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

Termitozophilus tenebrus sp. nov.

( Figs. 19– 24, 27E, 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 )(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); female—length ~ 1.8 mm ( Figs. 20A–C).

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). 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); 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, 23C–D). 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, 24C).

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

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); first segment represented by a strong sclerotized tergite attached to metanotum, with medial region strongly projected backwards ( Fig. 22A); sternites III–V with pores clustered; tergite VII ( Fig. 22C) 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); tergite VIII ( Fig. 22F) almost subquadrate, with two rows of bristles, six main long bristles on medial and posterior regions; sternite VIII ( Fig. 22G) 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) elongate and tongue-shaped, with two bristles on posterior half; female sternite IX ( Fig. 22H) represented by a pair of hemisternites laterally attached to tergite IX; tergite X ( Fig. 22D) 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). 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, 20A–C) (scattered in T. laetus ). In addition, T. tenebrus sp. nov. has a trapezoidal elytron ( Fig. 22B), tergite VII with bristles ( Fig. 22C) and posterior margin of tergite VIII without bristles ( Fig. 22F). 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.