Philonthus tragelaphus, Hromádka, 2009

Hromádka, Lubomír, 2009, Five new Philonthus species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina) from the Afrotropical region, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (2), pp. 671-682 : 680-682

Philonthus tragelaphus sp. nov.

( Figs. 27–33 )

Type locality. Republic of South Africa: Cape Prov., Knysna, Diepwale.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Prov., Knysna, Diepwale , 12.–23. xii. 1981, FMHD # 81–629 , between litter, S. Peck, berlese, Field Museum. // Holotype Philonthus tragelaphus sp. nov. Hromádka det., 2008 [red oblong printed label]’ ( FMNH) . PARATYPES: 26 spec., same label data as in holotype ( FMNH, LHPC). [all paratypes with red printed oblong type labels].

Description. Body length: 9.2–10.0 mm, length of forebody (to end of elytra) 4.2–4.8 mm.

Colouration. Head, pronotum and antennae black, elytra, abdomen, maxillary and labial palpi black-brown, femora yellow-brown, tibiae black-brown with inner side yellow-brown, tarsi black-brown.

Head with rounded quadrangular outline, hardly wider than long (ratio 25.5: 24.5), posterior angles entirely obliterated, with several variably long black bristles, eyes distinctly longer than temples (ratio 12: 9). Head behind eyes slightly narrowed towards neck, with four punctures between eyes, distance between medial interocular punctures about four times as large as distance between medial and lateral interocular puncture, posterior margin of eyes with two coarse punctures, temporal area almost impunctate, surface with very fine irregular microsculpture here and there.

Antennae long, exceeding posterior margin of pronotum by about the length of terminal antennomere when reclined, all antennomeres longer than wide, relative lengths of antennomeres: 1–11: 10-5-6-5-5-5-4.5-4.5-4-4-5.

Pronotum wider than long (ratio 39: 36), distinctly narrowing anteriorly, posterior angles conspicuously rounded. Each dorsal row with five punctures, distance between punctures 2–4 equidistant, distance between punctures 1–2 and 4–5 larger than distance between punctures 2–4. Each sublateral row with two punctures, puncture 1 situated behind level of puncture 3 of dorsal row, puncture 2 situated behind level of puncture 4 of dorsal row. Lateral margins with several long black bristles. Surface with microsculpture similar to that on head.

Scutellum coarsely punctate, with regular intervals between punctures, punctures as large as eye facets, separated by two puncture diameters in transverse direction, surface without microsculpture; setation long and dark.

Elytra wider than long (ratio 50: 46), slightly widened posteriad, punctation rather fine and dense, punctures slightly larger than eye facets, separated mostly by one puncture diameter. Along lateral margins with several long black bristles, surface without microsculpture; setation long and brown-grey.

Legs. Metatibia slightly shorter than metatarsus (ratio 30: 32), relative lengths of metatarsomeres: 1–5: 12-5.5-4-4-7.

Abdomen narrowed posteriad from fifth visible tergite, first three visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between basal lines impunctate, punctation of visible tergites much finer and denser than on elytra, becoming sparser and finer towards posterior margin of each tergtite, surface between punctures without microsculpture; setation similar to that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1–3 dilated, sub-bilobed, densely covered with modified yellow-brown setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 slightly dilated, much narrower than preceding ones. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 30 ); sternite IX ( Fig. 31 ); aedeagus ( Figs. 27–29 ).

Female. Protarsomeres 1–3 slightly dilated, scarcely sub-bilobed, protarsomere 4 only slightly dilated, not sub-bilobed, lacking modified pale setae ventrally. Tergite X ( Fig. 32 ); gonocoxite of female genital segment ( Fig. 33 ).

Differential diagnosis. This new species is very similar to P. loxodonta sp. nov., but differs from it by a wider pronotum, different colouration of the inner side of the tibiae and different shape of the aedeagus.

Etymology. The name of this species, a noun in apposition, is the Latin generic name of the African koodoo Tragelaphus strepsiceros (Pallas, 1764).

Bionomics. All specimens of P. tragelaphus sp. nov. were collected in litter in the middle of December.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa.

Figures

Figs 20–31. 20–26 – Philonthus phacochoerus sp. nov. 20 – aedeagus, ventral view; 21 – aedeagus, lateral view; 22 – paramere; 23 – apical portion of male sternite VIII; 24 – male sternite IX; 25 – female tergite X; 26 – gonocoxite of female genital segment. 27–31 – Philonthus tragelaphus sp. nov. 27 – aedeagus, ventral view; 28 – aedeagus, lateral view; 29 – apex of paramere with sensory peg setae; 30 – apical portion of male sternite VIII; 31 – male sternite IX.

Figs. 32–36. 32–33 – Philonthus tragelaphus sp. nov. 32 – female tergite X; 33 – gonocoxite of female genital segment. 34 – P. smaragdinus Tottenham, 1949, aedeagus, ventral view (Democratic Republic of the Congo). 35 – P. morio Boheman, 1848, aedeagus, ventral view (Malawi); 36 – P. lasti Tottenham, 1955, aedeagus, ventral view (Botswana).