Termitozophilus favachoi, 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 : 506-508

Termitozophilus favachoi sp. nov.

( Figs. 3–9, 27B, 28)

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂ ( MPEG): Brasil [= Brazil], Pará, Barcarena / Vila de Arapari [= Arapari Village], 05.VIII.2021 / R. F. Silva [collector], hospedeiro [= host]: Cornitermes sp.

PARATYPES. Same data as holotype, 1 ♀ in MPEG (in alcohol), 1 ♀ and 1 ♂ in MZSUP ( MZSP 21291 ) (dissected in slides) .

Diagnosis. Paratergites fused neither to each other nor to tergites and sternites; sclerotized areas of the abdomen light brown, with a large reddish brown membranous area exposed in dorsal view. Head with two pairs of bristles on vertex, one behind eye and one on medial-posterior portion of vertex. Elytra trapezoidal with heavily scaled anteromesial border. Hind wing membrane shed during post-imaginal growth. Sternite VIII with posterior margin bearing two bristles.

Description. Male—length ~ 1.6 mm ( Figs. 3A–B); female—length ~ 1.7 mm ( Figs. 4A–B).

Head subquadrate, about as wide as long, widest behind eye, almost narrowing posteriorly; length of eye about 1/3 of head length; vertex bearing two pairs of bristles: one bristle behind eye and one bristle on medial-posterior region ( Fig. 5A). Antenna: scape almost longer than remainder antennomeres except antennomere XI; antennomere XI about three times longer than wide and more than twice longer than antennomere X; antennomeres II–VI elongate, gradually decreasing in length, antennomeres VII–X moniliform. Mouthparts. Labrum more than twice wider than long, with slight sinuous anterior margin, five main long bristles on each lateral half, distributed in two diagonal rows each with two bristles and one bristle placed above middle of labrum length ( Fig. 5C); epipharynx covered with sensilla and numerous short bristles, two of which are rather longer. Mandible apex narrow, bearing a tooth on mesal region; with many punctuations on basal two thirds ( Figs. 5B, 7A). 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 ( Fig. 5E).

Thorax. Elytra almost trapezoidal, wider at posterior region ( Fig. 6C), covering mesonotum and metanotum; anteromesial border densely scaled, in internal view ( Figs. 8A–B); covered with long bristles. Hind wing represented by a small pad ( Fig. 6B).

Abdomen with short tergites and with secondary sclerotization, not reaching inner paratergites; outer paratergites close to margin of sternites by the former secondary sclerotization; inner and outer paratergites not fused ( Fig. 27B); first segment represented by a weak sclerotized tergite joined to metanotum ( Fig. 6B); sternites III–V with sparsely distributed pores; tergite VII ( Fig. 6D) almost subquadrate, wider than long, with two rows of bristles: two bristles on medial region and six bristles on posterior region; anterior margin with conspicuous glandular area ( Figs. 8C–D); tergite VIII ( Fig. 6G) subquadrate, with two rows of six long main bristles on medial and apical regions, and four moderately sized bristles on posterior margin; sternite VIII ( Fig. 6H) almost subquadrate, with acute posterior margin, with a row of six medial bristles, a row of eight apical bristles, and two moderately sized bristles on posterior margin; male sternite IX elongate and tongue-shaped, with four bristles on apical region ( Fig. 6F); female sternite IX represented by a pair of hemisternites laterally attached to tergite IX ( Fig. 6I); tergite X not bilobed, with three long bristles on each lateral half, two on medial region and two bristles on posterior region.

Etymology. The specific epithet is patronymic in honor of the wildlife photographer, researcher and science communicator César Favacho, for having contributed many photos of termitophilous beetles for this study.

Geographic distribution. Brazil ( Pará) ( Fig. 28).

Host termites. This species was found in epigeal (above-ground) nests of an unidentified species of Cornitermes , that possibly belongs to an undescribed species.

Behavior. The behavior of Termitozophilus favachoi sp. nov. is similar to that described for T. pilosus sp. nov. ( Figs. 9A–D) (see behaviour under T. pilosus sp. nov.).

Discussion. Termitozophilus favachoi sp. nov. shares with T. pilosus sp. nov. and T. parapilosus sp. nov. abdominal sclerites and paratergites fused neither to each other nor to tergites and sternites ( Figs. 27A–E). It differs from T. pilosus sp. nov in having four moderately large bristles on posterior margin of tergite VIII ( Fig. 6G) (six in T. pilosus sp. nov.) and two bristles on sternite VIII ( Fig. 6H) (four in T. pilosus sp. nov.). Termitozophilus favachoi sp. nov. can be distinguished from T. parapilosus sp. nov. in having four bristles on the vertex ( Fig. 5A) (six in T. parapilosus sp. nov.) and two moderately sized bristles on the posterior margin of sternite VIII ( Fig. 6H) (six in T. parapilosus sp. nov.). Additionally, the elytra of T. favachoi sp. nov. has an anteromesial border densely scaled in the internal view ( Figs. 8A–B), a feature shared with T. parapilosus sp. nov. In T. pilosus sp. nov. the anteromesial border of elytra is wrinkled ( Figs. 17A–B).