Lithocharodes elegans ( SHARP, 1885 )

Irmler, Ulrich, 2021, The Neotropical species of the genus Lithocharodes SHARP, 1876 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Xantholinini), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 71 (1), pp. 29-85 : 42

Lithocharodes elegans ( SHARP, 1885)

Figs 38 a-d, 45 I, 50 B

Somoleptus elegans SHARP, 1885: 498 new combination

Type material examined: female, holotype: Guatemala :

Vera Paz, Balheu, leg. Champion ( BMNH).

Additional material examined: Guatemala: female, near Guatemala City, leg. Champion ( BMNH) ; Mexico: 2 males, Oaxaca, 14.0 mi S Suchixtepec, Hwy 175 (16°05N, 96°28'W), 1700 m elev., montane tropical litter along stream, sifting, 30.4.1977, leg. J.S. Ashe ( FMNH) .

Diagnosis: The species resembles several unicoloured species with a size ranging between 4.5 mm and 5.0 mm length, dense punctation of the head and sparser punctation of the pronotum. According to the structure of the aedeagus, L. elegans resembles L. densus SMETANA, 1982 from southern U.S.A. However, the shape of the endophallus is straight and not curved as in L. densus and the posterior margin of sternite and tergite VII is different.

Description: Length: 4.5 mm. Colouration: Black; legs and antennae brown, femora blackish.

Head: 0.77 mm long, 0.57 mm wide; eyes moderately large; postocular sides 2.5 times as long as eyes; nearly parallel with posterior angles widely rounded; posterior margin nearly semi-circular; interantennal furrows weak; setiferous punctation deep, large, and dense; on average, interstices half as wide as diameter of punctures; on posterior half slightly wider; narrow midline impunctate; surface without microsculpture; shiny. Antennae with second and third antennomere equal in length and slightly longer than wide; subsequent antennomeres much wider than long and increasing in width; fourth antennomere approximately 1.5 times as wide as long; tenth antennomere nearly three times as wide as long; all antennomeres pubescent. Pronotum: 0.81 mm long, 0.51 mm wide; widest in anterior third; slightly narrowed posteriad in middle third; sides in posterior third nearly parallel; posterior angles shortly rounded; setiferous punctation distinctly finer and sparser than on head; on average, interstices between punctures as wide as diameter of punctures; wide midline impunctate; irregular line of punctures adjacent to midline with at least 20 punctures; surface without microsculpture; polished. Elytra: 0.86 mm long, 0.68 mm wide; humeral and posterior angles sub-rectangular; sides nearly parallel; posterior margin rounded with incision toward suture; setiferous punctation dense and partly coriaceous; on average, interstices less than one fourth as wide as diameter of punctures; surface partly with isodiametric microsculpture; matt. Abdomen with similar dense and large punctures as on pronotum; setae pointing posteriad; surface without microsculpture, shiny; tergite VII of male widely prominent; posterior margin rounded; sternite VII of male approximately straight. Aedeagus oval; string of endophallus anteriad recurved; covered partly by small teeth and partly by spines; paramere with large sclerotized central plate, with straight inner edge and widely rounded outer edge; several setae placed at outer edge; outer plate transparent and more acute; between inner and outer plate with long elongate appendix.

Figures

Fig. 37–42: L.-??-group: Lithocharodes compacta (37), L. elegans (38), L. elongata (39), L. fuscula (40), L. rufula (41); aedeagus (a),