Leptochirus (Tropiochirus) helleri Bernhauer, 1903

Asenjo, Angelico & Ribeiro-Costa, Cibele S., 2013, Revision of the neotropical subgenus Tropiochirus of the genus Leptochirus Germar 1824 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Osoriinae), Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 47 (19 - 20), pp. 1257-1285 : 1259-1266

Leptochirus (Tropiochirus) helleri Bernhauer, 1903

( Figures 2A , 3A , 4A–F, 5 )

Leptochirus (Tropiochirus) helleri Bernhauer, 1903: 132 [original description, comparison with L. (T.) proteus Fauvel, 1864. Type locality: “ Peru ”]: 125 [characters in key, distribution]; Bernhauer and Schubert, 1910: 14 [world catalogue].

Leptochirus helleri Soukup, 1942: 178 [distribution]; Blackwelder, 1944: 110 [checklist from Neotropical region]; Herman, 2001: 1101 [world catalogue]; Asenjo, 2004: 59 [checklist from Peru].

Leptochirus (Tropiochirus) tridentatus Bernhauer, 1917: 48 [original description, comparison with L. (L.) serriger Sharp, 1887. Type locality: “West-Kolumbien: Umgebung von Cali am Rio Cauca (Cañon del Mt. Tolima)”]. syn. nov.

Leptochirus tridentatus Blackwelder, 1944: 110 [checklist from Neotropical region]; Herman, 2001: 1107 [world catalogue]; Newton, Gutiérrez and Chandler, 2005: 30 [checklist from Colombia].

Type material. Leptochirus (T.) helleri . Lectotype (male): “Helleri Brnh. / Peru / Bang. Haas” “Helleri / Bernh / Type” “Chicago NHMus / M.Bernhauer / Collection” “ LECTOTYPUS / Leptochirus (Tropiochirus) / helleri Bernhauer, 1903 / Desig. Asenjo and Ribeiro-Costa, 2013” ( FMNH). Paralectotype (female): “ Peru / Bang Haas” “Helleri / Brh. Type” “Chicago NHMus / M.Bernhauer / Collection” “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Leptochirus (Tropiochirus) / helleri Bernhauer, 1903 / Desig. Asenjo and Ribeiro-Costa, 2013” ( FMNH). Note: In the original description Bernhauer (1903) did not specify how many specimens he studied. We received from FMNH a male and female with the label “Type” and the male is here selected as the lectotype.

Leptochirus (T.) tridentatus . Lectotype (female): “Cañon del Mt.[mountain] / Mt.[mountain] Tolima 1700” “Columbia occ.[western] / cali, Fassl” “tridentatus / Bernh. / Typus.” “Chicago NHMus / M.Bernhauer / Collection” “ LECTOTYPUS / Leptochirus (Tropiochirus) / tridentatus Bernhauer, 1917 / Desig. Asenjo and Ribeiro- Costa, 2013” (FMNH). Note: In the original description Bernhauer (1917) did not specify how many specimens he studied. We received from FMNH a female with the label “Typus” which is here selected as the lectotype.

Additional specimens

COLOMBIA. Norte de Santander: La luzera, La vega, Tambillo (1 male IRSNB) . ECUADOR. without locality, date and collector (1 sex undetermined, FMNH) . PERU. Cusco: Callanga , without date and collector (1 female ZMHB) ;

Manu rd. [road] Km 165, 11.x.1982, palm litter, Watrous L. E. and Mazurek, G. col. (2 females FMNH). Junin: Río Toro, without date and collector (3 females ZMHB); idem (1 male ZMHB); Chanchamayo, without date and collector (1 male, 1 female FMNH). without locality, date and collector (1 female ZMHB). Note: We received two specimens from IRSNB labelled “ Syntype ” of Leptochirus (T.) proteus , but these belong to Leptochirus (T.) helleri : “ Colombia / la luzera” “la vega” “Tambillo / Kbu. ecorus” “Coll. et. det. A. Fauvel / Leptochirus / proteus Fauv. / R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479” “ Syntype ” “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Leptochirus (Tropiochirus) / proteus Fauvel, 1864 / Desig. Asenjo and Ribeiro-Costa, 2013” “ Leptochirus (Tropiochirus) / helleri Bernhauer, 1903 /Det. Asenjo and Ribeiro-Costa, 2013”. “ Mexico ” “caracas” “Coll. et det. A. Fauvel / Leptochirus / proteus Fauv. / R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479” “ Syntype ” “ PARALECTOTYPUS / Leptochirus (Tropiochirus) / proteus Fauvel, 1864 / Desig. Asenjo and Ribeiro-Costa, 2013” “ Leptochirus (Tropiochirus) / helleri Bernhauer, 1903 /Det. Asenjo and Ribeiro-Costa, 2013”.

Diagnosis

Leptochirus (T.) helleri differs from all other of the subgenus Tropiochirus in that it is the only one to possess a broad cutting edge on the third ventral tooth of the left mandible ( Figure 3A ) and a pair of small depressions near the basal constriction of the pronotum.

Redescription

BL: 13.21, BW: 2.58

Body strongly depressed, all black except tarsi red-brown.

Head. Transverse ( Figure 2A ). Inner lateral teeth separated by a depression extending to base. Inner and outer lateral teeth fused and resembling a septum; median sulcus deep, gradually broadening anteriorly, laterofrontal depressions oval. Labrum with outer edge strongly angled and lateral-apical edge concave. Mandibles ( Figures 2A , 3A ) with lateral longitudinal ridge occupying less than two-thirds of apical region; external margin developed, attenuated anteriorly. Left mandible ( Figure 3A ) with first dorsal tooth developed, straight and not bifurcating, accessory tooth far from lateral longitudinal ridge; second dorsal tooth little developed and resembling a small hill; first ventral tooth with accessory tooth, third ventral tooth with broad cutting edge. Submentum with setae arranged in row on anterolateral margin.

Thorax. Pronotum ( Figure 2A ) wider than long (PL: 2.33, PW: 2.66); superior marginal line of hypomeron not interrupted, not bent to dorsal region at anterior margin and bent to dorsal region at posterior margin; with pair of small depressions near basal constriction. Inferior marginal line of hypomeron reaching anterior margin. Apex of prosternal process strongly expanded and resembling a circular plate, extending considerably beyond the lateral process of hypomeron. Metaventrite with sparse fine punctures in middle region and small longitudinal median depression near posterior edge. Mesoscutellum with apex pointed. Elytra slightly longer than broad and without pair of small depressions on posterolateral edge (EL: 2.93, EW: 2.73).

Abdomen. Cylindrical. Sternite III with keel of apex rounded. Tergite IX ( Figure 4D) sclerotized with left and right plates separated, each with six or seven setae of various lengths. Tergite X ( Figure 4D) almost membranous except for sclerotized apical part, with two pairs of long apical setae.

Male. Sternite IX ( Figure 4E) composed of two plates, distal plate sclerotized except for membranous apex, anterior margin almost straight, with two long setae; proximal plate less sclerotized, greater than apical, broadened in middle and with a projecting angle at posterior border. Aedeagus ( Figure 4A–C) with median lobe slightly bulbous at base, pointed at apex, weakly sclerotized on dorsal side and a small plate sclerotized on ventral side; parameres short and pointed, fused dorsally.

Female. Similar to male, except for the gonocoxites divided longitudinally ( Figure 4F). The distal plate with membranous apex and long seta; proximal plate with posterior region pointed.

Distribution

In the current study Leptochirus (T.) helleri is listed from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru. Herman (2001) lists Leptochirus (T.) helleri from Peru and Leptochirus (T.) tridentatus [junior synonym of Leptochirus (T.) helleri ] from Colombia. Newton et al. (2005) also cite this species from Colombia (Valle del Cauca). Ecuador is a new record for Leptochirus (T.) helleri ( Figure 5 ).

Remarks

Leptochirus (T.) tridentatus is proposed here as a junior synonym of Leptochirus (T.) helleri , because no differences were found in the type specimen’s morphology.

Figures

Figure 2. Head and protorax of Leptochirus (Tropiochirus). (A) L. (T.) helleri; (B) L. (T.) marina sp. nov. holotype; (C) L. (T.) mery sp. nov. holotype; (D) L. (T.) milton sp. nov. holotype; (E) L. (T.) pachoensis; (F) L. (T.) proteus; (G) L. (T.) venezuelanus; (H) L. (T.) yunganus; (I) L. (T.) zischkaianus. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

Figure 3. Left and right mandible, dorsal view. (A) Leptochirus (Tropiochirus) helleri; (B) L. (T.) marina sp. nov. holotype; (C) L. (T.) mery sp. nov. holotype; (D) L. (T.) milton sp. nov. holotype; (E) L. (T.) pachoensis; (F) L. (T.) proteus; (G) L. (T.) venezuelanus; (H) L. (T.) yunganus; (I) L. (T.) zischkaianus. Scale bars = 0.25 mm.

Figure 5. Distribution map of Leptochirus (Tropiochirus) helleri, L. (T.) marina sp. nov., L. (T.) mery sp. nov., L. (T.) milton sp. nov., and L. (T.) pachoensis.