Espeson microphthalmus FAUVEL , 1902: 36

Irmler, U., 2012, The Neotropical species of the genera Pseudespeson L, 1994 and Espeson S, 1882 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Osoriinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 62 (2), pp. 331-360 : 342-343

Espeson microphthalmus FAUVEL, 1902: 36 ( Figs 5a,b , 16E )

Type material examined:

French Guyana: 1 female, without further data (holotype, IRSNB)

Diagnosis:

Compared to the other yellow species, E. microphthalmus can be differentiated by the overall parallel shape of the body that resembles a species of the genus Pseudespeson ; but abdominal segment III is slightly narrowed and tergite VIII is without central spine. The pronotal emargination is deep and its sides are nearly parallel with a distinct lateral margin, whereas they are concave in the other yellow Espeson species and lateral margins are absent or extremely narrow. A dorsal impression is absent as in E. adisi , but in E. adisi the shape of the pronotal emargination is concave and abdominal segment III and IV are narrowed at base. Unfortunately, only the type female is known.

Description:

Length: 1.9 mm. Colour: yellow, antennae and legs lighter yellow.

Head: 0.25 mm long, 0.30 mm wide; eyes as large as temples; temples smoothly rounded; punctation dense and deep; distance between punctures half as wide as diameter of punctures; without microsculpture; surface polished.

Antennae shorter than head and pronotum combined; 2 nd globular, 3 rd conical, both antennomeres equal in length; following 3 antennomeres at least slightly wider than long and not wider than preceding antennomeres; antennomeres 7 to 11 distinctly wider than preceding ones and distinctly wider than long; 8 th antennomere slightly smaller than preceding and following antennomere and three times wider than long; penultimate antennomeres twice as wide as long.

Pronotum: 0.28 mm long, 0.38 mm wide; distinctly emarginate in front of posterior edge; with deep impression in the emargination; widest in the middle and slightly narrowed to the anterior angles; deeply and densely punctate on the disc, punctation partly coriaceous; without microsculpture; surface polished.

Elytra: 0.45 mm long, 0.43 mm wide; punctation irregularly dense; distance between punctures as wide as or smaller than diameter of punctures; without microsculpture; surface polished.

Abdomen with similar punctation as on elytra and weak microsculpture; surface shiny, but less shiny than elytra; tergite of last abdominal segment rounded.

Figures

Figs 3-5: Espeson euplectoides (3), E. mexicanus (4), E. microphthalmus (5); a: fore body, b: antenna, c: aedeagus, e: abdominal tergite VIII of male (scale bar: a, b: 0.5 mm, c, e: 0.1 mm).

Fig. 16: Punctation of fore-body of Espson adisi (A), E. titschacki (B), E. moratus (C), E. euplectoides (D), E. microphthalmus (E); E. nevermanni (F); scale bare 0.5 mm.