Earota Mulsant & Rey, 1874

Gusarov, Vladimir I., 2002, A revision of Nearctic species of the genus Earota Mulsant & Rey, 1874 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Zootaxa 92, pp. 1-16 : 2-5

Earota Mulsant & Rey, 1874 a ( Figs. 1­34 )

Earota Mulsant & Rey, 1874a: 154 .

Earota Mulsant & Rey, 1874b: 122 (synonymic homonym). Macroterma Casey, 1906: 335 (as a genus in tribe Myrmedoniini Thomson, 1867 ).

Atheta (Macroterma) : Casey, 1910a: 9 (as valid subgenus).

Atheta (Macroterma) : Casey, 1910b: 106 (as valid subgenus).

Atheta (Earota) : Fenyes, 1920: 206 (as valid subgenus).

Atheta (Macroterma) : Fenyes, 1920: 206 (as synonym of Atheta ( Earota )).

Atheta (Earota) : Bernhauer & Scheerpeltz, 1926: 655 (as valid subgenus).

Atheta (Macroterma) : Bernhauer & Scheerpeltz, 1926: 655 (as synonym of Atheta ( Earota )).

Ischnopoda (Earota) : Blackwelder, 1952: 138 (as valid subgenus).

Ischnopoda (Macroterma) : Blackwelder, 1952: 138 (as synonym of Ischnopoda ( Earota )).

Earota: Seevers, 1978: 132 (as valid genus in subtribe Thamiaraeina Fenyes, 1921 ).

Macroterma: Seevers, 1978: 132 (as synonym of Earota ).

Earota: Ashe in Newton, Thayer, Ashe & Chandler, 2000: 371 (as valid genus; tribe Athetini Casey, 1910a , not assigned to subtribe).

Macroterma: Ashe in Newton, Thayer, Ashe & Chandler, 2000: 371 (as synonym of Earota ).

Diagnosis. Earota can be distinguished from other aleocharine genera by the combination of the following characters: broad body; last antennal article as long as three preceding combined; ligula with wide base, split into two lobes ( Fig. 10 ); pronotum transverse, with microsetae directed posteriorly along the midline of the disc (Type II, Benick & Lohse 1974) ( Fig. 13 ); pronotal macrosetae moderately long; pronotal hypomera fully visible in lateral view; mesocoxae separated ( Fig. 14 ); medial macroseta of mesotibia inconspicuous, shorter than tibial width; tarsal formula 4­5­5; metatarsal segment 1 slightly longer than segment 2; one empodial seta for each tarsus; apical process of median lobe of aedeagus straight or slightly bent ventrally in lateral view ( Figs. 21, 26, 28 ).

Earota differs from Tropimenelytron Pace, 1983 by larger and broader body; base of ligula narrower; medial area of prementum with pseudopores; first segment of labial palpus with seta present; complete infraorbital carina, transverse pronotum; and different shape of spermatheca.

Earota differs from Geostiba Thomson, 1858 by larger and broader body; first segment of labial palpus with seta present; mesocoxae widely separated by broad mesosternal process; large and broad medial lamellae of internal sac of aedeagus; and different shape of spermatheca.

Earota differs from Pelioptera Kraatz, 1857 by larger body; large and broad medial lamellae of internal sac of aedeagus; and different shape of spermatheca.

Description. Length 3.0­ 4.5 mm. Body broad, dark brown with lighter elytra and legs.

Head as long as wide; eyes large, 1.2­1.5 times as long as temples; infraorbital carina complete. Antennal article 2 as long as article 3, article 10 transverse, article 11 as long as articles 8­10 combined ( Fig. 6 ). Labrum ( Fig. 1 ) transverse, anterior margin concave. Adoral surface of labrum (epipharynx) as in Fig. 2 . Mandibles ( Figs. 3­5 ) broad, medial tooth of right mandible inconspicuous; dorsal molar area with velvety patch consisting of tiny denticles (visible at 400x). Maxilla ( Figs. 7­9 ) with galea extending slightly beyond apex of lacinia; apical lobe of galea covered with numerous fine and short setae; apex of lacinia with row of closely spaced spines, middle portion covered with numerous setae. Maxillary palpus with four segments ( Fig. 7 ). Labium as in Figs. 10­12 ; labial palpi with three segments ( Fig. 10 ); first segment with setae and present; ligula with wide base, split into two lobes; medial area of prementum with 9­12 pseudopores, lateral areas with 3 pores and single spinose pore. Hypopharyngeal lobes as in Fig. 11 . Mentum ( Fig. 12 ) with slightly concave anterior margin, medial area with numerous pores.

Pronotum ( Fig. 13 ) transverse, broadest at middle, anterior margin straight, lateral and posterior margins convex; surface covered with microsetae directed posteriorly in midline, posteriorly and obliquely laterally in lateral areas (Type II, Benick & Lohse 1974); macrosetae moderately long; hypomera fully visible in lateral view. Meso ­ metasternum as in Fig. 14 , mesosternal process wide, extended about 1/2 length of mesocoxal cavities, metasternal process about 1/4 length of mesocoxal cavities; mesosternum and mesosternal process not carinate medially; relative lengths of mesosternal process: isthmus: metasternal process in ratio of about 14:8:9; mesocoxal cavities margined posteriorly; mesocoxae separated. Medial macroseta of mesotibia inconspicuous, shorter than tibial width. Tarsal segmentation 4­5­5; metatarsal segment 1 slightly longer than segment 2. One empodial seta. Wings fully developed. Posterior margin of elytra straight.

Abdominal terga 3­5 with moderately transverse basal impression. Tergum 7 as long as tergum 6. Punctation on terga 6­7 sparser than on terga 3­5. Tergum 7 with white palisade fringe.

Median lobe of aedeagus narrows apically (in parameral view; Figs. 20, 25, 27 ), apex straight or slightly bent ventrally (in lateral view; Figs. 21, 26, 28 ). Parameres with apical lobe bearing one long and three short macrosetae ( Fig. 24 ). Copulatory piece of internal sac with narrow apical process ( Figs. 29, 32­33 ). Medial lamellae (in ventral view) broad, apically with hook­like process each ( Figs. 29, 31, 33 ).

Type species. Homalota reyi Kiesenwetter, 1850 by monotypy.

Discussion. The type species of Macroterma ( M. alutacea , by original designation) shares with the type species of Earota all characters listed in the above description. The two species differ from each other only in proportions of antennal segments, in the shape of aedeagus and spermatheca, and in male secondary sexual characters of terga 7 and 8. Therefore, the commonly accepted synonymy of Earota and Macroterma ( Fenyes 1920; Bernhauer & Scheerpeltz 1926; Seevers 1978; Newton et al. 2000) is reconfirmed.

Figures

FIGURES 1 ­ 5. Mouthparts of Earota dentata (Bernhauer) (Terrace, British Columbia). 1 – labrum; 2 – epipharynx; 3 – left mandible, dorsal view; 4 – left mandible, ventral view; 5 – right mandible, dorsal view. Scale bar 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 6 ­ 12. Mouthparts and antenna of Earota dentata (Bernhauer) (Terrace, British Columbia). 6 – antenna, 7 – right maxilla, ventral view; 8 – right lacinia, dorsal view; 9 – right galea, dorsal view; 10 – prementum; 11 – hypopharynx; 12 – mentum. Scale bar 0.4 mm (6), 0.2 mm (7), 0.1 mm (8 ­ 12).

FIGURES 13 ­ 15. Details of Earota dentata (Bernhauer) (Terrace, British Columbia). 13 – pronotum; 14 – mesometathorax, ventral view; 15 – male tergum 7. Scale bar 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 16 ­ 19. Details of abdominal segment 8 of Earota dentata (Bernhauer) (16, 18 ­ 19, Terrace, British Columbia; 17, Black Lake, Arizona). 16 – male tergum 8; 17 – male sternum 8; 18 – female tergum 8; 19 – female sternum 8. Scale bar 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 20 ­ 28. Genitalia of Earota dentata (Bernhauer) (20 ­ 21, 25 ­ 26, Black Lake, Arizona; 22 ­ 24, Terrace, British Columbia; 27 ­ 28, Pine Hills Station, Illinois). 20 – median lobe of aedeagus, parameral view; 21 – median lobe of aedeagus, lateral view; 22 ­ 23 – spermatheca; 24 – apical lobe of left paramere, side facing median lobe; 25, 27 – apex of median lobe, parameral view; 26, 28 – apex of median lobe, lateral view. Scale bar 0.4 mm (20 ­ 23), 0.2 mm (24 ­ 28).

FIGURES 29 ­ 33. Male genitalia of Earota dentata (Bernhauer) (29 ­ 32, Terrace, British Columbia; 33, Mt. Pagano, Italy) and E. reyi (Kiesenwetter). 29, 33 – everted internal sac of aedeagus, parameral view; 30 – everted internal sac of aedeagus, lateral view; 31 – medial lamellae, ventral view; 32 – copulatory piece, ventral view. Scale bar 0.2 mm (29 ­ 30, 33), 0.1 mm (31 ­ 32).

FIGURE 34. Geographical distribution of Earota dentata (Bernhauer) ().