Venezolanoconnus ranchoi Franz

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2012, Taxonomy of ' Euconnus complex'. Part I. Morphology of Euconnus s. str. and revision of Euconnomorphus Franz and Venezolanoconnus Franz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 3555, pp. 55-82 : 79-81

Venezolanoconnus ranchoi Franz

( Figs. 63, 64 , 67 , 71–74 )

Venezolanoconnus ranchoi Franz, 1988: 82 ; Fig. 26 .

Material studied. Holotype: 3: three labels: "Rancho Grande / b. Maracay, Vene- / zuela, lg. Franz" with "SA244" or "Sa249" on the reverse side [white, printed; reverse handwritten], " Venezolanoconnus / ranchoi m. / det. H. Franz" [white, handwritten and printed], " Holotypus " [red, handwritten] ( NHMW). Paratypes (8 exx.: 1 3, 7 ƤƤ): same data as for the holotype ( NHMW).

Diagnosis. This species can be identified on the basis of nearly circular pronotal disc.

Redescription. Body of male ( Fig. 63 ) strongly convex, elongate and moderately slender, with moderately long appendages, BL 1.48 mm; glossy, uniformly reddish-brown with slightly lighter legs and palps; vestiture slightly lighter than cuticle.

Head ( Fig. 67 ) rhomboidal in shape, broadest at eyes, HL 0.25 mm, HW 0.25 mm; tempora slightly shorter than eyes, strongly convergent caudad; vertex strongly transverse, convex; frons confluent with vertex, slightly convex, subtrapezoidal and steeply, abruptly declining towards strongly transverse clypeus; supraantennal tubercles barely marked; eyes large and moderately strongly convex, kidney-shaped and transverse in relation to the long axis of the head, each composed of ca. 40 small and smooth ommatidia. Punctures on head dorsum fine and sparse, inconspicuous; setae short, sparse, erect, those on vertex and tempora directed mesally. Antennae ( Fig. 63 ) slender, AnL 0.70–0.73 mm; antennomeres I–VII each elongate; VIII–X each slightly transverse; XI 1.5× as long as broad, with blunt subconical apex.

Pronotum ( Fig. 63 ) in dorsal view nearly circular, broadest slightly behind middle, PL 0.38 mm, PW 0.40 mm; anterior margin long and evenly arcuate; lateral margins strongly rounded; hind pronotal angles indistinctly marked, obtuse; posterior margin nearly straight; base of pronotum without foveae. Punctures on pronotal disc fine, inconspicuous; setae long, moderately dense and strongly erect, those on sides of pronotum bristle-like, distinctly thicker than those in middle.

Elytra ( Fig. 63 ) elongate oval and more convex than pronotum, broadest slightly behind middle, EL– 0.85 mm, EW 0.65–0.68 mm, EI 1.26–1.31; base of elytra straight; humeral calli moderately prominent, each sharply delimited mesally by subhumeral line as long as only 0.2× EL; elytral apices separately rounded. Punctures on elytral disc more distinct but sparser than those on pronotum, extremely shallow and with diffused margins; setae moderately long, moderately sparse and nearly recumbent, about as thin as those on vertex and distinctly thinner than those on sides of pronotum. Hind wings not studied.

Legs ( Fig. 63 ) moderately long and slender; all tibiae nearly straight.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 71–74 ) moderately stout, AeL 0.18 mm, with gradually narrowing subtriangular apical part; internal structures asymmetrical, lightly sclerotized and indistinctly delimited; parameres very broad, with apical or slightly subapical pair of setae.

Female. Externally similar to male, differs in much smaller eyes ( Figs. 64 ) (each composed of only 6 ommatidia) and slightly shorter antennae. BL 1.48 mm; HL 0.25 mm, HW 0.25 mm, AnL 0.60–0.63 mm; PL 0.35–0.38 mm, PW 0.40 mm; EL 0.85–0.88 mm, EW 0.65–0.68 mm, EI 1.26–1.31.

Distribution. Northern Venezuela, Aragua State.

Remarks. Despite the data given in the original description ( Franz 1988a), one of the paratypes turned out to be a male, not female.

Figures

FIGURES 59 – 64. Morphology of Venezolanoconnus Franz. 59 – 61, V. andinus Franz, holotype male, dorsal habitus (59), head in frontal view (60), head and prothorax in left lateral view (61). 62, V. caracasensis Franz, dorsal habitus of female holotype. 63 – 64, V. ranchoi, dorsal habitus of male holotype (63), head of female paratype in frontal view (64).

FIGURES 65 – 70. Details of morphology of Venezolanoconnus Franz. 65 – 66, 68 – 70, V. andinus Franz, holotype male. 67, V. ranchoi, paratype male. Venter (65; sternite VIII removed), head in ventral view (66 – 67), aedeagus in ventral (68), dorsal (69) and lateral (70) views. Abbreviations: ai, asetose impression of mesoventrite; ar, anterior ridge; bst, basistipes; cd, cardo; gal, galea; gen, gena; gp, gular plate; gs, gular suture; hyr, hypomeral ridge; hr, hypostomal ridge; hy, hypomeron; lac, lacinia; lmfa, lateral metafurcal arm; lp, labial palp; md, mandible; mn, mentum; mscc, mesocoxal cavity; mscs, mesocoxal socket; mst, mediostipes; msvp, mesoventral intercoxal process; mtvp, metaventral intercoxal process; mxpI – IV, maxillary palpomere I – IV; nss, notosternal suture; occ, occipital constriction; pcc, procoxal cavity; pcs, procoxal socket; pn, pronotum; pre, prepectus; ps, prosternum; psp, prosternal intercoxal process; ptp, posterior tentorial pit; smn submentum; stIII – VII, abdominal sternite III – VII; vIII, metaventrite.

FIGURES 71 – 74. Aedeagus of Venezolanoconnus ranchoi Franz in ventral (71, 73) and lateral (72, 74) views. Holotype (71 – 72; distorted or partly erected) and paratype (73 – 74).

FIGURES 25 – 27. Details of morphology of Euconnus (s. str.) hirticollis (Illiger). Ventral (25), dorsal (26) and left lateral (27) view on ventral and lateral pterothorax (meso- and metanota removed). Abbreviations: aestIII, metanepisternum; apc, anapleural cleft; cxIII, metacoxa; dlf, dorso-lateral fovea; epmIII, metepimeron; lmfa, lateral metafurcal arm; mfs, metafurcal stem; mscc; mesocoxal cavity; mscs, mesocoxal socket; msff, mesofurcal fovea; msvp, mesoventral intercoxal process; mtvp, metaventral intercoxal process; pre, prepectus; si, setose impression of mesoventrite; vII, mesoventrite; vIII, metaventrite; vlf, ventro-lateral fovea.