Gabrius elephantulus, Hromádka, 2014

Hromádka, L., 2014, Five new species of the genus Gabrius from Afrotropical region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Philothina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 46 (1), pp. 695-702 : 697

Gabrius elephantulus nov.sp. (Figs 4-6)

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Holotype:, Burundi, Kaninya, vii.1940, A. J. Bréda leg., // Holotypus Gabrius elephontulus nov.sp. Hromádka det., 2014, [red oblong label printed], (NMPC).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 5.3 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 3.0 mm.

Coloration: Head and pronotum black, elytra red-brown, abdomen brown-red, posterior margin of all tergites brown-yellow. Maxillary, labial palpi, antennomere 1 and base of antennomere 2 brown, remaining antennomeres black. Femora yellow, tibiae brown, tarsi brown, paler distally.

Head distinctly wider than long (ratio 24: 21), parallel-sided, posterior angles obtusely rounded. Between eyes four punctures, medial punctures distinctly shifted anteriad, distance between medial punctures three times larger than distance between medial and lateral puncture. Clypeus with round shallow depression medially. Eyes shorter than temples (ratio 6: 11), posterior margin with two coarse punctures, temporal area with several varying large punctures, anterior half impunctate. The interocular punctures consist of four punctures on each side arranged in the shape of rhombus. Surface very fine with microsculpture consisting of transverse waves.

Antennae short reaching middle of pronotum when reclined, Antennomeres 1-3 and 11 distinctly longer than wide, antennomeres 4-5 slightly longer than wide, antennomeres 6- 10 approximately as long as wide. Antennomere 1 twice longer than antennomere 11, antennomere 2 shorter than antennomere 3.

Pronotum as long as wide, parallel-sided. Anterior angles rectangular, very obtusely rounded, posterior angles markedly rounded. Each dorsal row with six coarse approximately equidistant punctures, each sublateral row with two punctures, puncture two distinctly shifted to the lateral margin. Surface with microsculpture similar to that on head.

Scutellum coarsely and densely punctured, diameter of punctures larger than eye-facets, distance between punctures by one puncture diameter or smaller.

Elytra wider than long (ratio 33: 30) widened posteriad. Punctation coarse and dense, diameter of punctures larger than that on scutellum, separated by one puncture diameter, mostly smaller. Surface without microsculpture; setation brown-yellow.

Legs. Metatibia longer than metatarsus (ratio 17: 12), metatarsomere 1 shorter than metatarsomere 5, as long as metatarsomeres 2-3 combined.

Abdomen wide, very gradually narrowed posteriad, first three visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between lines impunctate. Punctation at base of all tergites finer and denser than that on elytra, becoming sparser towards posterior margin of each tergite. Surface without microsculpture; setation similar to that on elytra.

D i f f e r e n t i a l d i a g n o s i s Gabrius elephantulus nov.sp. may be distinguished from a similar G. chrysochloris by the darker pronotmj and abdomen, sparser punctation and wider elytra and by the different shape of the aedeagus.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Burundi.

E t y m o l o g y: The name of this species, a noun in apposition, is the Latin generic name of the African Rufous sengi Elephantulus rufescens (PETERS 1878).