Plochionocerus ashei Asiain, Márquez & Morrone, 2007

Asiain, Julieta, Márquez, Juan & Morrone, Juan J., 2007, Phylogenetic systematics of the genera Plochionocerus Dejean and Agrodes Nordmann (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Xantholinini), Zootaxa 1584, pp. 1-53 : 13

Plochionocerus ashei Asiain, Márquez & Morrone , sp. nov.

Type material (2 specimens). Holotype, male: “ VENEZUELA, Aragua, Rancho Grande Biological Station, Pico Periquitos, 1300 m, 10°21’0”N, 67°41’0”W, 13.V.1998, R. Anderson, VEN1A98 0 0 51, ex: cloud forest litter / Holotype Plochionocerus ashei Asiain, Márquez & Morrone, 2007 ” ( SEMC). Paratype, male: “ Ve n., Caracas, D. F., 1933, G. Vivas-B. / Paratype Plochionocerus ashei Asiain, Márquez & Morrone, 2007 ” ( FMNH).

Description. Total length 17.1–18.1 mm. Body metallic green or blue-violet.

Head. Rounded; longer than wide (1.19–1.30 times), almost as long as pronotum, wider than pronotum (1.32 times); dorsal surface slightly convex; ventral surface flat, with slightly dense, expanded, umbilicate punctures (10–19 in each half of the head; similar to Fig. 52 ), arranged in “v”; first antennomere 1.58–1.60 times as long as antennomeres 2+3 combined, second antennomere 0.67–0.73 times as long as third antennomere, antennomeres 4–10 moderately transverse, gradually larger toward apex, apical antennomere moderately longer than wide (1.26 times), shorter than antennomeres 9+10 combined (0.92 times its length; similar to Fig. 28 ); mandible with basal external channel slightly developed.

Thorax. Pronotum 1.48–1.49 times as long as wide, shorter than elytra (0.85–0.91 times); with visible microsculpture; with two clearly visible depressed areas in posterior third ( Fig. 56 ). Prosternum slightly transverse (length/width: 0.83–0.84).

Aedeagus. Ovate, length 2.37–2.60 mm, with parameres 0.37–0.38 times as long as the median lobe, apical area of median lobe 0.32–0.36 times as long as the total length of median lobe, and internal sac moderately visible ( Fig. 77 ).

Variation. The holotype is metallic green, the head is short (length/width: 1.19), the expanded, umbilicate punctures on the ventral surface of the head are less dense (10–14), and the external mandibular channel is slightly developed. The color of the paratype is metallic blue-violet, the head is longer (length/width: 1.3), the expanded, umbilicate punctures on the ventral surface of the head are denser (15–19), and the external mandibular channel is more strongly developed.

Comparative notes. The species may be confused with other species with a rounded, dorsally convex head, but only in P. discedens is the ventral surface of the head flat. The two species can be distinguished by the greater density of expanded, umbilicate punctures, the presence of a basal mandibular channel, and the shorter pronotum in P. d i s c e d e n s; whereas in P. ashei the expanded, umbilicate punctures are less dense, the mandibular channel is reduced, and the pronotum is longer.

Geographical distribution. Venezuela.

Etymology. We take pleasure in dedicating this species to the late James Steve Ashe (Snow Museum, Kansas University) for his study of Latin American Staphylinidae and his fieldwork that resulted in several of the specimens analyzed in this paper.

Figures

FIGURES 48 – 53. Cephalic ventral view: 48, Renda flagellicornis; 49, Philonthus testaceipennis; 50, Plochionocerus simplicicollis; 51, P. gracilis; 52, P. h e r m a n i; 53, P. puncticeps.

FIGURES 20 – 31. Antennae: 20, Philonthus testaceipennis; 21, Renda flagellicornis; 22, Agrodes conicicollis; 23, A. elegans; 24, Plochionocerus gracilis; 25, P. humeralis; 26, P. i g n e u s; 27, P. m a rq u e z i; 28, P. puncticeps; 29, P. re t i c u - laris; 30, P. s p l e n d e n s; 31, P. transversalis.

FIGURES 54 – 62. Pronotum: 54, Philonthus testaceipennis; 55, Renda flagellicornis; 56, Plochionocerus simplicicollis; 57, P. reticularis. Elytra: 58, Agrodes spp.; 59, Plochionocerus spp. Midleg: 60, Philonthus testaceipennis; 61, Agrodes spp.; 62, Plochionocerus spp.

FIGURES 69 – 78. Ventral (left) and lateral (right) view of aedeagus: 69, Philonthus testaceipennis; 70, Homalolinus flavipennis; 71, Thyreocephalus puncticeps; 72, Renda fimetaria; 73, R. flagellicornis; 74, R. leprieuri; 75, Agrodes conicicollis; 76, A. elegans; 77, Plochionocerus ashei; 78, P. discedens. Scale bar 1 mm.