Anhoraeomorphus inermis (Franz) Jałoszyński, 2024

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2024, The ‘ curse of Horaeomorphus’ (almost) lifted. Revision of misplaced species from Madagascar, Comoros and Mascarenes (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 5505 (1), pp. 1-96 : 35

Anhoraeomorphus inermis (Franz) , comb. n.

( Figs 127–130 )

Horaeomorphus inermis Franz, 1986b: 163 .

Type material studied. Paratypes ( Madagascar): 2 ♀♀, two labels: “Madagascar / Diego-Suarez / Ch. Alluaud 1893” [white, printed], “ Horaeomorphus / inermis m. / det. H.Franz ” [yellowish, handwritten and printed], “Typus” [red, handwritten] ( NHMW) .

Revised diagnosis. Body ( Fig.127 ) slender; head ( Figs 128–129 ) round, with vertex posteriorly broadly rounded; pronotum ( Fig. 127 ) bell-shaped, broadest near anterior third, with one pair of conspicuously large, transversely elongate antebasal pits; antennomeres 3–7 ( Fig. 130 ) each about as long as broad, 8–10 each slightly transverse; all femora similarly slender; metatibiae in male unmodified; aedeagus ( Franz 1986b: fig. 147) in dorsal view suboval, with sub-parallel lateral margins and broadly rounded apex, distolateral sclerites asymmetrical, strongly elongate, broadly separated and each with subtriangular apex, (parameres were illustrated without setae, but it may be an artefact of preparation).

Redescription. Body of female ( Fig. 127 ) flattened, moderately dark brown, tarsi and palps slightly lighter; setae light brown; BL 1.90–1.98 mm.

Head ( Fig. 128 ) in anterodorsal view round, broadest at eyes, HL 0.33–0.35 mm, HW 0.35–0.38 mm; temple in lateral view ( Fig. 129 ) slightly shorter than eye; vertex and frons confluent, together weakly convex and slightly transverse; vertex posteriorly broadly rounded; each eye large and weakly convex, oval with slightly emarginate posterior margin, weakly projecting from head silhouette. Punctures on vertex fine, inconspicuous; setae short, dense and suberect; frons and vertex densely covered with thick bristles directed posteriorly. Antenna ( Fig. 122 ) slender but short, slightly shorter than half BL, AnL 0.85–0,88 mm, antennomeres 1–2 each elongate, 3–7 each about as long as broad, 8–10 each slightly transverse, 11 slightly shorter than 9 and 10 combined, as wide as 10, about 1.7 times as long as broad.

Pronotum bell-shaped, broadest near anterior third; PL 0.50 mm, PW 0.45–0.48 mm. Anterior margin strongly rounded, lateral margins rounded in anterior half, distinctly sinuate in posterior half; posterior corners blunt; posterior margin nearly straight. Base with one pair of conspicuously large, strongly transverse pits, sublateral carinae short but distinct. Disc with fine, inconspicuous punctures; setae dense, short and suberect, lateral surface of pronotum with dense thick bristles.

Elytra together oval, broadest indistinctly in front of middle; EL 1.08–1.13 mm, EW 0.75–0.80 mm, EI 1.41– 1.43; humeral calli weakly elevated, basal elytral foveae vestigial, barely discernible. Punctures dense but superficial and diffuse, so that elytral surface is slightly less glossy than pronotum; setae sparse, short and suberect.

Legs moderately long, slender, unmodified.

Male. Unstudied (See Remarks). According to Franz (1986b), metatibiae unmodified; aedeagus in dorsal view suboval in shape, with sub-parallel lateral margins and broadly rounded apex, distolateral sclerites asymmetrical, strongly elongate, broadly separated and each with subtriangular apex, median sclerotized endophallic structures strongly asymmetrical, parameres slender, their apices not projecting beyond apex of median lobe, their apices were illustrated without setae.

Distribution. Northernmost Madagascar (Diana Region).

Remarks. Franz (1986b) studied eight specimens, of which six, including the holotype, are deposited in Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris and were not available for detailed examination. The two female paratypes examined during the present study are small-bodied, but otherwise unremarkable and difficult to distinguish from females of other small Anhoraeomorphus species with the pronotum broadest in front of middle. The illustration of aedeagus given by Franz (1986b: fig. 147) must be compared with genital organs of studied specimens to identify A. inermis .

Figures

FIGURES 127–130. Anhoraeomorphus inermis (Franz), paratype. Habitus in dorsal view (127); head in anterodorsal view (128); head and prothorax in lateral view (only bristles on head are shown) (129); antenna (130).

FIGURES 119–126. Anhoraeomorphus globosus (Franz), holotype. Habitus in dorsal view (119); head in anterodorsal view (120); head and prothorax in lateral view (only bristles on head are shown) (121); antenna (122); aedeagus in ventral (123, 125) and lateral (124, 126) views.