Ontholestes superbus BERNHAUER , 1915

Smetana, A., 2014, Ontholestes superbus BERNHAUER, 1915 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Staphylinini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 46 (2), pp. 1529-1534 : 1529-1533

Ontholestes superbus BERNHAUER, 1915 ( Figs 1-9 )

superbus BERNHAUER, 1915: 144 ( Ontholestes ; description); GRIDELLI 1924: 207 ( Ontholestes ; characters in key); SCHEERPELTZ 1933:1406 ( Ontholestes ; catalog); SMETANA 1959: 405 ( Ontholestes ; characters in key).

T y p e l o c a l i t y. Borneo: Lundu.

T y p e m a t e r i a l. H o l o t y p e (by monotypy),: "Lundu / 8/1/14 / 38 / Borneo. Lundu Sarawak Museum / Ontholestes superbus Brh. Typus unic. [Bernhauer’s handwriting] / Chicago NHMus M. Bernhauer Collection / FMNHINS 0000 127 061 / Photographed Kelsey Keaton 2014 Emu Catalog". The specimen is in perfect condition.

A d d i t i o n a l m a t e r i a l s t u d i e d. W e s t M a l a y s i a: NegeriSembilan Pasoh Forest N2.97 E102.30 10-21.vi.2013, 80 m E. Jendek & O. Šauša leg., 1 ( ASC) ; Johor Gunung Panti Forest , 40 m, N 1.866 E 103 88, E. Jendek & O. Šauša leg., 1 ( ASC) ; Pahang, King Geo. V National Park, Kualan Tahan, 12-15. December 1958, J. L. Gressit collector, 1 ( FMNH). V i e t n a m: Tuyen Quang Prov., NaHang Res. , 300 m, 16.-25. V.1997, rain forest FIT, S. Peck, 1 ( ASC) ; same but 360 m, 20.-24. V.1997, S. Peck, 1 ( ASC) .

R e d e s c r i p t i o n. Head, pronotum and elytra somewhat dull, abdomen somewhat shinier. Head and pronotum metallic olive green, head with small orangy spot at ante- riomedial margin of each eye; pronotum with inconspicuous, small orangy spot covering each anteriolateral angle and with posterior margin fairly widely orangy, orangy color interrupted medially by dark color; elytra metallic blackish with faint coppery hue here and there, each with epipleuron widely orangy, orangy color extending widely over posteriolateral area and continuing as narrow strip toward suture and up basad along suture; first three visible abdominal tergites pale yellowish, visible tergites 4 and 5 black, with base of tergite 4 irregularly yellowish, sixth visible tergite black with apical half testaceous, sclerites of genital segment testaceous. Ventral face of head and neck, prosternum and mesosternum black, metasternum testaceous, somewhat darkened in middle.

Pubescence of head and pronotum variegated, consisting of golden, yellowish and silvery hairs; scutellum with tiny spot of golden pubescence on each basolateral corner, otherwise covered by black tomentose pubescence; pubescence on pale colored portions golden-yellowish, on dark colored portion of each elytron variegated, consisting of golden, yellowish and silvery hairs; first three visible abdominal tergites each in middle with a pair of small spots of black tomentose pubescence, remaining pubescence pale goldenyellowish; visible tergites 4 and 5 with dense black pubescence, except with yellow pubescence on pale basal portion of tergite 4 and with silvery pubescence on basolateral area of tergire 5, visible tergite 6 with whitish pubescence on black portion and with pale yellow pubescence on testaceous portion.

Maxillary palpi black with last segment pale brown, labial palpi black with apex of last segment slightly paler. Mandibles each rufobrunneous with large medial tooth and medial area basad of it piceous. First four segments of antenna pale testaceous with apex of each segment narrowly darkened, following segments becoming gradually darker, outer segments piceous. Legs pale testaceous, front and middle coxae black, hind coxae pale testaceous, dorsal edges of front and middle tibiae and femora black, black color on each of middle femora extended to ventral face as a triangular spot at about anterior third of femur, front tarsi black with segment four paler and last segment testaceous.

Head markedly wider than long (ratio 1.84), slightly narrowed behind eyes, with widely obtuse posterior angles; eyes very large and highly convex, tempora markedly shorter than eyes from above (ratio 0.39); dorsal surface of head densely, coarsely punctuate, interspaces between punctures quite narrow, without microsculpture. Dorsal surface of neck with rather sparse, fine punctuation. Antenna relatively long, first four segments very long, combined constituting more than half of length of entire antenna, segment three markedly longer than about equally long segments two and four (ratio 1.75), segment five slightly shorter than segment four but still distinctly longer that wide,, following segments becoming gradually shorter and slightly asymmetrical, segment 6 longer than at apex wide, segments 9 an 10 as long as wide, last segment shorter than two preceding segments combined. Pronotum about as long as at anterior margin wide, slightly narrowed posteriad, with slight protuberance posteriomediad of each anterior angle, followed by oblique impression; punctuation similar to that on head, becoming more superficial and less dense toward posterior margin, interspaces beween punctures as on head, except somewhat wider and with rudimentary microsculpture in front of middle of posterior margin of pronotum. Scutellum with dense punctuation obscured by black tomentose pubescence (see above). Elytra at suture slightly (ratio 1.1), at sides distinctly, longer (ratio 1.36) than pronotum at midline, each elytron with slight medial impression in front of posterior margin; puncation o disc of each elytron fine and sparse, interspaces between punctures much larger than diameters of punctures, but punctuation becoming somewhat coarser and denser laterad. Wings fully developed. Abdomen with tergite 7 (fifth visible) with distinct apical seam of palisade fringe; punctuation of tergites fine, to great extent obscured by pubescence (dorsal and ventral habitus see Figs 7 and 8 ).

Male. First four segments of front tarsus conspicuously dilated, subbilobed, each densely covered by tenent setae ventrally, segment 2 almost twice as wide as apex of tibia, segment 4 narrower than preceding segments. Abdominal sternite 7 with very wide, rather shallow subangulate medioapical emargination, sternite 8 with narrow, shallow obtusely triangular medioapical emargination. Genital segment with tergite 10 wide, moderately narrowed toward subtrunctate, wide apex, with numerous setae near apical margin ( Fig. 1 ); sternite 9 with short, reduced apical portion, apical portion with wide and deep, almost semicircular apical emargination, setose as in Fig. 2 . Aedoeagus ( Figs 3-5 ) relatively small, median lobe markedly constricted in middle portion, apical portion with wide, truncate apex bearing in each apicolateral corner a distinct triangular tooth turned dorsad; paramere narrowly fusiform with apex bearing six or seven long setae; internal sac as in Fig.5 .

Female. First four segments of front tarsus less dilated that those of male, segment 2 about 1.5 as wide as apex of tibia. Abdominal sternites 7 and 8 with apical margins even, without any emargination. Genital segment with accessory sclerite, second gonocoxites relatively short, slightly curved, each with distinct papilla, bearing three long setae (unequally long), with three long setae on lateroapical area, otherwise very finely setose; styli of tergite 9 with black tip, setation very sparse; tergite 10 short and wide, moderately narrowed toward wide, slightly emarginated apex, numerous long setae at and near apical margin, rest of tergite rather sparsely, finely setose ( Fig.6 ).

Length 14.0- 14.5 mm (not including mandibles).

B i o n o m i c s.Little is known about the bionomics of the species. However, as any other Ontholestes species , it is a predator, hunting both larvae and adults of other arthropods. The Vietnamese specimens were taken while foraging on the surface of fresh cow dung ( Fig. 9 ).

G e o g r a p h i c a l d i s t r i b u t i o n Ontholestes superbus is at present known from West Malaysia (records above), East Malaysia: Sarawak ( BERNHAUER 1915: 145; SMETANA 1959: 405) and Vietnam (records above). These are the first records of the species from Western Malaysia and from Vietnam.

R e c o g n i t i o n a n d c o m m e n t s. Thanks to the fancy coloration, O. superbus is a conspicuous species that may be easily identified using the key in SMETANA (1959).

Figures

Figs 1-6: Ontholestes superbus. (1) tergite 10 of male genital segment; (2) sternite 9 of male genital segment; (3) aedoeagus, ventral view; (4) apical portion of aedoeagus, lateral view; (5) internal sac of aedoeagus; (6) tergite 10 of female genital segment.

Figs 7, 8: Ontholestres superbus. (7) habitus, dorsal view; (8) habitus, ventral view.

Fig. 9: Foraging Ontholestes superbus.