Ancystrocerus Raffray, 1893

Yin, Zi-Wei, Wang, Dan & Li, Li-Zhen, 2015, Discovery of the genus Ancystrocerus Raffray in China, with description of a new species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Zootaxa 3949 (4), pp. 584-588 : 585

Ancystrocerus Raffray, 1893

Ancystrocerus Raffray, 1893: 500 . Type species: Ancystrocerus sumatrensis Raffray (monotypy)

Relationship. Ancystrocerus is here placed near the Australo-Oriental genus Saltisedes Kubota by sharing the following characters: 1) simple maxillary palpi lacking lateral spines or projections, 2) strongly convex pronotal disc often with a short, conical spine in both sexes, 3) weakly seclerotized and paired male sternite IX, and 4) similar form of the aedeagus. These two genera can be best separated by the maxillary palpi having the apical three palpomeres elongate and with pedunculate bases, the lack of long, modified spines on the first tarsomeres in the male, and presence of male features on the apical antennomeres in Ancystrocerus . Members of Saltisedes have maxillary palpi with short third palpomeres, the fourth palpomeres with a truncate base, first tarsomeres with a pair of long spines in the male, and male features at base of profemora rather than on antennae. The other Oriental tmesiphorine genus Pseudophanias Raffray also has simple maxillary palpi, but all segments are distinctly short and small, with triangular third palpomeres, and conical fourth palpomeres.

Biology. Little has been stated about the biology of Ancystrocerus species in published references. Ancystrocerus pallidus and A. chinensis sp. n., were collected in association with decomposing logs, and A. punctatus , A. rugicollis , and A. longicornis were found from sifted litter samples ( Raffray 1895). Three of eight undescribed Malaysian species, possibly attributed to Ancystrocerus , were collected by flight intercept traps ( Nomura & Idris 2005), and one female specimen from Thailand was collected by Tullgren funnels ( Nomura et al. 2010).

Distribution. Ten species (including the new species described here) are known from southern India, southern China, Peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra; and we have seen undescribed species from Sri Lanka and Thailand in museum collections.