Micrillus flavescens (MOTSCHULSKY 1858), 2013

Assing, V., 2013, On the Palaearctic and Oriental species of Scymbalium and Micrillus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 45 (2), pp. 1479-1520 : 1503-1504

Micrillus flavescens (MOTSCHULSKY 1858)

( Figs 33-35 )

Lithocharis flavescens MOTSCHULSKY 1858: 643 .

Scimbalium asperiventre FAUVEL 1895: 235 , nov.syn.

Type material examined L. flavescens : Syntype [apices of antennae, parts of legs, and abdominal segments VIII-X missing]: "Ind. or. / Lithocharis flavescens Motch., Ind. or. / Syntypus Lithocharis flavescens Motschulsky , rev. V. Assing 2013 / Micrillus flavescens (Motschulsky) , det. V. Assing 2013" (ZMMU).

S. asperiventre : Lectotype, present designation: "Palon (Pegù), L. Fea. VIII.IX.87 / Birmanie Helfer / flavescens Mots. / asperiventre Fvl. / Ex-Typis / Lectotypus Scymbalium asperiventre Fauvel , desig. V. Assing 2013 / Micrillus asperiventris (Fauvel) , det. V. Assing 2013" ( IRSNB) . Paralectotype: "Telang 11 (Borneo) / Siam / Ex-Typis /? Micrillus sp. , det. V. Assing 2013" (IRSNB).

Comment: MOTSCHULSKY (1858) described Lithocharis flavescens from material collected in "Indes orientales" without specifying the number of specimens or designating a holotype. One syntype of unknown sex (apex of abdomen missing) and in poor condition was located in the Motschulsky collection at the ZMMU.

The original description of Scymbalium asperiventre is based on an unspecified number of syntypes from " Birmanie, Katha, VI; Pegu, Palon, VIII-IX (L. Fea). Siam (Laporte); Bornéo, Telang, XI (Eppelsheim)" ( FAUVEL 1895). An examination of two syntypes deposited in the Fauvel collection, both females, revealed that they are not conspecific. Both of them have two different locality labels attached to them, a common phenomenon with Fauvel types. According to SCHILLHAMMER (pers. comm.), there is another female syntype from Borneo in the Eppelsheim collection at the NHMW. The generic affiliations of the specimen with the labels "Telang" and " Siam " are uncertain, so that the syntype labelled "Palon (Pegù)" and " Birmanie " is designated as the lectotype. The specimen belongs to Micrillus and, based on external characters, is conspecific with the syntype of M. flavescens .

Redescription: Body length 4.4-4.6 mm; length of forebody 2.3 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 33 . Coloration: body pale reddish, with the head somewhat darker; legs and antennae yellowish.

Head ( Fig. 34 ) weakly oblong, approximately 1.05 times as long as broad, weakly tapering posteriad, convex in cross-section, and with moderately pronounced posterior angles; dorsal surface with sparse punctation and with fine, but distinct transverse microsculpture. Eyes large, approximately 0.75 times as long as distance from posterior margin of eye to neck. Antenna short, approximately 1.3 mm long and with distinctly transverse preapical antennomeres.

Pronotum ( Fig. 34 ) 1.15-1.20 times as long as broad, convex in cross-section, and with almost subparallel lateral margins in dorsal view (i.e., not distinctly tapering posteriorly); punctation in lateral portions dense and rather coarse, but shallow; micropunctation indistinct and sparse; midline broadly impunctate.

Elytra ( Fig. 34 ) approximately as long as pronotum; punctation rather dense and very fine. Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen with moderately fine and sparse punctation; interstices with transverse microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

: unknown.

: spermatheca as in Fig. 35.

Comparative notes: This species is distinguished from other Oriental and East Palaearctic species of similar size and coloration ( M. nigriceps , M. intermedius , M. indicus ) particularly by the shorter antennae with transverse preapical antennomeres, the more convex and parallel pronotum with coarser and denser punctation, and the sparse punctation of the abdomen.

Distribution: The known distribution of M. flavescens is confined to Myanmar.

Figures

Figs 29-35: Micrillus sutteri (SCHEERPELTZ), holotype (29-32) and M. flavescens (MOTSCHULSKY) (lectotype of M. asperiventris (FAUVEL)) (33-35): (29) male sternite VIII; (30-31) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (32) internal and dorso-apical structures of aedeagus in lateral view; (33) habitus; (34) forebody; (35) spermatheca. Scale bars: 33-34: 1.0 mm; 29-33: 0.2 mm; 35: 0.1 mm.