Agnosthaetus thayerae, Clarke, 2011

Clarke, Dave J., 2011, A Revision of the New Zealand Endemic Rove Beetle Genus Agnosthaetus Bernhauer (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 10) 2011, pp. 1-118 : 60

Agnosthaetus thayerae species-group

This probably monophyletic species-group is created for A. thayerae and A. newtoni ( Fig. 8 ), two of the more distinctive species of the subfamily Euaesthetinae . They can be distinguished from all other species of Agnosthaetus by the combination of distinct microsculpture on the head and thorax, sublongitudinal ridge of head ( Fig. 10 , sr) distinct but somewhat confused by adjacent minor carinae and punctures, deep, distinct, and dense dorsal punctation of the head (with punctures subadjacent or separated by <0.5X puncture diameter; cf. the truncatus species-group, with which these two species are most similar), and two lateral elytral ridges (as in Fig. 88 , ek, mr). Both species share many other characters, including the uniquely angulate sides of the labium (rather than the typically rounded sides: Fig. 19 ), distinctly rimmed median orifice of the median lobe ( Figs. 168 , 170 , arrows), and parameres almost entirely fused to the median lobe ( Figs. 167 , 169 ). Males of both species uniquely share the apical labral edge toothed only laterally ( Figs. 165–166 ) and each mandible with two teeth on the mesal edge instead of the usual one ( Fig. 189 , arrow: as far as I know, a unique character within Euaesthetinae ).

Figures

Figs. 1–8. Habitus photographs of Agnosthaetus spp. 1) A. brounides; 2) A. chiasma; 3) A. zonatus; 4) A. kaikoura;

Figs. 10–13. Head capsules of Agnosthaetus spp. 10) A. stilbus; 11) A. rodmani; 12) A. brouni; 13) A. chiasma. Scale bars = 100 mm.

Figs. 83–88. Pterothoraces of Agnosthaetus spp., right lateral view. 83) A. lanceolatus; 84) A. stilbus; 85) A. chiasma;

Figs. 14–20. Agnosthaetus brounides. 14) Head capsule, dorsal view; 15) Head capsule, ventral view; 16) Mandibles, dorsal view; 17) Right antenna, dorsal view; 18) Right maxilla, ventral view; 19) Labium, ventral view; 20) Labrum, dorsal view. Notes: A. brounides lacks the mo setae; circular dotted region between the mo setae indicates position of the adoral glandular pit, which from above is frequently visible as a darker region. Scale bars = 100 mm.

Figs. 167–168. Agnosthaetus thayerae. 167) Aedeagus, dorsal (left) and right lateral (right) views; 168) Apex of median lobe, ventral view. Scale bars = 100 mm.

Figs. 169–170. Agnosthaetus newtoni. 169) Aedeagus, dorsal (left) and right lateral (right) views; 170) Apex of median lobe, ventral view. Scale bars = 100 mm.

Figs. 165–166. Male (upper) and female (lower) labra of species in the Agnosthaetus thayerae species-group, dorsal

Figs. 189–194. Mandibles of Agnosthaetus spp., dorsal view (189–193, left; 194, right). 189) A. newtoni; 190) A. falx; 191) A. stenomastax; 192) A. heteromastax (Rakeahua Valley); 193) A. heteromastax (Big South Cape Island); 194) A. heteromastax (Twilight Bay). Scale bar = 100 mm.