Anhoraeomorphus ambodivoangyi (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 : 24-26

Anhoraeomorphus ambodivoangyi (Franz) , comb. n.

( Figs 83–90 )

Horaeomorphus ambodivoangyi Franz, 1986b: 149 .

Type material studied. Paratypes (Madagascar): 1 ♂, 1 ♀, three labels: “Maroantsetra / Ambodivoangy / J.Vadon ” [white, printed], “ Horaeomorphus / ambodivoangyi m. / det. H.Franz ” [yellowish, handwritten and printed], “INSTITUT / SCIENTIFIQUE / MADAGASCAR ” [bluish, printed], ( NHMW) .

Revised diagnosis. Body ( Fig. 83 ) stout; head ( Fig. 84 ) clearly elongate, with vertex posteriorly truncate; pronotum ( Fig. 83 ) rounded, broadest in anterior third, but weakly narrowing posteriorly, with one pair of large antebasal pits; antennomeres 3–6 ( Fig. 86 ) elongate; all femora similarly slender; hind tibiae in male unmodified; aedeagus ( Figs 87–90 ) in ventral view broadest near base, lateral margins sinuate, apical region of dorsal wall in lateral view weakly curved dorsally but with dorsal surface convex and ventral concave, distolateral endophallic sclerites widely separated, each only about as long as wide, with subtriangular apex, each paramere with a short subapical row of several long setae and proximal to them with two short subapical setae.

Redescription. Body of male moderately dark brown, tarsi and palps distinctly lighter, setae yellowish; BL 2.20 mm.

Head ( Figs 84–85 ) in anterodorsal view distinctly elongate, conspicuously narrower than prothorax, broadest at eyes, HL 0.48 mm, HW 0.38 mm; temple in lateral view ( Fig. 85 ) slightly longer than eye; vertex and frons confluent, together weakly convex and elongate; vertex posteriorly truncate; each eye moderately large and weakly convex, oval, 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. Antennae in the only studied male specimen are lacking.

Pronotum round, broadest in anterior third; PL 0.53 mm, PW 0.50 mm. Anterior margin strongly rounded, lateral margins rounded in anterior half, nearly straight in posterior half; posterior corners blunt; posterior margin straight. Base with one pair of large round pits, and with short sublateral carinae. 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 1.20 mm, EW 0.93 mm, EI 1.30; humeral calli weakly elevated, basal elytral foveae vestigial, barely discernible. Punctures small and shallow, but more distinct than those on pronotum; setae sparse, short and suberect.

Legs moderately long, slender, unmodified except slightly recurved tibiae (especially protibiae).

Aedeagus ( Figs 87–90 ) slender, AeL 0.50 mm; in ventral view broadest near base, distinctly narrowing towards abruptly delimited and broadly subtriangular apex, lateral margins of median lobe sinuate; in lateral view apical region of dorsal wall weakly curved dorsally, with dorsal wall convex and ventral wall concave; endophallus with symmetrical and short distolateral sclerites and with strongly asymmetrical assemblage of median sclerotized structures, distolateral sclerites broadly separated, each about as long as broad, subquadrate with distomesal subtriangular projection; parameres broad and their apices not projecting beyond aedeagal apex, each paramere with a longitudinal row of five long and proximal to them two short subapical setae.

Female ( Fig. 83 ). Externally similar to male, but protibiae only weakly curved mesally, meso- and metatibiae nearly straight. BL 2.18 mm; HL 0.48 mm, HW 0.38 mm, AnL 1.03 mm; PL 0.55 mm, PW 0.53 mm; EL 1.15 mm, EW 0.93 mm, EI 1.24. Antenna ( Fig. 86 ) indistinctly shorter than half BL, strongly broadening distally, antennomeres 1–6 each elongate (5 longest), 7 about as long as broad, 8–10 each transverse, 11 much shorter than 9 and 10 combined, slightly narrower than 10, only slightly elongate.

Distribution. Northern Madagascar (Analanjirofo Region).

Remarks. Anhoraeomorphus ambodivoangyi is unique in having a distinctly elongate head, slender antennae, pronotum about as long as broad, with one pair of pits, and a slender aedeagus with abruptly delimited broadly subtriangular apex, endophallic distolateral sclerites conspicuously short, about as long as broad, and the setal pattern of parameral apices, each bearing a longitudinal row of five long and proximal to them two short subapical setae.

The holotype of this species is deposited in Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris and was not available for my study. Two paratypes, male and female, are in Franz Coll. ( NHMW), and the aedeagus of a dissected paratype matches the illustration in the original description .

Figures

FIGURES 83–90. Anhoraeomorphus ambodivoangyi (Franz), paratype female (83, 86) and paratype male (84–85, 87–90). Habitus in dorsal view (83); head in anterodorsal view (84); head and prothorax in lateral view (only bristles on head are shown) (85); antenna (86); aedeagus in ventral (87, 89) and lateral (88, 90) views.