Lithocharodes clavicornis (ERICHSON, 1839)

Irmler, Ulrich, 2021, The Neotropical species of the genus Lithocharodes SHARP, 1876 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Xantholinini), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 71 (1), pp. 29-85 : 38

Lithocharodes clavicornis (ERICHSON, 1839)

Figs 22 a-d, 45 F,49 I

Leptacinus clavicornis ERICHSON, 1839: 337

Somoleptus clavicornis (ERICHSON, 1839) transferred to

Somoleptus by SHARP 1885

Type material examined: female, holotype: Colombia ,

coll. Moritz ( MNHB).

Additional material examined: Bolivia, Santa Cruz Dept., San Antonio de Parapati, Rio Parapati , wet river shore, 1 male, 1 female, 19.7.1964, leg. B. Malkin ( FMNH) .

Diagnosis: The species closely resembles L. fuscipennis ( SHARP, 1876) due to the sparse punctation of the head, the colouration and the structure of the aedeagus. However, it is slightly larger and the punctation of the head is denser than in L. fuscipennis . Colouration is variable as in L. fuscipennis and in dark specimens the pronotum is only indistinctly lighter than head and base of elytra. The staphylinid collection of Scriba seems to be lost. Thus, the specimen of L. clavicornis mentioned by SCRIBA (1855) could not be examined. But the sampling location Venezuela fits into the other locations from Colombia to Bolivia.

Description: Length: 5.4 mm. Colouration: Brown; pronotum light red; elytra indistinctly blackish with wide posterior margin yellowish; legs and antennae light brown.

Head: 0.93 mm long, 0.77 mm wide; eyes short; postocular sides 3.9 times as long as eyes; slightly divergent to posterior angles; posterior angles shortly rounded; posterior margin straight; interantennal furrows weak; reaching anterior third of eyes; setiferous punctation moderately weak and sparse; on average, interstices between punctures 1.5 to 2 times wider than diameter of punctures; on posterior vertex slightly wider than on anterior vertex; wide midline impunctate; surface without microsculpture; polished. Antennae with first antennomere as long as half-length of head; second and third antennomere conical, longer than wide; third antennomere approximately twice as long as apical width; subsequent antennomeres wider than long and increasing in width; both, fourth and tenth antennomere twice as wide as long; antennomeres four to eleven pubescent; all antennomeres with setae. Pronotum: 1.05 mm long, 0.71 mm wide; widest in anterior fourth; sides shortly convergent to neck; posteriad, slightly convergent in central third; approximately parallel in posterior third; setiferous punctation moderately weak and as sparse as on head; wide midline impunctate; irregular line adjacent to midline with approximately 15 punctures; surface without microsculpture; polished. Elytra: 0.91 mm long, 0.85 mm wide; humeral angles sub-rectangular; sides nearly parallel; posterior angles sub-rectangular; posterior margin rounded with incision at suture; setiferous punctation as weak and sparse as on head and pronotum; partly in irregular lines; surface without microsculpture, slightly less polished than head and pronotum. Abdomen with setiferous punctation denser than on elytra; with weak transversely reticulate microsculpture; sternite VII and tergite VII without prominences or teeth; simply rounded at posterior margin. Aedeagus oval with sub-rectangular anterior part; endophallus broad; densely covered by dark lobes in anterior and posterior part; with one torsion; at contorted part with transparent stripe covered by minute teeth; paramere broad at base; sharply narrowed toward shortly rounded apex; slightly contorted at apex; sparsely covered with short setae.

Figures

Fig. 19–24: L.-fuscipennis-group:Lithocharodesfuscipennis(19),L. bierigi(20),L. nigripennis(21),L. clavicornis(22),L. karinae (23), L. katharinae (24); aedeagus (a), paramere (b), sternite VII of male (c), tergite VII of male (d); scale bare: A–D: 0.2 mm; B: 0.1 mm.