Plochionocerus transversalis 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 : 36-38

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

Type material. Holotype, male: “ ECUADOR: Barou / curticornis Fvl. / R. I. Sc.N. B. 17.479 Coll. et det. A. Fauvel / Holotype Plochionocerus transversalis Asiain, Márquez & Morrone, 2007 ” ( IRSNB).

Description. Total length 22.6 mm. Metallic blue green.

Head. Rounded, 1.26 times as long as wide, almost as wide as pronotum (1.03 times), dorsally and ventrally almost flat or slightly convex; ventral surface of head with slightly denser expanded, umbilicate punctures (10–19 punctures on each half of head), arranged in “v” (similar to Fig. 50 ); first antennomere 1.9 times as long as antennomeres 2+3 combined, second antennomere almost as long as third (0.81 times its length), antennomeres 4–10 conspicuously more transverse than remaining species, antennomere 9 almost as long as antennomere 10, apical antennomere in males 1.45 times as long as wide, almost as long as antennomeres 9+10 combined (1.07 times their length; Fig. 31 ); mandibles without basal external channel.

Thorax. Pronotum 1.44 times as long as wide, shorter than elytra (0.85 times their length), with two clearly visible, depressed areas in posterior third ( Fig. 56 ). Prosternum transverse (length/width: 0.61).

Aedeagus. Pear-shaped, length 5.4 mm, parameres short (0.29 times as long as median lobe), apical areas of median lobe 0.28 times as long as the total length of median lobe, and internal sac moderately visible ( Fig. 93 ).

Comparative notes. This species has the antennomeres 4–10 conspicuously transverse, some umbilicate punctures are slightly wider on the pronotum, the upper line of the pronotal hypomeron is completely developed, the umbilicate punctures are slightly dense on the ventral surface of head, and mandibular channel are absent.

Geographical distribution. Ecuador.

Etymology. The name of this species refers to the transverse antennomeres 4–10.

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 88 – 93. Ventral (left) and lateral (right) view of aedeagus: 88, Plochionocerus pronotalis; 89, P. puncticeps; 90, P. reticularis; 91, P. simplicicollis; 92, P. s p l e n d e n s; 93, P. transversalis. Scale bar 1 mm.