Aleochara prisca Sharp, 1876

(Figs. 3, 26–34, 75)

Aleochara prisca Sharp 1876: 69 (Description, type locality: “Ega”), note: Ega is currently known as Tefé, a municipality in Amazonas, Brazil. Duvivier 1883: 100 (catalogue). Bernhauer & Sheerpeltz 1926: 778 (catalogue). Blackwelder 1944: 167 (checklist). Caron et al. 2008: 833 (checklist). Fery 2013: 81 (checklist).

Type material: Holotype: One specimen (Fig. 3), female, deposited in BMNH: (1) “ Aleochara \ prisca Type\ Amazons.\ D.S.” [white label, handwritten]. (2) “Holo\Type” [circular label, white with red boards, ‘Holo’ handwritten]. (3) “Ega.” [circular label, green, handwritten]. (4) “ S. America:\ Brazil ” [white label, printed in black]. (5) “Sharp Coll.\1905-313.” [white label, printed in black]. (6) “ A. prisca \ type. D. S.” [white label, handwritten]. (7) “ Holotype \ Aleochara \ prisca Sharp \ det. R. G. Booth 2014” [white label, handwritten].

Note: Sharp described the species based on holotype.

Additional material: FMNH: Brazil: female. One specimen: (1) “ S. America:\ Brazil ”; (2) “Sharp Coll.\ 1905- 313.”; (3) “Compared with\ type:\ Aleochara \ prisca \ Shp.”; (4) “Chicago Nat. Hist. Mus.\ (ex. D. Sharp Colln \ by exchange with\ Brit. Mus. Nat. Hist.)”; (5) “FMNHINS\ 2840579\ FIELD MUSEUM \ Pinned” . INPA: Brazil: 18 specimens: (1) “Brasil – AM, Manaus\ Reserva Adolpho Ducke\ 16/VII/2008 \ K.M.Mise (Leg.)”; (2) “Coleta manual\ Isca carcaça suína. One specimen: (1) “ Brasil – AM, Manaus\ Reserva Adolpho Ducke\ 10-16/VII/2008 \ K.M.Mise (Leg.)”; (2) “Coleta manual\ Isca carcaça suína. One specimen: (1) “Brasil – AM, Manaus\ Reserva Adolpho Ducke\ 10/VII/2008 \ K.M.Mise (Leg.)”; (2) “Coleta manual\ Isca carcaça suína. Two specimens: (1) “Brasil – AM, Manaus\ Reserva Adolpho Ducke\ 12/VII/2008 \ K.M.Mise (Leg.)”; (2) “Coleta manual\ Isca carcaça suína. Four specimens: (1) “BRASIL, AM, Manaus\ Rod. AM-010, Km-26,\ Reserva Ducke,”; (2) “Isca: Cadáver suíno\ 10.VII.2020, N.J.\ Fraga & J.F. Vidal ”. One specimen: (1) “ BRASIL, AM, Manaus\ Rod. AM-010, Km-26,\ Reserva Ducke, 3.VI.2002,”; (2) “N.J.\ Fraga & J.F. Vidal \ carcassa suína”. One specimen: (1) “Brasil, Amazonas, Manaus\ Fazenda Experimental da\ UFAM, BR 174, Km 38.\ 20.xii.2007 \ Coleta manual\ T. V. Senra Leg.”; (2) “13—Sthaphylinidae\ M.C.B. Feitosa Det. ” .

Diagnosis: Aleochara prisca differs from other Brazilians A. ( Aleochara) species by abdominal tergum VIII two times wider than long; apex of median lobe of the aedeagus toothless and apical one-third curved in lateral view (directed ventrad); anterior margin of each side of tergum IX of female with a weakly sclerotized area and rounded median angle.

Redescription: BL: 8.4 mm. EW: 2.2 mm. Head dark brown to black; pronotum predominantly yellowish, or yellowish with dark brown macula on central disc, or entirely dark brown; elytra predominantly yellowish, or yellowish with dark brown macula on disc, or dark brown with external sides lighter or lighter on latero-anterior angle; abdomen brown to dark brown, with posterior half of tergum VII to tergum X lighter, somewhat yellowish to rusty-brown; legs, antennae and mouthparts yellowish to brown. Dorsal surface glossy and covered with thin golden yellowish setae with setigerous pores impressed. Note: the color pattern is very variable in this species, which some individuals are very lighter than the others (for example: holotype), mainly pronotum and elytra.

Head: with setigerous punctation; disc with sparse pubescence directed mediad and anterad. Antennae with antennomere 2 half the length of first and slightly narrower than first; 3 longer than 2; 4 transverse; 5–9 similar in shape, clearly transverse, gradually slightly narrower than the apex, 5 distinctly wider than 9; 10 subquadrate to slightly transverse; 11 twice longer than the previous one, subtriangular in shape; 1–4 glossy with some long black setae; 5–11 dull and covered by very short white setae, some long black setae on apex of each antennomere and in 11 with long black setae on a transversal circular line in the middle of the antennomere.

Thorax: pronotum with setigerous punctuation; setae directed posterad at the midline of the disc and directed posterad and laterad elsewhere. Mesoventral process truncate. Elytra with setigerous punctuation, denser than pronotum; setae directed posterad.

Abdomen: distinctly narrowed posteriorly, maximum width of tergum X about half of apical width of tergum VII; terga coarsely setigerous punctuated, similar to head, pubescence sparse directed posterad.

Male: tergum VIII two times wider than long (Fig. 26); posterior margin emarginate at the middle, not serrated. Sternum VIII as wide as long; posterior margin broadly rounded and truncate medially (Fig. 27); internal surface with many short and dense setae directed anterad; Tergum IX with asymmetrical ventral struts, the left shorter than the right, the left with one accessory short arm directed laterad. Tergum X with anterior margin truncate and posterior margin very slightly emarginate at the middle (Fig. 28). Aedeagus: median lobe elongate and bulbous at base (Fig. 30); apex toothless, ventral margin curved in apical one-third in lateral view, directed ventrad (Fig. 31).

Female: tergum VIII two times wider than long; posterior margin truncate (Fig. 32). Sternum VIII wider than long; posterior margin broadly rounded, somewhat pointed at the middle, some short setae restricted to posterior margin (Fig. 33). Tergum IX without ventral struts; anterior margin of each half of tergum IX with a weakly sclerotized area and rounded median angle. Tergum X with anterior margin truncate and posterior margin emarginate at the middle (Fig. 34). Spermatheca not found.

Geographical records: Material examined: Brazil (Amazonas: Manaus and Tefé) (Fig. 75).

Natural history: associated with decomposing pig carcass.