Anhoraeomorphus moheliensis (Franz) Jałoszyński, 2024

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2024, The ‘ curse of Horaeomorphus’ (almost) lifted. Revision of misplaced species from Madagascar, Comoros and Mascarenes (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 5505 (1), pp. 1-96 : 41-43

Anhoraeomorphus moheliensis (Franz) , comb. n.

( Figs 151–158 )

Horaeomorphus moheliensis Franz, 1986b: 159 .

Type material studied. Holotype ( Comoros: Mohéli Island): ♂, four labels: “(Insel Moheli / Moihani / 20.8.69, G. Gomy ” [white, handwritten], “ Horaeomorphus / moheliensis m. / det. H.Franz ” [yellowish, handwritten and printed], “ Typus ” [red, handwritten], “ ♂ ” [white, printed] ( NHMW). Paratype: ♀, “ Moheli / Bandamalé 420m / IX-58 Raharizonina” [white, printed], “INSTITUT / SCIENTIFIQUE / MADAGASCAR” [bluish, printed], “ ♀ ”, “ Horaeomorphus / moheliensis m. / det. H.Franz ” [yellowish, handwritten and printed], “ Allotypus ” [red, handwritten] ( NHMW).

Revised diagnosis. Body ( Fig. 151 ) slender; head ( Figs 152–153 ) sub-pentagonal, with vertex posteriorly weakly rounded; pronotum ( Fig. 151 ) bell-shaped, broadest near anterior third, with one pair of small circular antebasal pits; antennomeres 3–5 ( Fig. 154 ) each weakly elongate, 6–9 each about as long as broad, 10 indistinctly transverse; profemora slightly thicker than meso- and metafemora; in both sexes pro- and mesotibiae strongly and evenly curved, in males metatibiae curved in proximal third, in female metatibiae evenly curved; aedeagus ( Figs 155–158 ) in ventral view broadest near middle, apical region of dorsal wall in lateral view weakly curved dorsally, distolateral endophallic sclerites broadly separated, each elongate and asymmetrical, with truncate apices, each paramere with two short apical setae.

Redescription. Body of male ( Fig. 139 ) flattened, moderately dark brown, tarsi and palps slightly lighter; setae light brown; BL 2.45 mm.

Head ( Fig. 152 ) in anterodorsal view sub-pentagonal, broadest at eyes, HL 0.53 mm, HW 0.45 mm; temple in lateral view ( Fig. 153 ) nearly twice as long as eye; vertex and frons confluent, together weakly convex and indistinctly transverse; vertex posteriorly weakly rounded; each eye small and weakly convex, oval, not emarginate posteriorly, weakly projecting from head silhouette. Punctures on vertex fine, inconspicuous; setae short, dense and suberect; frons and vertex densely covered with thick bristles directed posteriorly. Antenna ( Fig. 154 ) slender but short, indistinctly shorter than half BL, AnL 1.10 mm, antennomeres 1–2 each distinctly elongate, 3–5 each weakly elongate, 6–9 each about as long as broad, 10 indistinctly transverse, 11 slightly shorter than 9 and 10 combined, as wide as 10, about 1.6 times as long as broad.

Pronotum bell-shaped, broadest near anterior third; PL 0.63 mm, PW 0.55 mm. Anterior margin strongly rounded, lateral margins strongly rounded in anterior half and sinuate in posterior half; posterior corners blunt; posterior margin nearly straight. Base with one pair of small subcircular pits, sublateral carinae short but distinct. Disc with fine, inconspicuous punctures; setae dense, short and suberect, lateral surface of pronotum with dense thick bristles.

Elytra together oval, broadest distinctly in front of middle; EL 1.30 mm, EW 0.85 mm, EI 1.53; humeral calli weakly elevated, basal elytral foveae barely discernible. Punctures small and shallow, inconspicuous; setae sparse, short and suberect.

Legs moderately long, slender, fore femora slightly thicker than meso- and metafemora, pro- and mesotibiae strongly and evenly curved, metatibiae strongly curved only in proximal third.

Aedeagus ( Figs 155–158 ) stout, AeL 0.40 mm; in ventral view pear-shaped, broadest near middle, distally rapidly but weakly narrowing towards subtriangular apex with broadly rounded distal margin hidden behind broad and distally broadly rounded ventral apical plate; in lateral view apical region of dorsal wall weakly curved dorsally; endophallus with all sclerotized structures asymmetrical, distolateral sclerites broadly separated, strongly elongate and each with truncate apex; parameres in lateral view conspicuously broadened and their apices not projecting beyond aedeagal apex, each paramere with two short apical setae.

Female. Externally similar to male, but with all tibiae, including hind ones, evenly curved. BL 2.33 mm; HL 0.50 mm, HW 0.45 mm, AnL 1.05 mm; PL 0.55 mm, PW 0.58 mm; EL 1.28 mm, EW 0.85 mm, EI 1.50 mm.

Distribution. Mohéli Island, Comoros.

Remarks. This small-bodied and slender species is unique in having all tibiae in both sexes strongly curved, with metatibiae in males curved only in proximal third, and in female evenly curved along entire length. Besides the holotype and paratype deposited at NHMW, according to Franz (1986b) one paratype male is in Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.

Figures

FIGURES 151–158. Anhoraeomorphus moheliensis (Franz), holotype. Habitus in dorsal view (151); head in anterodorsal view (152); head and prothorax in lateral view (only bristles on head are shown) (153); antenna (154); aedeagus in ventral (155, 157) and lateral (156, 158) views.

FIGURES 139–146. Anhoraeomorphus manangotryanus (Franz), holotype. Habitus in dorsal view (139); head in anterodorsal view (140); head and prothorax in lateral view (only bristles on head are shown) (141); antenna (142); aedeagus in ventral (143, 145) and lateral (144, 146) views.