Euconnus (Tetramelus) andasyensis Franz, 2024

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2024, The ‘ curse of Horaeomorphus’ (almost) lifted. Revision of misplaced species from Madagascar, Comoros and Mascarenes (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 5505 (1), pp. 1-96 : 62-64

Euconnus (Tetramelus) andasyensis Franz , stat rev.

( Figs 228–235 )

Euconnus (Anthicimorphus) andasyensis Franz, 1986b: 242 .

Horaeomorphus andasyensis (Franz) ; Jałoszyński (2014b): 12 (result of placing Anthicimorphus as junior synonym of Horaeomorphus ).

Type material studied. Holotype ( Madagascar): ♂, four labels: “ Madagascar Est / dct. Sambaya / Réserve nat. XII / Andasy II alt. 1.550m / V- 59 P. Soga” [white, printed], “ Euconnus / Anthicimorphus / andasyensis m. / det. H.Franz ” [yellowish, handwritten and printed], “ ♂ ” [white, printed], “ Typus ” [red, handwritten] ( NHMW).

Revised diagnosis. Body ( Fig. 228 ) slender, dorsum impunctate and asetose; head ( Figs 229–230 ) pentagonal, with vertex posteriorly truncate; pronotum bell-shaped, broadest between middle and anterior third, with one pair of small round antebasal pits; antenna ( Fig. 231 ) slender but short, with antennomeres 1–8 each strongly elongate, 9 and 10 weakly elongate; aedeagus ( Figs 232–235 ) in ventral view stout fusiform, broadest near middle, ventral apical wall broadly and shallowly emarginate distally, dorsal apical wall forming broad subtrapezoidal process with concave lateral margins and truncate apex, each paramere slender, slightly broadened in subapical region, with three long apical setae, of which one is longer than others.

Redescription. Body of male ( Fig. 228 ) strongly elongate and flattened, head and pronotum dark umbra brown, elytra, legs except tarsi and antennae distinctly lighter, light umbra brown, tarsi and palps slightly lighter than elytra; setae yellowish; BL 1.73 mm.

Head ( Figs 229–230 ) in anterodorsal view pentagonal, about as long as broad, broadest at eyes, HL 0.30 mm, HW 0.33 mm; temple in lateral view ( Fig. 230 ) slightly less than twice as long as eye; vertex and frons confluent, together weakly convex and about as long as broad; vertex posteriorly truncate; each eye moderately large and strongly convex but weakly projecting from head silhouette, with nearly straight posterior margin. Frons and vertex impunctate and asetose. Antenna ( Fig. 231 ) slender but short, as long as about half BL, with indistinctly delimited tetramerous club, AnL 0.93 mm, antennomeres 1–8 each strongly elongate, 9 and 10 weakly elongate, 11 only slightly longer than 10 and indistinctly broader, about 1.7 times as long as broad.

Pronotum bell-shaped, broadest between middle and anterior third; PL 0.45 mm, PW 0.35 mm. Anterior margin strongly rounded, lateral margins strongly rounded in anterior half, weakly sinuate in posterior half; posterior corners blunt; posterior margin nearly straight. Base with one pair of small round pits. Disc impunctate and asetose.

Elytra together oval, broadest slightly behind middle; EL 0.98 mm, EW 0.60 mm, EI 1.63; humeral calli angulate and weakly elevated, basal elytral foveae vestigial but discernible. Elytra impunctate and asetose.

Legs long and slender, unmodified.

Aedeagus ( Figs 232–235 ) stout, AeL 0.30 mm; in ventral view fusiform, broadest near middle, distally gradually narrowing; ventral apical wall distally shallowly and broadly emarginate, dorsal apical wall forming broad subtrapezoidal process with concave lateral margins and truncate apex, endophallic sclerites complex and asymmetrical; each paramere slender, with slightly broadened subapical region, bearing three long apical setae, of which one is longer than others.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Northern Madagascar (Sava Region).

Remarks. Euconnus andasyensis is not similar to E. andasyi ; it can be distinguished from all remaining Malagasy Tetramelus spp. by impunctate and asetose dorsum, head and pronotum darker than elytra, head pentagonal, antennae with indistinctly delimited tetramerous clubs and all antennomeres elongate (9 and 10 weakly so), pronotum with only one pair of antebasal pits, and uniquely shaped aedeagus.

Figures

FIGURES 228–235. Euconnus (Tetramelus) andasyensis Franz, holotype. Habitus in dorsal view (228); head in anterodorsal view (229); head and prothorax in lateral view (230); antenna (231); aedeagus in ventral (232, 234) and lateral (233, 235) views.