Tachyusa harfordi Casey, 1885

Pa ṡnik, Grzegorz, 2006, A revision of the World species of the genus Tachyusa Erichson, 1837 (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Zootaxa 1146, pp. 1-152 : 118-119

Tachyusa harfordi Casey, 1885 ( Figs. 120–122)

Tachyusa harfordi Casey, 1885: 304 .

Gnypeta harfordi: Casey, 1906: 202 .

Type material. Lectotype (here designated): ♂: Cal., Casey bequest 1925, type 38872 ( USNM) ; Paralectotypes: ♂ and 3♀♀: same data as the lectotype ( USNM) .

Redescription. Body. Length 3.1–3.3 mm; convex, parallel­sided, glossy; body colour brown, elytra brownish red, legs reddish brown, antennae brown.

Head circular in outline, convex; eyes moderately protruding from lateral contours of head, length of each seen from above subequal to that of postocular region; surface of head without microsculpture; puncturation fine and dense. Antennae long, clearly increasing in width apically, antennomeres 2 and 3 subequal in length, antennomeres 4–9 longer than wide, antennomere 10 quadrate, antennomere 11 nearly conical.

Pronotum quadrate; lateral sides gradually narrowed in straight line to obtuse hind angles; before base with small and shallow transverse impression; narrowly and shallowly impressed medially; surface without microsculpture; puncturation fine, dense and asperate; pubescence at midline directed posteriorly.

Elytra subquadrate, at suture shorter than pronotal length at midline; surface lacking microsculpture; puncturation fine, dense and asperate.

Abdomen parallel­sided, bases of tergites 3–5 each with deep transverse impression, impressions with 7–8 longitudinal ridges, tergal puncturation fine and moderately dense, punctures small and well visible, tergite 7 with isodiametric mesh microsculpture.

Male. Aedeagus as in Figs. 120–121.

Female. Spermatheca as in Fig. 122.

Remarks. Externally, Tachyusa harfordi is similar to T. americana Casey, 1906 , but may be readily separated from that species by the tergal basal transverse impressions without median carina, the larger eyes, the antennomeres 2 and 3 subequal in length and by the shape of the genitalia.

Distribution. Tachyusa harfordi is known from North America, but its distribution is poorly documented.