Custotychus verticalis (Casey, 1894)

Chandler, Donald S. & Geromini, Sarah D., 1962, A Revision of the Eastern Nearctic GenusCustotychusPark and Wagner, 1962 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 1962 (2), pp. 217-242 : 217-242

8. Custotychus verticalis (Casey, 1894) ( Figs. 9 , 22a–b , 34 )

Tychus verticalis Casey 1894: 491 (key), 492. Type locality: “D.C.” [District of Columbia]. Holotype female: // Wash D.C/ Casey bequest 1925/ [red label] TYPE USNM 38738/ verticalis// (USNM). Raffray 1904: 295, 1908: 293, 1911: 131; Leng 1920: 131; Bowman 1934: 120; Jeannel 1956: 129; Park 1956: 95 (key to species); Downie and Arnett 1996: 589.

Cylindrarctus verticalis: Jeannel 1956: 129 .

Custotychus verticalis: Chandler 1988: 159, 1997: 78 ; Poole and Gentili 1996: 383

Tychus spiculifer Casey 1894: 491 . Type locality: Pennsylvania. Holotype female: // Penn [with dot at center of first “n” = unknown locality in Pennsylvania]/ Casey bequest 1925/ [red label] TYPE USNM 38737/ spiculifer// (USNM). Raffray 1904: 295, 1908: 293, 1911: 131; Leng 1920: 131; Bowman 1934: 120; Park 1956: 95 (key to species); Downie and Arnett 1996: 589. New Synonymy.

Cylindrarctus spiculifer: Jeannel 1956: 129 , 130 (fig. 132, possibly figure of aedeagus of C. natchez new species).

Custotychus spiculifer: Chandler 1988: 159, 1997: 78 ; Poole and Gentili 1996: 383.

Specimens Examined. n = 109. District of Columbia: D.C., F.C. Bowditch; same locality, Ulke; same locality, M.L. Linnell. Washing[ton], D.C., III, IV, V-11, V-8; same locality, VI-14, Hubbard & Schwarz; same locality, III-1878, T. Pergande. Georgia: Cherokee Co.: Allatoona Lake, Woodstock, Galt’ s Landing, VIII-7-1965, H.R. Steeves Jr., beach drift, fresh water. Clarke Co.: Whitehall Forest, VII-15/19-1977, R. Turnbow, pitfall; same locality, VIII-21/31-1978, R. Turnbow, bl trap. Meriwether Co.: Greenville, 8th Land District, L.L. 201, V-16-2004, J.H. Chandler, Jr., mercury vapor light trap in wooded area. Wilkinson Co.: Big Sandy Creek, 8 mi. S Irwinton, US441, VI-5/25-1984, S. Marshall. Maryland: Montgomery Co.: Plummers I[sland], IV-10-1905, VI-10-1907, E.A. Schwarz. Prince George’ s Co.: Patuxent, I-23-1947, A. Nicolay. Patuxent Wildlife Refuge, VI-II-1983, D.S. Chandler, sift rotten wood fungi. New Jersey: Bergen Co.: Fort Lee. Palisades, VIII-18. Cape May Co.: Anglesea, II-4, Wenzel. Hudson Co.: Snake Hill, IX-12, C. Schaeffer; same locality, IX-12, IX, XI-7; same locality, IX-12, W. Beutenmuller. Middlesex Co.: Monmouth Jct., X-12-1940, X-13-1941, Quirsfeld.; same locality, X-12-1940, X-12-1943, A. Nicolay. Monmouth Co.: Avon, VIII-16-1921, A. Nicolay. New York: Nassau Co.: Hewlett, L[ong] I[sland], V-4-1924, Quirsfeld; same locality, V-4-1924, IV-18-1926, E. Shoemaker. Queens Co.: Rosedale, L[ong] I[sland], IV-18-1926, J. Gehring; same locality, V-4-1924, IV-18-1926, A. Nicolay. North Carolina: Duplin Co.: Calypso, VI-19/22-1995, J.F. Cornell, UVL[ight]. Mecklenburg Co.: Charlotte, VI-17/22-1991, J.F. Cornell. Mint Hill, V-5/13- 1993, VIII-31 / IX-9-1993, XI-5/25-1993, J. Bryan & J. Cornell, UVL[ight]. Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Co.: Frankford, V-6. Virginia: Alexandria Co. : Alexandria , IX-2-1906. Augusta Co. : 5 mi. E Chatham, Banister Riv[er] Bluff at Hy. 832, XII-16-1990, R.L. Hoffman. Cumberland Co.: 7 mi. SW Columbia, Hardwood South Site, IX-2- 1990, J.C. Mitchell. Fairfax Co.: Mt. Vernon, IX- 21-1940, A. Nicolay. A small series from Illinois is almost certainly mislabeled: Illinois: Ill. [state locality only] (3, INHS).

Description. Body: Brown with head and abdomen dark brown, to completely dark brown; 1.76–1.82 mm long. Male: Eyes with about 40–45 facets. Metasternal tubercle preapical ( Fig. 22a, b ), at about 3/4 point of metasternal length; in lateral view, angled slightly posteriorly and apex obliquely subtruncate, anterior margin highest, posterior face concave; in posterior view, lateral margins of preapex angulate, width of narrowest point of stem slightly more than half width of preapex; tubercle height 0.053 mm, maximum width at preapex 0.036 mm, minimum stem width 0.021 mm [tubercle measurements based on specimen from Mint Hill, NC; LSAM]. Mesotibiae with aciculate preapical spur, apical spur broad with 2 distant teeth at apex. Ventrite 2 with middle third shallowly impressed, ventrite 6 with small, shallow, indistinct impression at middle through length. Aedeagus ( Fig. 9 ) 0.29 mm long; median lobe short, about 1/2 length of basal bulb, apex broadly rounded, lateral margins convergent in apical half to slight preapical constriction; lateral arms of dorsal plate short, slightly shorter than median lobe, with broad medial elongate lobe; in lateral view, slightly curved dorsally; parameres broadly lobed in apical portion in dorsal view, in lateral view margins roughly parallel to near apices, apices broadly rounded. Female: Eyes with about 20–25 facets; lacking mesotibial spurs.

Collection Data Synopsis. Individuals were taken throughout the year. Most specimens lack collection/habitat data, but a few were taken at ultraviolet light, and one each was taken by sifting rotten wood and fungi and extraction from freshwater beach drift. The following collections hold specimens: AMNH, CMNH, CNCI, DSCC, FMNH, INHS, LSAM, MCZC, NCSU, UGAC, UNHC, and USNM.

Distribution. Custotychus verticalis is found from New York (Long Island) to Georgia and coastal plain to mid-elevations of the eastern slopes of the Appalachian Mountains ( Fig. 34 ). Specimens from the following states were examined: DC, GA, MD, NJ, NY, NC, PA, and VA. Three old specimens of C. verticalis are labeled “Ill.” (INHS). These specimens are assumed to be mislabeled in view of the lack of any other collections of this species west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Comments. This species and C. pocahontas are the two common species of the Northeastern United States, with C. daggyi reaching the northernmost point of its range in the Washington, DC area, and C. natchez and C. minor with the northeasternmost point of their ranges being western Pennsylvania. Females of C. verticalis may be separated from those of C. pocahontas by their generally dark brown color and eyes with 20–25 facets, while C. pocahontas females are usually a light or moderate brown with eyes of about 10 facets. For C. ventralis , ventrite II of the male is clearly broadly and shallowly impressed, while that of C. pocahontas is broadly convex. The form of the metasternal tubercle is similar to that of C. watrousi , but the median lobe is clearly shorter and differently formed in C. verticalis .

The female holotype of T. verticalis is from the District of Columbia and dark brown with about 20 eye facets that are mostly the same size as those of the male. The holotype of C. spiculifer shares these characters, while the other two potential species from this area, C. pocahontas and C. daggyi , are light to moderate brown in color, and the eyes of their females have from 6–15 small facets. Tychus verticalis and T. spiculifer were described on the same page, and as first revisers we place T. spiculifer as the junior synonym of T. verticalis

A non-type female specimen in the Casey Collection that was placed as T. verticalis has the data label “3/2 95 N. C” and is most likely a female of C. carloritaorum new species. Two non-type females are associated with T. spiculifer in the Casey Collection, with the first being a female of C. pocahontas from St. Vincent, Pennsylvania. The other is labeled as being from Illinois (“Ill.”) and cannot be placed, but could be either C. watrousi or C. leei .

Figures

Figs. 8–15. Custotychus species, dorsal and left lateral view of aedeagus. 8) C. cavei; 9) C. verticalis; 10) C. watrousi;

Figs. 16–27. Custotychus species, scanning electron micrographs right lateral (a) and posterior (b) views of metasternal tubercle. 16) C. chickasaw; 17) C. daggyi; 18) C. lobatus; 19) C. turnbowi; 20) C. rothorum; 21) C. spinosus; 22) C. verticalis; 23) C. watrousi; 24) C. carloritaorum; 25) C. leei; 26) C. minor; 27) C. natchez. Grid for measurements of 20 or 50m at bottom of micrographs.

Figs. 34–36. Distribution of Custotychus species. 34) Distribution of species in the spinosus and verticalis species-groups: C. rothorum and C. spinosus, and C. cavei, C. verticalis, and C. watrousi; 35) Distribution of C. minor; 36) Distribution of other species in the minor species-group: C. carloritaorum, C. leei, C. natchez, and C. pocahontas.