Gabrius ardeola, Hromádka, 2011

Hromádka, L., 2011, Revision of the genus Gabrius STEPHENS 1829 from Madagascar and adjoining Islands (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (2), pp. 1377-1397 : 1378-1379

Gabrius ardeola nov.sp. ( Figs 1-4 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Holotype: ″E Madagascar, 15.iv.2001, N Andringitra: Vohidray rdg. 1920m env., N part. 1900-1920m, J. Janák lgt., rock, under Philippia, sifting. // HOLOTYPUS, Gabrius ardeola sp.nov. Hromádka det, [red oblong printed label]″ (cJRC). Paratypes: 3, 4: same data as holotype (cHPC, cJRC), 1, 1: same data as holotype but: rock, moss, sifting, 2, 2: E Madagascar, 10.-11.iv.2001, N Andringitra: Vohidray rdg. 3- 4km SSE of Amboarafibe, 1600-1700m, J. Janák lgt., rock, under Philippia, sifting, (cHPC, cJRC), 1: E Madagascar, 12.-18.iv.2001, N Andringitra: Vohidray rdg. 3-5km SE of Amboarafibe, 1750-1850m, J. Janák lgt., rain forest, trees, shrubs, bush-rope, beating (cJRC) [All paratypes with red oblong labels, printed].

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 5.2-5.4 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 2.5: 2.6 mm. Head black ( Fig. 4 ), pronotum, scutellum, elytra and abdomen black-brown, maxillary and labial palpi, mandibles and base of antennomere 2 brown-yellow, antennomeres 1-3 dark brown, remaining antennomeres black, legs yellow-brown, tibiae slightly darker.

Head ( Fig. 4 ) slightly wider than long (ratio 17: 16), slightly narrowed posteriad, posterior angles markedly rounded, bearing 2 long black bristles. Between eyes 4 coarse punctures, distance between medial punctures 5 times as large as distance between medial and lateral puncture, medial punctures slightly shifted anteriorly. 3 coarse punctures arranged in vertical row under medial punctures towards the neck. Eyes flat and small, twice shorter than temples (ratio 5: 10), posterior margin with 1 coarse and 1 fine puncture. Temporal area impunctate. Surface with very fine and very irregular microsculpture here and there.

Antennae slightly widened distally, reaching posterior third of pronotum when reclined. Antennomeres 1-4 and 11 longer than wide, antennomeres 5-6 as long as wide, antennomeres 7-10 slightly wider than long. Antennomere 1 twice longer than antennomere 11, antennomere 2 shorter than antennomere 3.

Pronotum highly convex, longer than wide (ratio 21: 18), very sligthly narrowed anteriorly, anterior angles bearing several short bristles, posterior angles markedly rounded. Each dorsal row with 6 aprroximately equidistant punctures, each sublateral row with 2 punctures, punctures 1 situated behind level of puncture 3 in dorsal row, puncture 2 slightly shifted to the lateral margin. Surface with microsculpture similar to that on head.

Scutellum coarsely and densely punctate in posterior half, diameter of punctures larger than eye-facets, separated slightly smaller than 1 puncture diameter in transverse direction, anterior half impunctate.

Elytra longer than wide (ratio 24: 22), very slightly widened posteriad. Punctation coarse, punctues larger than that on scutellum, separated by 1 puncture diameter in transverse direction.

Surface without microsculpture; setation brown-yellow.

Legs. Metatibia slightly longer than metatarsus (ratio 30: 29), metatarsomere 1 as long as metatarsomere 5.

Abdomen wide, very gradually narrowed posteriorly. Punctation at base of all tergites finer and denser than that on elytra, becoming finer and sparser towards posterior margin of each tergite. Surface without microsculpture; setation comparable with setation of elytra.

E t y m o l o g y: The name of this species, a noun in apposition, is the Latin generic name of the Madasgascarian Squacco heron Ardeola ralloides (SCOPOLI 1769).

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s Gabrius ardeola nov.sp. may be distinguished from the similar G. phelsuma by the narrower head and elytra, it differs from G. lemur by the denser punctation of elytra, paler legs and from both species by the different shape of the aedeagus.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Madagascar.

Figures

Figs 1-4: G. ardeola nov.sp.: (1) aedeagus, vantral view, (2) aedeagus, lateral view, (3) apex of paramere with sensory peg seate, (4) head, dorsal view. Figs 5-8: G. cyanolanius nov.sp.: (5) aedeagus, ventral view, (6) aedeagus, lazeral view, (7) apex of paramere with sensory peg setae, (8) head, dorsal view. Figs 9: G. delamarei JARRIGE 1970: (9) head, dorsal view. Figs 10-12: G. fauveli COQUEREL 1866: (10) aedeagus, ventral view, (11) aedeagus, lateral view, (12) apex of paramere with sensory peg setae. Figs 13-15: G. fimbriolatus ERICHSON 1840: (13) aedeagus, ventral view, (14) aedeagus, lateral view, (15) apex of paramere with sensory peg setae.