Tychus similis Besuchet

Sabella, Giorgio, Besuchet, Claude & Kurbatov, Sergey A., 2011, A review of the Tychus algericus species group (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), North Africa, Zootaxa 3065, pp. 38-48 : 45-46

Tychus similis Besuchet sp. n.

( Figs. 4 , 13–14 , 18 )

Type material. Holotype, 3. NORTHERN ALGERIA: Algiers province: Dély Ibrahim (P. M. de Peyerimhoff) ( MNHN, general collection). Paratypes: NORTHERN ALGERIA: Algiers province: 3 and 6 ƤƤ, Dély Ibrahim (P. M. de Peyerimhoff) ( MNHN, Raffray collection); 3 ƤƤ, idem (P. M. de Peyerimhoff) ( MHNG); Ƥ, environs of Algiers, VI.1897 (P. L e s ne) ( MNHN, general collection); Boumerdès province: 2 3 and 9 ƤƤ, Bou Bérak (near Delly) (L. Puel) ( MNHN, Raffray collection); 7 3 and 7 ƤƤ, idem ( MNHN, general collection); 3, idem ( MHNG); Tipasa province: Ƥ, Nador, 04.XI.1905 ( MNHN, general collection); Aïn Defla province: 3 and Ƥ, Hamman R’hira, III.1888 (G. Lewis) ( MHNG); 3, Algeria ( MNHN, general collection).

Description. Body length 1.30–1.35 mm, colour dark brown with red elytra and black abdomen, some specimens paler; reddish antennae and legs, yellow palpi.

Head wider (0.250 mm) than long (0.210–0.230 mm), frontal rostrum 0.135–0.140 mm wide and 0.050 mm long. Eyes with 16–22 ommatidia. Last article of maxillary palpi 0.160–0.170 mm long and 0.075–0.080 mm wide. Antennae ( Fig. 4 ) 0.630–0.650 mm long, club 0.260–0.265 mm long; scape longer than wide, antennomere II distinctly longer than wide; III slightly longer than wide, antennomers IV–VIII distinctly wider than long.

Pronotum wider (0.310–0.325 mm) than long (0.275–0.290 mm).

Elytra wider (0.550–0.560 mm) than long (0.400– 0.425 mm).

Abdomen with 1st tergite 0.185–0.190 mm long.

Male. Posterior margin of mesotrochanters extended into short median spine, all femora and tibiae unarmed, all abdominal sternites apparently not modified. Aedeagus ( Figs. 13–14 ) 0.310–0.315 mm long, with sinuate and canaliculate dorsal apophysis of median lobe very enlarged at apex, its mesal margin, at middle, bearing some short bristles. Ventral portion of median lobe very large at base directed laterally and constricted at apex, which ends in two spine-like processes.

Female. Eyes smaller (16–18 ommatidia) than male (20–22 ommatidia), telisternite as in Fig. 18 .

Comparative notes. Tychus similis sp. n. is very similar to T. algericus ; the features which enable to distinguish it from the latter species were previously mentioned in the comparative notes section for T. algericus

Distribution. The species is known only from a few localities of Northern Algeria: Dély Ibrahim, Algiers, Bou Bérak (near Delly) and Hamman R’hira.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Antennae of Tychus algericus group species. Scale: 0, 1 mm. 1 — Tychus algericus, male from Fernana. 2 — Tychus depexus, male from Mouzaia Mount. 3 — Tychus vaucheri, male from Dardara. 4 — Tychus similis sp. n., holotype, male from Dély Ibrahim.

FIGURES 13 – 14. Aedeagus of Tychus similis sp. n., holotype, male from Dély Ibrahim. Scale: 0, 1 mm. 13 — Ventral view. 14 — Lateral view.

FIGURES 17 – 18. Telisternites of female of Tychus algericus group species, dorsal view. Scale: 0, 1 mm. 17 — T. vaucheri, female from Habib Mount. 18 — T. similis sp. n., paratype, female from Dély Ibrahim.