Chile listed in Sáiz (1971), was the only additional material reported for this species prior to our revision.