Scydmaenilla (Scydmaenilla) constricta Lea

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2013, Revision of subgenera of Stenichnus Thomson, with review of Australo-Pacific species (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 3630 (1), pp. 39-79 : 70-72

Scydmaenilla (Scydmaenilla) constricta Lea , stat. rest.

( Figs. 93 , 99 , 105 , 111 –112)

Scydmaenilla constricta Lea, 1910: 187 .

Stenichnus (Scydmaenilla) constrictus (Lea) ; Franz, 1975: 136, Fig. 114 .

Lectotype designation. Lea (1910) in the original description did not specify the number of type specimens, he only stated that S. constricta was collected in Hobart, Tasmania "in nests of Amblyopone australis ". Franz (1975) mentioned three specimens from the Lea Coll. preserved at SAM, a male holotype and two females, all collected in Hobart, in a nest of an ant Amblyopone australis Erichson. These three specimens were examined during the present study. One of them, a male, bears the original set of labels with the red annotation " TYPE " ( Fig. 105 ) and is accompanied by an ant specimen on the same pin. The females, each on a separate mounting card and pin, are provided with labels apparently written later, with a different hand and a blue ball pen. Both labels read only " Scydmaenilla constricta Lea , Tasmania", with " Type " on one of them, and "Cotype" on the other. It is reasonable to assume that all three specimens belong to the type series and are syntypes, and the male was erroneously interpreted by Franz as a holotype. The mention of the word " holotype " in Franz's redescription (Franz 1975) cannot be treated as a valid lectotype designation (ICZN 74.5) because Franz did not select the male syntype from the type series to serve as a name-bearing type, but rather merely misidentified the specimen as a holotype. Therefore, to ensure the stability of nomenclature and to provide a unique name-bearing type for Scydmaenilla constricta , the male specimen bearing the original set of labels is designated a lectotype in the present work.

Type material studied. Lectotype (here designated): 3: two original labels ( Fig. 105 ): " constricta / Lea TYPE / Hobart" [white, handwritten in black], "13804 / Scydmaenilla / constricta Lea / Tasmania" and " TYPE " along right margin [white, handwritten in black and red] (SAM). Paralectotypes: 2 ƤƤ: " Scydmaenilla / constricta Lea / Tasmania", one with annotation " Type ", the other one "Cotype" [white, handwritten in blue] (SAM).

Diagnosis. Body length about 1.5 mm; elytra moderately slender, EI about 1.5; antennal club with distinctly asymmetrical antennomere X; each metatibia with short and slender sub-apical setal brush; lateral metaventral carinae absent; short median longitudinal groove on posterior pronotal collar absent; lateral marginal pronotal carinae barely discernible.

Redescription. Body of male strongly convex, elongate and slender, with long appendages, BL 1.45 mm; glossy, uniformly reddish-brown with slightly lighter maxillary palps; vestiture yellowish.

Head ( Fig. 93 ) approximately subtriangular, broadest at eyes, HL 0.25 mm, HW 0.25 mm; tempora distinctly shorter than eyes; vertex distinctly transverse and weakly, evenly convex, anteriorly demarcated from frons by a pair of large but shallow impressions nearly adjacent in middle and located postero-mesally to distinct but weakly raised supraantennal tubercles; frons between antennal insertions convex; eyes moderately large and convex, nearly circular. Punctures on head dorsum fine and sparse, inconspicuous; setae short, sparse, suberect. Antennae ( Fig. 93 ) moderately long, with distinct club composed of antennomeres IX–XI, with strongly asymmetrical antennomere X, AnL 0.65 mm; antennomeres I–II strongly elongate, III–VIII each about as long as broad or only slightly elongate, IX–X distinctly transverse, XI 1.5 × as long as broad.

Pronotum ( Fig. 93 ) in dorsal view with large and oval discal part broadest near anterior third of PL and short posterior collar demarcated by shallow lateral constriction, PL 0.38 mm, PW 0.30 mm; anterior and lateral margins of discal part confluent and rounded; posterior margin arcuate; hind pronotal corners indistinctly marked, blunt and obtuse; posterior collar dorsally distinctly demarcated by sharply marked, narrow and arcuate transverse groove connecting a pair of small lateral ante-basal foveae; lateral marginal carinae barely discernible. Punctures on pronotal disc very fine and inconspicuous, those on posterior collar distinct and dense, but shallow; setae long, sparse and suberect to erect.

Elytra ( Fig. 93 ) oval and more convex than pronotum, broadest between middle and anterior third, EL 0.83 mm, EW 0.56 mm, EI 1.47; humeral calli moderately distinct, developed as elongate protuberances; elytral apices separately rounded. Punctures on elytral disc more distinct than those on pronotum but shallow, sparse and inconspicuous; setae moderately long, sparse and suberect. Hind wings well-developed, twice as long as elytra.

Legs long and slender; all tibiae straight or nearly straight, each metatibia with short and slender setal brush at apex.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 111–112 ) relatively stout, approximately oval, AeL 0.16 mm, with subtriangular and welldemarcated apical part; internal armature lightly sclerotized, with sub-basal central complex and sub-apical lateral groups of fine needle-like sclerites; parameres short and robust, each with one apical and two subapical setae, proximal subapical seta inserted on distinct lateral projection.

Female ( Figs. 93 , 99 ). Externally indistinguishable from male, with similarly developed asymmetrical antennomere X and setal brush on metatibial apices; BL 1.50 mm; HL 0.25 mm, HW 0.26 mm, AnL 0.58 mm; PL 0.38 mm, PW 0.33 mm; EL 0.88 mm, EW 0.58 mm, EI 1.52.

Distribution. Southeastern Tasmania.

Remarks. Scydmaenilla constricta , S. queenslandica and S. thompsoniana (a possible synonym of S. queenslandica , see Remarks for S. thompsoniana ) are unique within Scydmaenilla in having an asymmetrical antennomere X. Scydmaenilla constricta differs from S. queenslandica in having the antennomere X more distinctly asymmetrical (only slightly asymmetrical in S. queenslandica ), weakly marked punctation of the elytral disc (densely and distinctly punctate in S. queenslandica ) and a different body shape and length (1.45–1.50 vs. 1.18 mm in S. queenslandica ). Moreover, the aedeagi of these two species are clearly different ( Figs. 111–112 vs. 114–115).

Figures

FIGURES 93 – 98. Dorsal habitus of Scydmaenilla. Scydmaenilla (s. str.) constricta Lea, paralectotype female (93), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) queenslandica Franz, holotype male (94), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) thompsoniana, holotype female (95), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) brisbanensis, holotype female (96), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) sydneyana, holotype female (97), Scydmaenilla (Scydmaenillunia) adelaidensis Franz, holotype female (98).

FIGURES 99 – 104. Ven t er of Scydmaenilla. Scydmaenilla (s. str.) constricta Lea, paralectotype female (99), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) queenslandica Franz, holotype male (100), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) thompsoniana, holotype female (101), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) brisbanensis, holotype female (102), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) sydneyana, holotype female (103), Scydmaenilla (Scydmaenillunia) adelaidensis Franz, holotype female (104). Abbreviations: ai, asetose impression of mesoventrite; lmtc, lateral metaventral carina; pl, posterior lobe of mesocoxal projection; si, setose impression of mesoventrite.

FIGURES 105 – 110. Original sets of labels. Scydmaenilla (s. str.) constricta Lea, lectotype (105), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) queenslandica Franz, holotype (106), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) thompsoniana, holotype (107), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) brisbanensis, holotype (108), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) sydneyana, holotype (109), Scydmaenilla (Scydmaenillunia) adelaidensis Franz, holotype (110).

FIGURES 111 – 115. Aedeagus in ventral (111, 114) and lateral (112, 115) views, and spermatheca (113). Scydmaenilla (s. str.) constricta Lea, lectotype (111 – 112), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) brisbanensis, holotype (113), Scydmaenilla (s. str.) queenslandica Franz, holotype (114 – 115).