Philonthus meges Tottenham, 1949

Hromádka, Lubomír, 2010, A revision of the Afrotropical species of the Philonthus arrowianus species group (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 50 (1), pp. 131-144 : 138-140

Philonthus meges Tottenham, 1949

( Figs 25–29 )

Philonthus meges Tottenham, 1949: 332 .

Type locality. Ethiopia [ Abyssinia], Mt. Zik’wala, ca. 2945 m a.s.l.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: J, ‛ Abyssinia: Mt. Zuquala circa 9.000 feet, (2945 m), 22.x.1926, Dr. H. Scott, Brit. Mus. 1927-127. // Philonthus meges Tottenham , TYPE [white oblong label, handwritten]’ (very teneral) ( BMNH).

Additional material examined. ETHIOPIA: J, Bahr-Dar , 4.vi.1967, P. Štys lgt. ( LHPC) ; ♀, Bale , 8 km. W. of Dinshu, 0706 N, 3944 E, 3.050m, xii.1971, without collector ( LHPC) .

Redescription. Body length 11.0– 11.4 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 4.5–4.8 mm.

Colouration. Head black, pronotum, scutellum and abdomen black-brown, elytra red, anterior and posterior angles and suture narrowly brown-black. Maxillary and labial palpi brown-yellow, apex of palpomere 3 of both palpi paler, mandibles and antennae dark brown, base of antennomere 2 yellow-brown, femora and tibiae brown, tarsi brown-yellow, slightly paler distally. Abdomen with rainbow-coloured iridescence.

Head quadrate, as long as wide, each posterior angle with several variably long black bristles. Eyes flat, as long as temples. Posterior margin of each eye with three coarse punctures. Temporal area with many setiferous punctures of variable size. Four coarse punctures between eyes, distance between medial interocular punctures four times the distance between medial and lateral puncture. Medial punctures indistinctly shifted anteriad. Surface without microsculpture.

Antennae slender and long, reaching posterior margin of pronotum when reclined. All antennomeres longer than wide. Relative lengths of antennomeres: 1 = 11; 2 = 7; 3 = 8; 4–7 = 6; 8–10 = 5; 11 = 7.

Pronotum longer than wide (ratio 42: 38.5), indistinctly narrowed anteriad, anterior angles conspicuously deflexed, vaguely obtusely rounded, almost rectangular, each with several short bristles. Sides with several variably long bristles. Left dorsal row with five punctures, right row with seven punctures, left sublateral row with three punctures, right row with two punctures. Surface without microsculpture.

Scutellum coarsely and densely punctate. Punctures larger than eye facets, distance between punctures very small.

Elytra combined wider than long (ratio 50: 45), parallel-sided. Punctation coarser and sparser than on scutellum. Surface between punctures without microsculpture; setation dark.

Legs. Metatibia as long as metatarsus. Relative lengths of metatarsomeres: 1 = 13; 2 = 6; 3 = 5; 4 = 4; 5 = 7.5.

Abdomen nearly parallel-sided, indistinctly narrowed posteriad. First four visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between lines impunctate. Punctation at base of all visible tergites finer but denser than that on elytra, becoming even finer and sparser towards posterior margin of each tergite. Surface between punctures without microsculpture; setation similar to that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1–3 markedly dilated and sub-bilobed, each covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 narrower than preceding ones. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 28 ), sternite IX ( Fig. 29 ), aedeagus ( Figs 25–27 ).

Female. Protarsomeres 1–3 moderately dilated, very slightly sub-bilobed, each covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 scarcely dilated, distinctly narrower than preceding ones.

Differential diagnosis. Philonthus meges is very similar in habitus to P. galago sp. nov., from which it may be distinguished by longer eyes and antennae and narrower elytra; it differs from P. arrowianus by wider head and shorter eyes and from both latter species by a different shape of the aedeagus.

Distribution. Ethiopia.

Figures

Figs 15–29. Philonthus species. 15–25 – P. galago sp. nov. (15–21 – Republic of South Africa, 22–24 – Malawi). 15 – aedeagus, ventral view; 16 – aedeagus, lateral view; 17 - apex of paramere with sensory peg setae; 18 – apical portion of male sternite VIII, ventral view; 19 – male sternite IX, ventral view; 20 – female tergite X, ventral view; 21 – gonocoxite of female genital segment; 22 – aedeagus, ventral view; 23 – aedeagus, lateral view; 24 – apex of paramere with sensora peg setae. 25–29 – P. meges Tottenham, 1949 (25 – aedeagus, ventral view; 26 – aedeagus, lateral view; 27 – apex of paramere with sensory peg setae; 28 – apical portion of male sternite VIII, ventral view; 29 – male sternite IX, ventral view).