Achilia blanchardi Raffray, 1904

Kurbatov, Sergey A., Cuccodoro, Giulio & Sabella, Giorgio, 2021, A revision of the Chilean Brachyglutini - Part 7. Revision of Achilia Reitter, 1890: A. cosmoptera species group (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 128 (1), pp. 135-156 : 139-140

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.35929/RSZ.0041
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5645636
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/5F215668-FFD5-FF97-E692-FE2A80AD5F10
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Achilia blanchardi Raffray, 1904
status

Treatment

Achilia blanchardi Raffray, 1904 View in CoL

Figs 3 View Figs 1-6 , 17 View Figs 16-22 , 27 View Figs 23-32 , 38 View Figs 37-42 , 40 View Figs 37-42 , 42 View Figs 37-42 , 63 View Fig

Bryaxis valdiviensis Reitter, 1883: 50 View in CoL , pl. 1 fig. 8 (head and antenna) (nec valdiviensis Blanchard, 1851 View in CoL ). – Reitter, 1885: 326; 330, pl. 2 fig. 14 (head and antenna).

Achilia clavata Raffray, 1904: 137 View in CoL , fig. 53 (head and antenna) (synonymized by Jeannel, 1962: 429).

Achilia blanchardi Raffray, 1904: 138 View in CoL (new name for Bryaxis valdiviensis Reitter, 1883 View in CoL ). – Jeannel, 1962: 426, 430, figs 195 (head and antenna of male), 196 (head and antenna of female), 197 (aedeagus).

Type material (12 ex.): MNHN; 1 ♀ (Holotype of A. clavata ); labels verbatim “Museum de Paris; 1917; coll. Raffray / Chili / Type / clavata ; det. A. Raffray / clavata (handwritten by Jeannel)” . – SOUTHERN CHILE: Región Los Ríos: Valdivia Prov.: MNHN; 1 ♂ (lectotype of A. blanchardi here designated); labels verbatim “Lectotype / Type / 1880; Chili; Valdivia; leg. Kindermann/ Bryaxis ; valdiviensis ; m. Valdivia / Museum de Paris; 1917; coll. Raffray / A. blanchardi ; A. Raffray det.” . – MNHN; 1 ♂ and 9 ♀ (Paralectotypes of A. blanchardi here designated); labels verbatim “Paralectotype / Chili / Museum de Paris; 1917; coll. Raffray / A. blanchardi ; A. Raffray det.” .

Additional material examined (5 ex.): FMNH; 1 ♀; Field Mus. Nat. Hist.; Orlando Park ; Pselaphidae Colln .; F. C. Fletcher Collection. – MNHN; 1 ♀; Chile; P. Germain. – HNHM; 1 ♂; “ Chili ” . – MNHN; 2 ♀; “ Chili ”; Gay; 1849.

Description: Body 1.35-1.40 mm long, dark brown with reddish elytra; antennae and legs reddish; palpi yellowish.

Male: Head as in Figs 38, 40 & 42 View Figs 37-42 , very wide, surface with some very scattered punctures; occipital region raised, frons flattened and separated by large transverse sulcus from large frontal lobe; anterior margin of frontal sulcus slightly raised and pointed at middle. Antennae ( Fig. 17 View Figs 16-22 ) with scape and pedicel longer than wide; antennomere III distinctly longer than wide; antennomere IV about as long as wide; antennomeres V-VII slightly longer than wide; antennomere VIII as long as wide; antennomere IX wider than VIII and wider than long; antennomere X distinctly wider than long, shorter and wider than IX; antennomere XI elongate, longer than VII-X combined. Metaventrite with deep and wide transverse sulcus on apical twothirds, sulcus with deflected and posteriorly prominent margins forming sort of tubercles. First abdominal sternite slightly raised and flattened at middle; remaining abdominal sternites slightly flattened at middle. Protibiae with distal half slightly swollen; mesotibiae ( Fig. 27 View Figs 23-32 ) with distal half swollen and densely pubescent. Aedeagus ( Fig. 3 View Figs 1-6 ) 0.23 mm long, with dorsal plate subrectangular; dorsal longitudinal struts divergent. Parameres relatively wide with very large and long recurved seta on welldeveloped outer lobe, this seta bifid and very swollen on basal third; apical portion of parameres slightly recurved anteriorly and prolonged laterally at tip; apex of parameres bearing one long ventral medial seta associated with wider and shorter seta. Copulatory pieces consisting of two subequal short sclerites slightly enlarged apically, recurved and more robust basally.

Female: Similar to male except head not modified; antennae shorter with antennomere XI shorter; metaventrite, abdominal sternites, and legs unmodified.

Collecting data: The data in our possession do not allow us to make statements in this regard.

Distribution: Achilia blanchardi is only known from Valdivia (Región Los Ríos: Valdivia Prov.) ( Fig. 63 View Fig : green diamonds).

Comments: Raffray (1904: 138) proposed the new name Achilia blanchardi for Bryaxis valdiviensis Reitter, 1883 , described on an unspecified number of specimens from Valdivia, because this name was preoccupied by Pselaphus valdiviensis Blanchard, 1851 [now Achilia valdiviensis ( Blanchard, 1851) ] (see Sabella et al., 2020: 140, 144-145).

Jeannel (1962: 430) listed Achilia clavata Raffray, 1904 as a junior synonym of A. blanchardi , but without justifying this action. We have examined the holotype of A. clavata , which is a female resembling in all features those of A. blanchardi , and therefore we confirm the synonymy proposed by Jeannel.

Jeannel (1962: 430) stated that the type of Achilia blanchardi Raffray, 1904 was housed in the MNHN collections. In the MNHN we found in Raffray’s collection a series of 11 specimens identified by Raffray as Achilia blanchardi ; the first specimen of the series is a male labeled “Type / 1880; Chili; Valdivia; leg. Kindermann/ Bryaxis ; valdiviensis ; m. Valdivia / Museum de Paris; 1917; coll. Raffray / A. blanchardi ; A. Raffray det.” which we designate here as the lectotype of A. blanchardi Raffray, 1904 ( Blanchard, 1851) , and the remaining 10 specimens (1 male and 9 females) labeled “ Chili ” without further label data are designated as paralectotypes.

Within the A. cosmoptera group the males of A. blanchardi are easily distinguished from other species by the shape of the head ( Figs 38, 40, 42 View Figs 37-42 ), antennae ( Fig. 17 View Figs 16-22 ) and aedeagus ( Fig. 3 View Figs 1-6 ). The females of this species are very similar to those of A. elfridae , from which they can be distinguished by their wider head with a wider frontal sulcus, and their slightly longer antennomere XI (0.16 mm for A. blanchard i vs 0.14-0.15 mm for A. elfridae ).