Gabrius fimbriolatus ( ERICHSON 1840)

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 : 1382-1383

Gabrius fimbriolatus ( ERICHSON 1840) (Figs 13-15)

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d Holotype: ″ // fimbriolatus Er. Madagaskar, Goud, [blue oblong label handwritten]’ (ZMHB), Syntype: Philonthus fimbriolatus, Erichson, 1840 , labeled by MNHUB 2007, [red oblong printed label] (ZMHB).

R e d e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 4.5 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 2.6 mm. Whole body brown-red, maxillary and labial palpi brown-yellow, antennomeres 1-2 yellow-brown, remaining antennomeres dark brown, legs testaceous, posterior legs of the holotype are missing.

Head almost quadrate, slightly wider than long, very slightly widened posteriorly. Posterior angles distinct, eyes shorter than temples (ratio 4: 8). Between eyes 4 coarse punctures, distance between medial punctures 4 times as large as distance between medial and lateral puncture. Temporal area with scattered punctures. Surface lacks microsculpture.

Antennae reaching posterior third of pronotum when reclined. Antennomere 1 twice longer than antennomere 11, antennomere 2 as long as antennomere 3, antennomeres 4- 10 as long as wide.

Pronotum highly convex, slightly longer than wide (ratio 20: 18), parallel-sided, anterior angles bearing several short bristles, posterior angles markedly rounded. Each dorsal row with 6 approximately equidistant punctures, each sublateral row with 2 punctures, puncture 2 situated behind level of puncture 3 in dorsal row and slightly shifted to the lateral margin. Surface lacks microsculpture.

Posterior half of scutellum finely punctate, diameter of punctures as large as eye-facets, separated by one or one and half puncture diameters, anterior half impunctate.

Elytra slightly wider than long (23: 21), widened posteriorly. Punctation coarse and sparse, diameter of punctures larger than eye-facets, separated by one or one and half puncture diematers. Surface lacks microsculpture; setation faintly distinct.

Legs. Posterior legs of the holotype are missing.

Abdomen slightly narrower posteriorly beginning with visible tergite III, base of all tergites finely and densely punctate than that on elytra, becoming finer and sparser towards posterior margin of each tergite. Surface lacks microsculpture; setation longer and yellowish.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s This species is very similar to G. oceanicus , but it differs by the narrower head, finer and sparser punctation of elytra, finer punctation of abdomen, from G. cyanolanius nov. sp. by the slightly longer eyes, shorter pronotum and elytra, from G. gomyi by the darker head, pronotum and elytra, shorter head, narrower pronotum and from all three species by the different shape of the aedeagus.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mascarenes Islands, Seychelles.