Termitozophilus tenebrus, Silva & Zilberman & Carvalho-Filho, 2022

Silva, Ruan Felipe Da, Zilberman, Bruno & Carvalho-Filho, Fernando Da Silva, 2022, Hidden Brazilian Amazon diversity: four new species, redescription and notes on natural history of Termitozophilus Silvestri, 1901 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Zootaxa 5209 (5), pp. 501-534 : 522-529

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5209.5.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:360B047E-5396-48AE-B26F-00B34BCB835A
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7469391
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E787F8-EB3C-FFB4-5DF0-F9BAFB843931
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Termitozophilus tenebrus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Termitozophilus tenebrus sp. nov.

( Figs. 19– 24 View FIGURE 19 View FIGURE 20 View FIGURE 21 View FIGURE 22 View FIGURE 23 View FIGURE 24 , 27E View FIGURE 27 , 28 View FIGURE 28 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂ ( MPEG): Brasil [= Brazil], Pará, Magalhães Barata / Vila de Calafate [= Calafate Village], 11.III.2021 / R. F. Silva [collector] / hospedeiro [= host]: Cornitermes pilosus .

PARATYPES. Same data as holotype, 5 ♀♀ and 5 ♂♂ in MPEG (in alcohol 70%), 1 ♀ and 1 ♂ in MZSUP ( MZSP 21288 View Materials )(dissected on slides) .

Diagnosis. Paratergites fused neither to each other nor to tergites and sternites; sclerotized areas mostly dark brown, with a large white membranous area exposed in dorsal view. Head with vertex bearing two pairs of bristles, one behind the eye and a pair on medial-posterior region. Hind wings present in post-imaginal growth. Elytra trapezoidal, with anteromesial border densely scaled. Posterior margin of sternite VIII with two bristles.

Description. Male—length ~ 1.6 mm ( Figs. 19A–B View FIGURE 19 ); female—length ~ 1.8 mm ( Figs. 20A–C View FIGURE 20 ).

Head subquadrate, about as wide as long, widest behind eye, narrowing conspicuously through posterior region; eye about 1/3 of head length; vertex bearing two pairs of bristles: one bristle behind eye and one on medialposterior region ( Fig. 21A View FIGURE 21 ). Antenna: scape almost longer than remainder antennomeres, except antennomere XI; antennomere XI about three times longer than wide and more than twice longer than X; antennomeres II–VI elongate, gradually decreasing in length, VII–X moniliform. Mouthparts. Labrum more than twice wider than long, with almost sinuous anterior region; five main long bristles on each lateral half, distributed in two diagonal rows, each with two bristles and one bristle placed on middle of labrum length ( Fig. 21C View FIGURE 21 ); epipharynx covered with sensilla and numerous short bristles, two of which longer. Mandible apex narrow, bearing a tooth on mesal region; with many punctuations on basal two thirds, and with some pores on outer margin ( Figs. 21B View FIGURE 21 , 23C–D View FIGURE 23 ). Labium with ligula narrowed at base and with a median-apical emargination, resulting in two lobes; mentum and submentum distinct, both trapezoidal, with three bristles distributed on each lateral margin, as follows: apical, pre-apical, and proximal ( Figs. 21E View FIGURE 21 , 24C View FIGURE 24 ).

Thorax. Elytra trapezoidal, almost longer than wide and wider at posterior region, covering mesonotum and metanotum ( Fig. 22B View FIGURE 22 ); anteromesial border densely scaled in internal view ( Figs. 23A–B View FIGURE 23 ); covered with long bristles. Hind wing present, membrane not shed during post-imaginal growth ( Fig. 22A View FIGURE 22 ).

Abdomen with short tergites and with secondary sclerotization not reaching inner paratergites; outer paratergites fused to sternites by former secondary sclerotization; inner and outer paratergites fused ( Fig. 27E View FIGURE 27 ); first segment represented by a strong sclerotized tergite attached to metanotum, with medial region strongly projected backwards ( Fig. 22A View FIGURE 22 ); sternites III–V with pores clustered; tergite VII ( Fig. 22C View FIGURE 22 ) almost subquadrate, wider than long, with two rows of bristles, two bristles on medial region and six bristles on posterior half, anterior margin of tergite VII with conspicuous glandular areas ( Figs. 24E–F View FIGURE 24 ); tergite VIII ( Fig. 22F View FIGURE 22 ) almost subquadrate, with two rows of bristles, six main long bristles on medial and posterior regions; sternite VIII ( Fig. 22G View FIGURE 22 ) subquadrate, with one pair of median bristle, one row of six bristle close to posterior margin and eight bristles along posterior margin; male sternite IX ( Fig. 22E View FIGURE 22 ) elongate and tongue-shaped, with two bristles on posterior half; female sternite IX ( Fig. 22H View FIGURE 22 ) represented by a pair of hemisternites laterally attached to tergite IX; tergite X ( Fig. 22D View FIGURE 22 ) not bilobed, with three long bristles on each lateral half, two on medial region and two on posterior region.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a Latin adjective that means “dark”, alluding to dull coloration of the examined specimens.

Geographic distribution. Brazil (Pará).

Discussion. Termitozophilus tenebrus sp. nov. is similar to T. laetus in having inner and outer paratergites fused, and paratergites fused to sternites ( Figs. 27A–E View FIGURE 27 ). It differs from T. laetus in having head, thorax and abdomen with dark brown sclerites (light brown in T. laetus ) and pores on sternites distributed in circular clusters ( Figs. 19A–B View FIGURE 19 , 20A–C View FIGURE 20 ) (scattered in T. laetus ). In addition, T. tenebrus sp. nov. has a trapezoidal elytron ( Fig. 22B View FIGURE 22 ), tergite VII with bristles ( Fig. 22C View FIGURE 22 ) and posterior margin of tergite VIII without bristles ( Fig. 22F View FIGURE 22 ). In T. laetus , the elytron is subquadrate, the bristles on tergite VII are absent and the posterior margin of tergite VIII has four bristles (see figs. 16–18 in Zilberman (2019)). Termitozophilus tenebrus sp. nov. is associated with nests of C. pilosus in pastures, while T. laetus is associated with nests of C. cumulans in savanna-like environments.