Antimerus auricomus Lea 1925

Solodovnikov, A. & Newton, A. F., 2010, Revision of the rove beetle genus Antimerus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylininae), a puzzling endemic Australian lineage of the tribe Staphylinini, ZooKeys 67, pp. 21-63 : 29-30

Antimerus auricomus Lea 1925 Figs 921-23

Antimerus auricomus Lea 1925: 229

Type locality:

AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Dorrigo [30°20'S, 152°50'E]

Material examined.

AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Holotype, mounted on card, genitalia not dissected, with labels:"auricomus / Dorrigo / Lea, TYPE", "20359 / Antimerus / auricomus Lea / N. S. Wales / TYPE", "S. Aust. Museum / specimen" [orange label], "FMNH-INS 0000 019 152", "HOLOTYPE / Antimerus / auricomus Lea / revised by / A. Solodovnikov 2006 " [red label], ♂ in SAM. Other material: Bagawa State Forest, 1260 Road, 9 km SW by S of Glenreagh, 30°7'S, 152°50'E, 17.xi.1983 (D.C.F. Rentz & M.S. Harvey), 1♂ in ANIC; Barrington Tops, 5000 ft [1525m], 13.i.1947 (L. Hopson, A. Musgrave), 1♂ in AMS; Barrington Tops, Big Hole, 21.i.1979, on trunk of Eucalyptus sp. (G.R. Brown), 1♀ in ANIC; Macksville, xii.1990 (F. Wachtel), 1♂ in NHMW; Queensland: Mt. Glorious S.F. (NW Brisbane), 750m, 27°23'S, 152°45'E, subtropical rainforest, 17-24.xii.1987, ex canopy (25m) Agyro. actinoph., IT2 (0FT) (Y. Basset), 1♂ in ZMUC; 24-31.xii.1987, ex canopy (25m) Agyro. actinoph., IT2 (0FT) (Y. Basset), 1♂ in FMNH; 7-14.i.1988, ex canopy (25m) Agyro. actinoph., IT2 (0FT) (Y. Basset), 1♂ in FMNH; 5-12.ii.1987, ex canopy (25m) Agyro. actinoph., IT4 (0FT) (Y. Basset), 1♂ in FMNH; 24-31.xii.1987, ex canopy (25m) Agyro. actinoph., IT4 (0FT) (Y. Basset), 1♀ in FMNH; Nat. Pk., 22.ii.1933, 1♀ in QM.

Description.

Measurements (n=5): HL: 1.7-2.4; HW: 2.4-2.9; PL: 2.3-2.7; PW: 2.4-3.1; EL: 3.6-4.0; EW: 2.7-3.7. Total length of the body 14-16 mm.

Head and pronotum metallic blue with purple reflection, with dense microsculpture resembling "fingerprint whorl", with moderately dense punctuation and pale pubescence; elytra brown with dark spot in the middle of disc, with dense punctuation and dense pubescence; abdomen dark brown to black, third and fourth tergites (first and second visible) with patches of dense silver pubescence laterally, fifth tergite (third visible) with black pubescence, sixth to eight tergites (fourth to sixth visible) with dense yellow pubescence; appendages brown. Body elongate, slender.

Head slightly wider than long, with tempora rapidly narrowing towards neck so that posterior angles of head indistinct; tempora as long as eye (in lateral view). Left mandible with very small but distinct tooth in the middle of its internal edge; right mandible with even smaller tooth in the same position. Antennae moderately long, with antennomeres VIII–X about as long as wide, not transverse.

Pronotum about as long as wide and as wide as head, widest before (anterior) to its middle; pronotal anterior angles distinct, posterior broadly rounded; hypomera not inflexed, visible from lateral view.

Elytron elongate, considerably longer than pronotum; elytral surface between punctures with distinct microsculpture consisting of isodiametric cells, dull.

Wings well developed.

Abdominal tergites III–VI (first to fourth visible) with deep transverse impression in basal part; tergite VII (fifth visible) with whitish seam at apical margin.

Male (Figs 21-23). Aedeagus with relatively wide (wider than median lobe in dorsal or ventral view) paramere, which is slightly notched at the apex. Sclerotized piece of internal sac triangle-shaped.

Comparison.

Among all other species of the genus, Antimerus auricomus can be easily recognized by the very characteristic coloration of the body: metallic blue with purple forebody, pale brown elytra with darker spot, and black abdomen with multicolored pubescence.

Distribution and bionomics.

Antimerus auricomus is known from several localities in eastern Australia, in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales (Fig. 55, C, circles). Specimens with more complete label data were collected in subtropical rainforest from the canopy of the tree Argyrodendron actinophyllum Edlin ( Sterculiaceae ) 25 m above ground (see Basset 1991), and on the trunk of a Eucalyptus tree.

Notes on type material.

There is a clear indication in the original description that the latter was based on a single specimen ("New South Wales: Dorrigo (unique))", which was unambiguously located at SAM and interpreted as holotype.