Mentophilonthus mongendensis ( Bernhauer, 1928 )

Hromádka, Lubomír, 2009, Revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Mentophilonthus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 49 (1), pp. 119-160 : 139-140

Mentophilonthus mongendensis ( Bernhauer, 1928)

( Figs. 56–63 )

Philonthus (Philonthus) mongendensis Bernhauer, 1928: 114 .

Mentophilonthus mongendensis: LEVASSEUR (1966: 211) .

Type locality. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mongende.

Type material. not examined.

Material examined. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: 2 ♀♀ 1♁, ‘Congo Belge, Libenga, 8.i.1948, R. Cremer – M. Neuman.’ ( IRSB, LHPC).

Redescription. Body length: 8.3–8.6 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 3.8– 4.1 mm.

Colouration. Head black, clypeus, labrum and mandibles black-brown, antennal sockets brown-yellow, pronotum, elytra, abdomen, palpi black-brown, antennomere 1 and base of antennomere 2 brown-black, remaining antennomeres black, femora and tarsi brown-yellow, tibiae brown-black.

Head of oval shape, longer than wide (ratio 25: 20). Eyes flat, somewhat longer than temples (ratio 9: 7). Anterior margin of each eye with two small punctures, posterior margin of each eye with two coarse punctures. Temporal area with two long, black, bristles. Surface with fine microsculpture consisting of transverse and oblique waves and numerous microscopic dots.

Antennae reaching posterior fifth of pronotum when reclined, all antennomeres longer than wide. Antennomere 1 longer than antennomeres 2–3 combined, antennomere 11 as long as antennomere 4. Relative lengths of antennomeres: 1 = 9; 2 = 3.5; 3 = 4.5; 4–8 = 4; 9–10 = 3; 11 = 4.

Pronotum longer than wide (ratio 30: 25), hardly narrowed anteriad, posterior angles entirely rounded. Each dorsal row with two punctures. Each sublateral row with one puncture situated at midwidth between dorsal row and lateral margin, close to second puncture of dorsal row. Microsculpture similar to that on head.

Scutellum densely and finely punctate, punctures distinctly smaller than those on elytra. Microsculpture almost indistinct.

Elytra combined wider than long (ratio 39: 34), slightly widened posteriad. Anterior angles each with one long, black bristle. Punctation fine and dense, punctures as large as eye-facets, separated mostly by puncture diameter in transverse direction. Longitudinal row of four coarser punctures situated at about midwidth of each elytron. Surface without microsculpture; setation black.

Legs. Metatibia as long as metatarsus, metatarsomere 1 as long as metatarsomeres 4–5 combined, metatarsomere 5 as long as metatarsomere 2. Relative lengths of metatarsomeres: 1 = 7; 2 = 4; 3 = 3.5; 4 = 3; 5 = 4.

Abdomen parallel-sided anteriorly, slightly narrowed posteriad from visible tergite VI. First four visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between basal lines with a few microscopic dots. Punctation of visible tergites very fine and rather sparse, much sparser than that on elytra; setation similar to that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1–3 strongly dilated, sub-bilobed, densely covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 distinctly narrower than preceding ones. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 60 ), sternite IX ( Fig. 61 ), aedeagus ( Figs. 56–59 ).

Female. Protarsomeres 1–3 much less dilated than those of male, protarsomere 4 small. Tergite X. ( Fig. 62 ), gonocoxite of female genital segment ( Fig. 63 ).

Differential diagnosis. Mentophilonthus mongendensis may be distinguished from the similar M. dilutior by the darker antennomeres 1–2, longer antennomeres 1–11 and denser punctation of the elytra; it differs from M. centrafricanus by the darker first two antennomeres. The species differs from both above species by the different shape of the aedeagus.

Bionomics. Unknown.

Distribution. Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Figures

Figs. 56–68. 56–63 – Mentophilonthus mongedensis (Bernhauer, 1928): 56–59 – aedeagus (56 – ventral view, 57 – lateral view, 58 – ventral view, without paramere, 59 – underside of paramere with sensory peg setae); 60 – apical portion of male sternite VIII, ventral view; 61 – male sternite IX, ventral view; 62 – female tergite X, dorsal view; 63 – gonocoxites of female genital segment. 64–68 – Mentophilonthus ochrigonalis (Tottenham, 1962). 64–67 – aedeagus (64 – ventral view, 65 – ventral view, without paramere, 66 – lateral view, 67 – underside of paramere with sensory peg setae); 68 – male sternite IX, ventral view.