Venezolanoconnus caracasensis Franz

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2012, Taxonomy of ' Euconnus complex'. Part I. Morphology of Euconnus s. str. and revision of Euconnomorphus Franz and Venezolanoconnus Franz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 3555, pp. 55-82 : 78-79

Venezolanoconnus caracasensis Franz

( Figs. 62 )

Venezolanoconnus caracasensis Franz, 1988: 82 .

Material studied. Holotype: Ƥ: four labels: "Caracas Venezuela / Quebrada Aluriperez" with "SA259" on the reverse side [white, handwritten], " Venezolanoconnus / caracasensis / det. H. Franz" [white, handwritten and printed], "Ƥ" [white, printed], " Holotypus " [red, handwritten] ( NHMW).

Diagnosis. This is the only species of Venezolanoconnus with distinctly transverse pronotum, flat median part of vertex and compact antennae with antennomeres III–IX each strongly transverse.

Redescription. Body of female ( Fig. 62 ) strongly convex, elongate but rather stout, with moderately long appendages, BL 1.70 mm; glossy, uniformly light brown with distinctly lighter palps; vestiture slightly lighter than cuticle.

Head ( Fig. 62 ) rhomboidal in shape, broadest at eyes, HL 0.25 mm, HW 0.33 mm; tempora distinctly shorter than eyes, strongly convergent caudad; vertex strongly transverse, convex on sides but distinctly flattened in middle; frons confluent with vertex, slightly convex, subtrapezoidal and steeply, abruptly declining towards strongly transverse clypeus; supraantennal tubercles barely marked; eyes large and strongly convex, nearly circular, each composed of ca. 12 relatively large and coarse ommatidia. Punctures on head dorsum fine and sparse, inconspicuous; setae short, sparse, erect, those on vertex and tempora directed caudad. Antennae ( Fig. 62 ) strikingly short and compact, AnL 0.68 mm; antennomeres I–II each about as long as broad; III–X each strongly transverse; XI 1.5× as long as broad, with blunt subconical apex.

Pronotum ( Fig. 62 ) in dorsal view approximately subtrapezoidal, broadest between middle and posterior third, PL 0.38 mm, PW 0.50 mm; anterior margin long and strongly, evenly arcuate; lateral margins strongly rounded, especially in posterior third, so that hind pronotal corners are not marked and sides form a regular arch with weakly arcuate posterior pronotal margin; base of pronotum with barely marked submedian pair of superficial transverse pits. Punctures on pronotal disc fine, inconspicuous; setae long, moderately dense and strongly erect, those on sides of pronotum bristle-like, distinctly thicker than those in middle.

Elytra ( Fig. 62 ) broadly oval and more convex than pronotum, broadest slightly behind middle, EL 1.08 mm, EW 0.85 mm, EI 1.26; base of elytra straight; humeral calli moderately prominent, each sharply delimited mesally by subhumeral line as long as nearly 0.3× EL; elytral apices separately rounded. Punctures on elytral disc more distinct and denser than those on pronotum but only superficial and with diffused margins; setae moderately long, moderately sparse and suberect, about as thin as those on vertex and distinctly thinner than those on sides of pronotum. Hind wings not studied.

Legs ( Fig. 62 ) moderately long and slender; all tibiae nearly straight.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Northern Venezuela, Capital District.

Figures

FIGURES 59 – 64. Morphology of Venezolanoconnus Franz. 59 – 61, V. andinus Franz, holotype male, dorsal habitus (59), head in frontal view (60), head and prothorax in left lateral view (61). 62, V. caracasensis Franz, dorsal habitus of female holotype. 63 – 64, V. ranchoi, dorsal habitus of male holotype (63), head of female paratype in frontal view (64).