Ochthephilus flexuosus Mulsant & Rey, 1856

Makranczy, György, 2014, Revision of the genus Ochthephilus Mulsant & Rey, 1856 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Oxytelinae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 121 (4), pp. 457-694 : 536-537

Ochthephilus flexuosus Mulsant & Rey, 1856 Figs 1-5, 23, 140-144, 206, 525, 569

Ochthephilus flexuosus Mulsant & Rey, 1856a: 2 [= 1856b: 2]. – Mulsant & Rey, 1878: 797. –

Herman, 1970: 384. – Makranczy, 2001: 178. Trogophloeus flexuosus Fairmaire & Laboulbène, 1856: 614 . Ancyrophorus flexuosus (Mulsant & Rey) . – Kraatz, 1857: 887. – Fauvel, 1871: 170 [=1872:

144]. – Ganglbauer, 1895: 670. – Jarrige, 1949: 59. – Scheerpeltz, 1950: 65.

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED: Ochthephilus flexuosus – LECTOTYPE (here designated): “[small, circular, "nankin" coloured label] \ Beaujolais \ Lectotypus; Ochthephilus ; flexuosus Mulsant & Rey. ; (on the back) des. Makranczy, 1999 \ Ochthephilus ; flexuosus Mulsant & Rey ; det. Makranczy, 1999” (coll. Rey, MHNL). – PARALECTOTYPES (3): same data as lectotype (coll. Rey, MHNL, 3).

OTHER MATERIAL: see Appendix.

REDESCRIPTION: Forebody as in Fig. 525. Measurements (n=10): HW = 0.63 (0.60-0.67); TW = 0.57 (0.53-0.61); PW = 0.77 (0.70-0.83); SW = 0.85 (0.77-0.91); AW = 0.98 (0.89-1.10); HL = 0.44 (0.41-0.48); EL = 0.19 (0.17-0.20); TL = 0.09 (0.07- 0.10); PL = 0.59 (0.54-0.65); SL = 0.98 (0.91-1.05); SC = 0.89 (0.82-0.96); FB = 2.08 (1.90-2.29); BL = 3.76 (3.21-4.11) mm. Head and abdomen blackish dark brown, laterosclerites often lighter at their bases. Pronotum reddish medium to dark brown, elytra the same but usually a little bit brighter. Legs and mouthparts reddish medium brown, antennae reddish dark brown with basal antennomeres lighter. Body mostly lustrous mostly due to abundant and smooth interspaces between punctures and sparse body setation. Pubescence rather fine and moderately dense, shorter and stronger (regularly spaced) on elytra, abdominal tergites with finer and longer setae, especially adjacent to laterosternites. Head anteriad eyes and near inner posterior margin of eye with stronger and darker bristles, as well as pronotal margin and middle of tibiae. Elytral apex without conspicuous setae. Last tarsomere with a few setae only.

Forebody. Antenna as in Fig. 569. Clypeus with very scattered, small punctures (and coriaceous microsculpture with transverse cells), trapezoid, corners rounded, anterior edge gently arched; separated by sharp border between microsculptured clypeus and shiny vertex. Supraantennal prominences well developed, feebly separated from clypeus/vertex by impressions. Vertex with two small impressions in middle. Temples bulging, evenly curved, little longer than half of eye length. Neck separated by a strongly microsculptured transversal groove, microsculpture present but shallow, so still almost as shiny as vertex, no setation. Pronotum with a narrow marginal bead, visible to anterior pronotal corners. Posterior pronotal angles well-formed, just slightly obtuse-angled, sides in posterior 2/3 very strongly concave/bisinuate. 'Anchor' fully formed, longitudinal midline as a slightly elevated, impunctate, weakly microsculptured line, parallel to this line two gentle, semi-longitudinal elongate elevations in anterior half of disc. In corners of anchor feeble, oblique impressions directed outwards, in middle at sides of midline two smaller impressions. Elytra slightly broadening posteriorly, sutural corners narrowly rounded; apical sides slightly oblique and in inner halves more or less straight. Elytra with two shallow, oval impressions behind scutellum and anterior half of disc gently impressed. On head and pronotum fine coriaceous microsculpture apparent only in impressed areas, almost absent on elevated parts. Punctation on head sparse, mostly confined to posterior part and sides, on pronotum more evenly spaced, average interspaces much larger than puncture diameters; elytral punctation more even and regularly spaced, average interspaces (with indistinct coriaceous microsculpture) about as puncture diameters, punctures slightly confluent.

Abdomen. Compared to forebody, abdomen with much more sparse, finer, less distinct punctation, microsculpture on tergal apices fine coriaceous with moderately transverse cells. Tergite VII posterior margin with palisade fringe unmodified in middle (nearly uniform breadth). Tergite VIII (Fig. 206) basal edge evenly arched, without concavity in middle of basal sclerotized band; apical edge with sinuate (protruding) corners, and broad, moderately deep emargination in between. Sternite VIII with rounded apical corners, apex in males shallowly concave laterally, gently sinuate in middle; in females slightly more sinuate (convex) in middle. Tergite X unmodified, apex very slightly wider in males than in females. Aedeagus as in Fig. 140, inner sclerites as in Figs 141-142. Female ringstructures as in Figs 143-144.

COMPARATIVE NOTES: This species stands out by its sinuate lateral pronotal edges plus well formed anterior pronotal corners, and is quite impossible to confuse with any other species. By its colouration and surface sculpture somewhat similar to O. biimpressus , although both are quite distinct and perhaps not even closely related.

DISTRIBUTION: Known from Western Europe, including Portugal and Spain but excluding the British Isles.

BIONOMICS: Specimens were collected from debris on a streambank, the sandy bank of a small stream, the bank of a small river in the forest, and also captured by flight intercept trap (FIT).