Brachygluta (Brachygluta) floridana (Brendel, 1865)

Chandler, Donald S., Sabella, Giorgio & Bückle, Christoph, 2015, A revision of the Nearctic species of Brachygluta Thomson, 1859 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Zootaxa 3928 (1), pp. 1-91 : 25-28

7. Brachygluta (Brachygluta) floridana (Brendel, 1865)

( Figs 8 , 36 B)

Bryaxis floridana Brendel, 1865b: 257 . Type locality: St. John River settlements, Florida. Type depository ANSP, Lectotype female: // Fla./ Brend/ Horn Coll H1921/ Lectotype desg. Moxey 1962 / B. floridana Brend. / [red label] TYPE #8298 Bryaxis floridana Brendel Carl Farr Moxey 29.VI.1962 //. Brendel 1866a: 34; 1866b: 191, 194 (female characters). LeConte 1880: 182 (key). Moxey 1962: 98 (lectotype designation).

Bryaxis (Bryaxis) floridana: Brendel & Wickham 1890: 267 (key), 278 (redescription), plate VIII, fig. 53.

Brachygluta floridana: Raffray 1904: 225 ; 1908: 231; 1911: 94. Leng 1920: 130. Bowman 1934: 82 (Group I, key), 83. Moxey 1962: 101. Poole & Gentili 1996: 380. Chandler 1997: 55. Peck & Thomas 1998: 40.

Material examined, 128 specimens. USA: Alabama: Baldwin Co.: Weeks Bay NER Res., 30 25'03"N, 87 49'50"W, VI-20-2001, T.L. Schiefer, m. v. lamp in mixed forest near estuary, W.H. Cross Expedition ( MEMC, 1). Delaware: New Castle Co.: Liftwood, Wil.(mington), VI-1-1965, Famcd (sic), at light ( MHNG, 1). Wilmington, VIII-26-1963, black light ( USNM, 1). Sussex Co.: Dewey Beach, VIII-25-1972, L. Knutson ( USNM, 1). District of Columbia: “D.C.”, X-20-1878, c noll T. Pergande ( USNM, 1); “D.C.” ( CMNH, 11). Wash.(ington), III, Hubbard & Schwarz ( USNM, 1); X-15, Hubbard & Schwarz ( USNM, 1). Florida: Alachua Co. : Gainesville, III-4- 1967, D.L. Mays, UV light ( FMNH, 1). Gulf Co.: Port St. Joe, VII-23-1961, R.C. Graves, under board on beach ( FMNH, 1). Highlands Co.: Archbold Biol. Sta., Lake Placid, II-6-1995, M Deyrup, pitfall trap 554 ( ABSC, 1); I- 11-1975, J.L. Bengtson, at light ( FMNH, 1). Sebring, I-20, C.T. Parsons ( MCZC, 1). Indian River Co.: Indian River, Hubbard & Schwarz ( USNM, 2). Levy Co.: Seahorse Key, nr. Cedar Key, IV-1 /2-1988, D.L. Matthews, at light ( FSCA, 1). Miami-Dade Co.: Haulover, II-26, III-4, III-1 ( MCZC, LeConte Collection, 3); VIII-20, Hubbard & Schwarz ( USNM, 1). Okaloosa Co.: Fort Walton Beach, III-2-1972, E.J. Kiteley ( FMNH, 1). Okeechobee Co.: Okeechobee, IV-7-1921, W.S. Blatchley ( PERC, 1). Pinellas Co.: Dunedin, IV-6-1922 ( MCZC, 2); III-22-1925 ( MCZC, 1); II-15-1917, W.S. Blatchley ( PERC, 1); I-4-1917, W.S. Blatchley ( PERC, 1); XII-20-1916, W.S. Blatchley ( PERC, 1); II-17-1926, W.S. Blatchley ( PERC, 1). St. Petersburg, III-27-1925 ( MCZC, H.C. Fall Collection, 7); IV-6-1923 ( MCZC, H.C. Fall Collection, 1). St. Johns Co.: St. Augustine, III-2 /7-1940 ( CASC, 1). Volusia Co. : Edgewater, II-24-1939, C.A. Frost ( MCZC, 1). Only state on label: “Fla.” ( FMNH, 1); “Fla.” ( MCZC, 3 Paralectotypes; ANSP, 1; CMNH, 5); “Fla.” (= St. Johns River settlements; ANSP, Lectotype). “Florida”, Dr. Will ( MHNG, 1). Georgia: Laurens Co.: Dublin, VI-1960 ( MHNG, 1). Maryland: Anne Arundel Co.: Deale ( FMNH, 1). Calvert Co.: Kenwood Beach, 5 mi S Prince Frederick, IX-17-1950, G.H. Nelson, under wash-up log ( DSCC, 1). Scientists Cliff, III-23-1980, J.M. Campbell ( CNCI, 3). Dorchester Co.: Cambridge, IX-21-1975, E.J. Ford, Jr., light trap ( DSCC, 1). Fishing Creek, VIII-7-1956 (987-B), R.S. Howard ( FMNH, 1). Kent Co.: Eastern Neck Island, III-27-1956 (879-A), R.S. Howard ( FMNH, 1). Somerset Co.: Crisfield, VII-16-1932, F. C. Bishop, w mosquito trap ( USNM, 1). Only state on label: “Md.” ( CMNH, 1). New York: Only state on label: “N.Y.” ( FMNH, 1). North Carolina: Mecklenburg Co.: Charlotte, V-17/24 -2005, J.F. Cornell, UV trap ( LSAM, 2). New Hanover Co.: Marine Research Center, VIII-15-1982, K.R. Ahlstrom, at light trap ( NCSU, 1). Pender Co.: New Topsail Beach, VIII-26-1963, P.D. Ashlock ( DSCC, 2). South Carolina: Charleston Co.: Charleston, IV-25-1945, R.L. Wenzel, light trap ( FMNH, 3). McClellansville, VI-1-1973, T. Daggy ( NCSU, 3). Virginia: Hampton City: Fort Monroe, V-30, Hubbard & Schwarz ( USNM, 2). Hampton ( FMNH, 1). Hampton, V-17-1944, N.M. Downie ( PERC, 1). Lancaster Co.: Weems, IX-3 / IX-7-2002, C.A. Springer, UV trap ( EIUC, 18). Weems, IX-3-2002, C.A. Springer, UV light ( DSCC, 1). Norfolk City: Norfolk, VIII-16/18 -2008, C. A. Springer, UV light ( EIUC, 1). Virginia Beach: Sagamore State Park, White Hill Lake Marsh, IV-25-1990, K.A. Buhlmann, pitfall ( DSCC, 2). Seashore State Park, XI-16-1989, Va. Nat. Heritage Program, pitfall drift fence site ( DSCC, 1); XII-22-1989 ( DSCC, 1). Seashore State Park, White Hill Lake marsh, IV-26-1990, K.A. Buhlmann, pitfall ( DSCC, 4). York Co.: Cheatham Annex, Naval Supply Center, V-30-1990, R.L. Hoffman ( DSCC, 1). Neck of Land, Colonial Nat. Historic Parkway, VIII-30-2000, A.C. Chazal, ultraviolet light trap ( DSCC, 1; VMNH, 2).

Description. BODY: Length 2.12–2.24 mm; orange-brown to brown; setae short, curved and suberect on head and pronotum, depressed on rest of body. Head: surface smooth, shining, punctures minute. Setose area of median vertexal fovea as large as those of lateral foveae. Antennomeres VII-X slightly different between sexes. Pronotum: surface smooth, shining, punctures indistinct. Setose area of median antebasal fovea as wide as those of lateral antebasal foveae. Elytra: surface faintly punctate, microreticulation faint to distinct, discal stria extending to about four-fifths of elytral length. Abdomen: tergite 1 with surface lightly punctate; basal striae very short, indistinct in male, barely visible in female, striae separated by about two-fifths tergite width, setal brush between striae longer and distinct in male, shorter and indistinct in female.

MALE: Antennae and trochanters unmodified, simple. Antennomeres III–VII longer than wide, VIII barely transverse, IX–X as long as wide, VIII two-thirds as wide as IX, X as long as wide ( Fig. 8 D). Metaventrite with triangular patch of dense long setae extending from between metacoxae to mesocoxae. Only tergites 1–2 visible in dorsal view ( Fig. 8 A), 1 nearly twice as long as 2; 1 with pair of glabrous or slightly setose rounded tubercles near base, tergite apex with two large, widely separated projections, projections bluntly rounded at apex, semicircular emargination between projections, slightly convex flat shelf at middle, shelf obscured by dense elongate yellow setae, area lateral to projections concave and with dense appressed setae; tergite 2 with prominent rounded humps posterior to projections of tergite 1, with broad deep excavation between them, humps obliquely impressed on lateral margins, base of tergite 2 with short broadly bifurcate tubercle ventral to apical shelf of tergite 1 ( Figs 8 A, 8C); tergite 3 with indistinct oblique impressions through length near middle; tergites 4–5 convexly rounded; in lateral view outline of tergites 1–2 confluent ( Fig. 8 B). Abdominal ventrites broadly convex. Metatibiae broad near base, evenly wide to near apex, setal brush present in on mesal margin at apical fifth where tibiae slightly curved ( Fig. 8 E). Aedeagus 0.34 mm long; with dorsal plate triangular, apex acutely pointed, symmetrical; parameres broad, abruptly constricted near apex, with three long setae on lateral margin at point of constriction, with preapical hyaline seta near mesal margin, seta flattened and relatively narrow; internal sac with three curved spines, two large and one small ( Fig. 8 F).

FEMALE: Antennomeres III–VI longer than wide, VII as long as wide, VIII–X transverse. Lacking metasternal patch of setae; all abdominal tergites evenly curved; ventrites broadly convex; metatibiae narrow near base, gradually broadening to apex.

Collecting data. Few specimens have habitat or collection data. There are two records of individuals being found beneath washed-up logs and boards on beaches ( Chandler 1997). The others with collection data were taken through their attraction to ultraviolet light. Specimens have been taken throughout the year in the southern states.

Distribution ( Fig. 36 B). Brendel & Wickham (1890: 279) recorded this species “from the Gulf [of Mexico] to the Ohio river, [sic]” but nearly all specimens examined have been from marsh areas along the Atlantic coast, though a few specimens have been taken inland from the coast in North Carolina and Florida. There is a single record from New York (“N.Y.”), with the range otherwise extending from Delaware to Florida.

Comments. Similar to B. intermedia in having only tergites 1–2 visible in dorsal view and those tergites strongly modified with dorsally projecting lobes. The two are easily separated by B. intermedia having tergite 2 as long as 1 and not prominently bilobed at the apex, while B. floridana has tergite 2 slightly more than half the length of 1, and the apex has two prominent lateral lobes.

Brendel mentioned both sexes in his description, but only the female lectotype is present at the ANSP, with the male specimen(s) apparently present in the Horn Collection at the MCZC of Harvard University, where Brendel’s non-primary type specimens may be found. Three specimens of B. floridana , two males and one female, are present in the collection of the MCZC. Two have the labels “Fla.” like the Lectotype, and all have “Brend” indicating their origin from the Brendel collection. These are here labeled as paralectotypes and bear the label “ PARALECTOTYPE Bryaxis floridana Brendel des. DSChandler 2013.”

Based on the figure of B. abdominalis given by Aubé (1833: pl. 82, fig. 2), B. floridana may be the junior synonym of this name. However, until a type of B. abdominalis can be located, this synonymy cannot be confirmed (see Comments section for B. abdominalis ).

Figures

FIGURE 8. Brachygluta floridana (Brendel). A: Abdomen, dorsal view (Delaware, New Castle Co.). B: Abdomen, lateral view (Delaware, New Castle Co.). C: Abdomen, caudal view (Delaware, New Castle Co.). D: Right antenna (Delaware, New Castle Co.). E: Left metatibia, anterior view (Delaware, New Castle Co.). F: Aedeagus (Georgia, Laurens Co.).

FIGURE 36. Distribution map of Brachygluta abdominalis species-group. A: Brachygluta abdominalis (Aubé). B: Brachygluta floridana (Brendel). C: Brachygluta intermedia (Brendel). D: Brachygluta ulkei (Brendel). (Red dot: material examined, green dot: only state on label and / or literature records).