Lithocharodes rufula SHARP, 1885

Irmler, Ulrich, 2021, The Neotropical species of the genus Lithocharodes SHARP, 1876 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Xantholinini), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 71 (1), pp. 29-85 : 55-56

Lithocharodes rufula SHARP, 1885

Figs 41 a-d, 43 F, 46 H

Lithocharodes rufula SHARP, 1885: 494

Type material examined: 2 female syntypes: Guatemala, Rio Naranjo , leg. Champion ; near Guatemala City, leg. Champion ( BMNH) .

Additional material: Mexico, Chiapas, Cinco Cerros, 5 km S Rio de Oro, 810 m elev., sifted leaf litter in dry streambed, male, 8.6.1991, leg. J. Ashe, #78 ( KNHM); Chiapas, El Chorreadero, 8 km SE Chiapa de Corzo , 650 m, sifted leaf litter, male, 3.6.1991, leg. J. Ashe ,

#56 ( KNHM); 1 male, 1 female, Tuqui, 1905, coll. Fry

( FMNH).

Diagnosis: Lithocharodes rufula is one of the smallest Lithocharodes species. It is similarly small and lightly coloured as L. verhaaghi and L. hanagarthi . However, the colouration of the two latter species is dark, whereas colouration of L. rufula is lighter reddish to yellowish. Males are additionally separated from L. hanagarthi by the sclerotised endophallus, densely covered by intermediately large teeth. In contrast to L. verhaaghi , the endophallus of L. rufula has no spiral torsions.

Description: Length: 3.9 mm. Colouration: Light brown; elytra darker brown; legs and antennae light brown to dark yellow.

Head: 0.72 mm long, 0.58 mm wide; eyes slightly prominent; postocular space 2.5 times as long as eyes; distinctly divergent posteriad; posterior angles sub-rectangular; posterior margin deeply emarginate; interantennal furrows deep and long; slightly sinuate; reaching posterior third of eyes; setiferous punctation deep and irregularly dense; anteriorly denser than posteriorly; anteriorly, interstices between punctures much smaller than diameter of punctures; on posterior vertex, interstices as wide as diameter of punctures; narrow midline impunctate; interantennal space impunctate except close to furrows; surface without microsculpture; glossy. Antennae short and thick; first antennomere half as long as head along midline; second and third antennomere conical and as wide as long; subsequent antennomeres much wider than long and increasing in width; fourth antennomere more than twice as wide as long; tenth antennomere 2.5 times as wide as long and one third wider than fourth; all antennomeres pubescent. Pronotum: 0.75 mm long, 0.55 mm wide; widest in anterior third; anteriad, conically narrowed toward neck; slightly narrowed in middle third; nearly parallel in posterior third; on average, setiferous punctation deep and dense; punctures irregularly large; punctation partly coriaceous; moderately wide midline impunctate; surface without microsculpture; glossy. Elytra: 0.74 mm long, 0.62 mm wide; humeral angles sub-rectangular; posteriad, sides nearly parallel; posterior angles sub-rectangular; posterior margin nearly straight; setiferous punctation fine and dense; surface with indistinct microsculpture; less shiny than head and pronotum. Abdomen with dense but fine setiferous punctation; with weak isodiametric microsculpture; moderately shiny; posterior margin of tergite VII of male slightly elevated and nearly straight; posterior margin of sternite VII of male nearly semi-circular. Aedeagus long oval; anteriorly approximately rectangular; endophallus with one elongate wide string covered by minute teeth; folded posteriorly; second string shorter but with longer teeth; paramere moderately slender; slightly curved; bilobed; outer lobe half as long as inner lobe; inner lobe with pairs of short setae along inner face and two setae at apical part of outer face.

Figures

Fig. 37–42: L.-??-group: Lithocharodes compacta (37), L. elegans (38), L. elongata (39), L. fuscula (40), L. rufula (41); aedeagus (a),