Anhoraeomorphus vellyi (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 : 49

Anhoraeomorphus vellyi (Franz) , comb. n.

( Figs 179–186 )

Horaeomorphus vellyi Franz, 1986b: 158 .

Type material studied. Holotype ( Madagascar): ♂, four labels: “Madagaskar,Plateau / du Tampoketsa / lg. H.Franz 1969” [white, printed], “ ♂ ” [white, printed], “ Horaeomorphus / vellyi m. / det. H.Franz ” [yellowish, handwritten and printed], “Typus” [red, handwritten] ( NHMW).

Revised diagnosis. Body ( Fig. 179 ) slender; head ( Figs 180–181 ) round, with vertex posteriorly weakly rounded; pronotum ( Fig. 179 ) bell-shaped, broadest near anterior third, with one pair of large, transverse antebasal pits; antennomeres 3–4 ( Fig. 182 ) each about as long as broad, 5 slightly elongate, 6–10 each about as long as broad; all femora similarly slender; metatibiae in male modified, slightly recurved and broadened in distal region, broadened area with elongate outer impression bordered by sharp outer edge; aedeagus ( Figs 183–186 ) in ventral view broadest near middle, apical region of dorsal wall in lateral view weakly curved dorsally, distolateral endophallic sclerites narrowly separated, each elongate and with blunt subtriangular apex, each paramere with group of six short subapical and apical setae.

Redescription. Body of male ( Fig. 179 ) strongly convex, moderately dark brown, tarsi and palps slightly lighter; setae light brown; BL 1.95 mm.

Head ( Fig. 179 ) in anterodorsal view round, broadest at eyes, HL 0.33 mm, HW 0.38 mm; temple in lateral view ( Fig. 181 ) subequal to eye; vertex and frons confluent, together weakly convex and slightly transverse; vertex posteriorly weakly rounded; each eye large and weakly convex, oval, not emarginate posteriorly, 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. 182 ) slender but short, slightly shorter than half BL, AnL 0.83 mm, antennomeres 1–2 each elongate, 3–4 each about as long as broad, 5 slightly elongate, 6–10 each about as long as broad, 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 mm. Anterior margin strongly rounded, lateral margins rounded in anterior half, weakly sinuate in posterior half; posterior corners blunt; posterior margin nearly straight. Base with one pair of large and 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 distinctly in front of middle; EL 1.13 mm, EW 0.78 mm, EI 1.45; humeral calli weakly elevated, basal elytral foveae barely discernible. Punctures small and shallow but distinct, those on anterior half separated by spaces slightly shorter than diameters of punctures; setae sparse, short and suberect.

Legs conspicuously long and slender, unmodified except hind tibiae, which are slightly recurved and slightly broadened in distal regions, with the broadened area longitudinally impressed and with outer sharp edge.

Aedeagus ( Figs 183–186 ) stout, AeL 0.33 mm; in ventral view nearly drop-shaped, broadest near middle, distally gradually narrowing and in subapical region rapidly narrowed to form subtriangular apex; in lateral view apical region of dorsal wall weakly curved dorsally; endophallus with all sclerotized structures asymmetrical, distolateral sclerites narrowly separated, each with subtriangular and blunt apical region; parameres broad and their apices not projecting beyond aedeagal apex, each paramere with subapical/apical group of six short setae.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Central Madagascar (Analamanga Region).

Remarks. Anhoraeomorphus vellyi and A. lambomakandroi may be conspecific, but the available material is not sufficient to clarify this suspicion. See Remarks for A. lambomakandroi .

Similarly as for A. barbatus , “Plateau du Tampoketsa” is the only locality given in label data, but in the original description Franz (1986b) adds more detailed information: “Massif du Tampokeza {sic!} nördlich Tananarive bei der Forststation Manonkazo am 11.4.1969 ”.

Figures

FIGURES 179–186. Anhoraeomorphus vellyi (Franz), holotype. Habitus in dorsal view (179); head in anterodorsal view (180); head and prothorax in lateral view (only bristles on head are shown) (181); antenna (182); aedeagus in ventral (183, 185) and lateral (184, 186) views.