Phormiobius halli Broun, 1917

Shen, Jia-Wei, Choi, Su-Ho & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2020, Revision of the New Zealand endemic genus Phormiobius (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 60 (2), pp. 553-564 : 558-559

Phormiobius halli Broun, 1917

( Figs 5 , 9, 10 )

Phormiobius halli Broun, 1917: 382 (original description).

Type material. Lൾർඍඈඍඒඉൾ: J by present designation ( BMNH): cardmounted, ‘ type [circular label with red border], 3833. J. [in Broun’s hand, label with faint blue line] // New Zealand. Broun Coll. Brit.

Mus. 1922-482. [red underline] // Belgrove. 24.10.1914. [in Broun’s hand] // Phormiobius halli . J [in Broun’s hand]’. Pൺ*©ൺඅൾർඍඈඍඒඉൾඌ: 1 J, card-mounted ( BMNH), ‘3833. J. [in Broun’s hand, label with faint blue line] // New Zealand. Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922-482. [red underline] // Belgrove. 24.10.1914. [in Broun’s hand] // Phormiobius halli . J [in Broun’s hand]’; 1 ♀, card-mounted ( BMNH), ‘3833. ♀ [in Broun’s hand] // New Zealand. Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922-482. [red underline] // Belgrove. 24.10.1914. [in Broun’s hand] // Phormiobius halli . ♀. [in Broun’s hand]’; 1 ♀, card-mounted ( BMNH), ‘3833. ♀ [in Broun’s hand] // New Zealand. Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922-482.

[red underline] // Phormiobius halli . ♀. [in Broun’s hand]’; 1 ♀, card -mounted ( BMNH), ‘3833. ♀ [in Broun’s hand] // New Zealand. Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922-482. [red underline] // Gordons. 15.11.1914.

[in Broun’s hand] // Phormiob halli . ♀. [in Broun’s hand]’; 1 spec., point-mounted ( NZAC), ‘Belgrove 24.10-14. [in Broun’s hand] // T.

Broun Collection // A.E. Brookes Collection’; 1 spec., card-mounted ( NZAC), ‘Belgrove, Oct. 1914 T. Hall [in Brookes’ hand] // 3833 [in Brookes’ hand]’; 1 ♀, card-mounted ( NZAC), ‘Belgrove, 24.11.1914.

[in Broun’s hand] // 3833, ♀ [in Broun’s hand] // Phormiobius halli , ♀ [in Broun’s hand] // T. Broun Collection, A.E. Brookes Collection’; 2 ♀♀, mounted on the same card ( NZAC), ‘3833. ♀. [in Broun’s hand]

// Belgrove, 24-10-14 [in Broun’s hand]’; 2 spec., mounted on same card ( NZAC), ‘Belgrove. Nelson. [in Brookes’ hand] // Phormiobius halli Broun. 3833. [in Brookes’ hand]’.

Additional material examined. 88 spec. (all NZAC, except where indicated): NN: 3 JJ, 3833, Hope across, 19/08/1915, T. Broun, A.E. Brookes Collection; 1 ♀, Hope, 20/02/1915, 3833, T. Broun Collection, A.E. Brookes Collection; 3 ♀♀, Hope, 10/12/1914, T. Broun Collection, A.E. Brookes Collection; 2 JJ, Maruia Springs, 09/1948, E.S.B., A.E. Brookes Collection; 1 J, Mt. Owen, 3833, 17/12/1914, T.Broun; 1 ♀, Mt. Owen, 30/3/1938, E.S. Gourlay; 1 J 3 ♀♀, Upper Maitai, 03/05/1950, E.S. Gourlay; 2 JJ 5♀♀, Upper Maitai, 13/02/1957, E.S. Gourlay; 1 J, Upper Maitai, 19/05/1941, E.S. Gourlay; 1 J, Upper Maitai, 07/04/1963, E.S. Gourlay; 1 ♀, Upper Maitai, 13/05/1950, E.S. Gourlay; 2 ♀♀, Upper Maitai, 07/03/1949, E.S. Gourlay; 1 ♀, Eves valley, 30/03/1955, E.S. Gourlay, leaf mould; 1 ♀, Dun Mountain Track, 06/12/1969, G.W. Ramsay, litter; 1 ♀, Mt. Malita, 2400ft, 01/04/1966, J.I. Townsend, moss in open area, near bush edge; 2 ♀♀, Gordons Knob, 3833, T. Broun Collection, A.E Brookes collection; 1 J, Kaituna Track, 04/12/2018, 40, 42.807S, 172 34.434E, sifting moss, R. Leschen & V. Sykora, RL2060; 1 J, Pupu Hydro Walkway, 02/12/2018, sifting moss and litter, 40, 51.338S, 172 44.300E, R. Leschen & V. Sykora, RL2048; 1 ♀ ( NMPC), Kahurangi National Park, Whanganui, 12km northwest of Collingwood, 40°60′47.4″S, 172°58′11.4″E, 25m 10/12/2016, M. Fikáček & M. Seidel lgt.; 2 ♀♀ ( NMPC), Kahurangi National Park, Pupu Hydro Track, 5.8km west of Takaka, 40.85507°S, 172.73821°E, 75m, 12/12/ 2016; M. Fikáček & M. Seidel lgt. BR: 4 JJ 7 ♀♀, Maruia Springs, 25/04/1977, J. Nunn; 2 JJ, L. Rotoiti, 03/04/1916, T. Broun, A.E. Brookes Collection; 1 J, 1 ♀, Lake Rotoiti, Brunner Peninsula Nature Walk, 16/04/2004, A.C. Eyles, moss and lichen on live tree trunks; 1 J, Lake Rotoiti, Brunner Peninsula Nature Walk, 16/04/2004, A.C. Eyles, ex. moss and fungi on ground; 2 ♀♀, Lake Rotoiti, 23/03/1977, A.K. Walker, rotten wood; 1 ♀, Lake Rotoiti, 21/03/1965, N.A. Walker, leaf litter; 1 J, Lewis Pass, 22/02/1953, A.E. Brookes; 1 J, Lewis Pass, 22/02/1958, A.E. Brookes, leaf mould; 1 ♀, Lewis Pass, 14 km east, 19/11/1961, G. Kuschel, leaf litter; 3 JJ 1♀, Lewis Pass, 3500ft, 08/12/1957 – 12/12/1957, E.S. Gourlay; 1 ♀, Arnaud, 19/05/1916, T. Broun; 2 JJ 3 ♀♀ ( FMNH), Nelson Lakes National Park, Lake Rotorua, 450m, 03/02/1977 – 07/02/1977, S. Peck & J. Peck, Nothofagus forest, berlese forest litter; 1 ♀, Howard, 10/05/1915, E.S. Gourlay; 2 ♀♀, Glenhope Scenic Reserve, 21/02/1989, J. Nunn; 1 ♀, Mt.Robert, Speargrass Track, 30/12/2005, J. T. Nunn, forest floor litter; 1 ♀, Lake Rotoroa, near road end, 05/11/2014,J.Nunn, in deep damp Nothofagus litter. MB: 4 JJ 4 ♀♀, Mt. Richmond Forest Park, Brown River,beech forest along SH6, 13/12/2007.K. Marske,J.Allwood, sifted woody debris, leaf litter and moss, S41.12.614′, E173.34.757′, 53m, KM 129; 1 ♀, Hanmer Springs, 20/10/2007, J. Nunn, washed soil sample, beech forest. Unknown locality: 4 JJ, 3833, Broun; 1 J, 3833, 18/07/1915, T. Broun Collection, A.E. Brookes Collection.

Redescription. Body ( Fig. 5A ) length 2.12–2.20 mm (J, 2.15–2.20 mm; ♀, 2.12–2.18 mm), about 2.62× as long as wide (BL/AW = 2.47–2.76). Head about 1.22× longer than wide (HL/HW = 1.16–1.27). Pronotum about as long as wide (PL/PW = 1.09–1.10). Elytra wider than long, about 0.5× as long as wide (EL/EW = 0.48–0.53) and about 0.76× as long as pronotum (EL/PL = 0.73–0.79). Abdomen about 1.22× longer than wide (AL/AW = 1.20–1.24).

Male. Eyes with 16–17 facets. Abdominal concavities ( Fig. 5B ) present on V2 and V3; C1 absent; C2 deep and polished, with lateral edges clearly demarcated and forming well-developed rims, greatest width about as wide as length of metatrochanter and slightly widened posteriorly; C3 shallow, surface setose, with apical spines, greatest width wider than length of metatrochanter; ventrite 4 without concavity. Metatrochanter ( Fig. 5C ) spinate, apex of spine rounded; metatibia ( Fig. 5D ) with distinct small apical spine. Tergite 5 ( Fig. 5E ) about 1.32× wider than long, broadly rounded; ventrite 5 ( Fig. 5F ) slightly emarginated at apex. Aedeagus ( Figs 5G–I ) with basal bulb oval in dorsal view; median lobe broad and curve-sided in dorsal view, multilobate with ventral lobe forming flattened shelf.

Female. Eyes with 15–16 facets.

Differential diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from other species by the following male characters: concavities on V2–V3 (C1 and C4 absent), C2 polished with definitive rims, C3 setose and lacking rims and with apical spines pointed; metatrochanter spinate, apex of spine rounded; metatibia with a small apical spine.

Comments. Broun described this species based on three males and nine females collected from Belgrove, southwest of Nelson, by Thomas Hall (see Wൺඍඍ 1977) among decaying flax-leaves in October 1914. We located two males and three females in the BMNH Broun collection, and one male and six females in the NZAC. There is a discrepancy among the labels of the specimens because some were dated November 24, others October 24 (and some undated as well), and a single specimen also labeled as Gordon’s, which refers to the small mountain range south of Belgrove. We treated all of these as syntypes. To stabilize this name, a lectotype ( Fig. 9) is here designated for Phormiobius halli .

Distribution. South Island: NN, BR, MB.

Figures

Fig. 5. Diagnostic characters of Phormiobius halli Broun, 1917.A – habitus; B – abdomen, in ventral view; C – metatrochanter; D – metatibia; E – T8; F – V8 and T9; G – aedeagus, in dorsal view; H – same, in lateral view; I – same, in ventral view. Scale bars: A–B = 0.5 mm, C–I = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 10. Geographic distribution of Phormiobius brouni sp. nov., P. graceae sp. nov., P. halli Broun, 1917, P. matau sp. nov., P. pseudhalli sp. nov. and P. ramsayi sp. nov.