Anhoraeomorphus lambomakandroi (Franz) Jałoszyński, 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 : 36-38

Anhoraeomorphus lambomakandroi (Franz) , comb. n.

( Figs 131–138 )

Horaeomorphus lambomakandroi Franz, 1986b: 154 .

Type material studied. Holotype (Madagascar): ♂, four labels: “Madagascar Sud-Ouest / LAMBOMAKANDRO 500m / Tuléar / 18- VII- 57 P. Griv.” [white, printed], “INSTITUT / SCIENTIFIQUE / MADAGASCAR ” [bluish, printed], “ Horaeomorphus / lambomakandroi m. / det. H.Franz ” [yellowish, handwritten and printed], “Typus” [red, handwritten] ( NHMW).

Revised diagnosis. Body ( Fig. 131 ) slender; head ( Figs 132–133 ) round, with vertex posteriorly weakly rounded; pronotum ( Fig. 131 ) bell-shaped, broadest near anterior third, with one pair of large, transverse antebasal pits; antennomere 3 ( Fig. 134 ) about as long as broad, 4–7 each elongate, 8–10 each about as long as broad; all femora similarly slender; metatibiae in male modified, slightly recurved and broadened in distal region, broadened area with elongate outer impression bordered by sharp outer edge; aedeagus ( Figs 135–138 ) in ventral view broadest near middle, apical region of dorsal wall in lateral view weakly curved dorsally, distolateral endophallic sclerites broadly separated, each elongate and with blunt subtriangular apex, each paramere with group of five short subapical setae distant from apex.

Redescription. Body of male ( Fig. 131 ) strongly convex, moderately dark brown, tarsi and palps slightly lighter; setae light brown; BL 2.43 mm.

Head ( Fig. 132 ) in anterodorsal view round, broadest at eyes, HL 0.45 mm, HW 0.48 mm; temple in lateral view ( Fig. 133 ) slightly shorter than eye; vertex and frons confluent, together weakly convex and slightly transverse; vertex posteriorly weakly rounded; each eye large and weakly convex, nearly circular, weakly projecting from head silhouette. Punctures on vertex fine, inconspicuous; setae short, dense and suberect; frons and vertex densely covered with thick bristles directed posteriorly. Antenna ( Fig. 134 ) slender but short, as long as half BL, AnL 1.25 mm, antennomeres 1–2 each elongate, 3 about as long as broad, 4–7 each elongate, 8–10 each about as long as broad, 11 slightly shorter than 9 and 10 combined, as wide as 10, nearly twice as long as broad.

Pronotum bell-shaped, broadest near anterior third; PL 0.63 mm, PW 0.53 mm. Anterior margin strongly rounded, lateral margins rounded in anterior half, weakly sinuate in posterior half; posterior corners blunt; posterior margin nearly straight. Base with one pair of large and strongly transverse pits, sublateral carinae short but distinct. Disc with fine, inconspicuous punctures; setae dense, short and suberect, lateral surface of pronotum with dense thick bristles.

Elytra together oval, broadest distinctly in front of middle; EL 1.35 mm, EW 0.90 mm, EI 1.50; humeral calli weakly elevated, basal elytral foveae barely discernible. Punctures small and shallow but distinct, those on anterior half separated by spaces slightly shorter than diameters of punctures; setae sparse, short and suberect.

Legs conspicuously long and slender, unmodified except hind tibiae, which are recurved and slightly broadened in distal regions, with dorsal broadened area longitudinally impressed and with outer sharp edge.

Aedeagus ( Figs 135–138 ) slender, AeL 0.40 mm; in ventral view suboval, broadest near middle, distally gradually narrowing and in subapical region rapidly narrowed to subtriangular apex; in lateral view apical region of dorsal wall weakly curved dorsally; endophallus with all sclerotized structures asymmetrical, distolateral sclerites broadly separated, each with subtriangular and blunt apical region; parameres broad and their apices not projecting beyond aedeagal apex, each paramere with subapical group of 5 short setae distant from apex.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Southern Madagascar (Atsimo-Andrefana Region).

Remarks. Males of Anhoraeomorphus lambomakandroi can be easily distinguished from all remaining congeners, except for one, by the body shape, slender legs with metatibiae recurved and slightly broadened in distal regions, with the broadened area longitudinally impressed and laterally delimited by an outer sharp edge, and by unique structures of the aedeagus. The exception is A. vellyi known to occur in Central Madagascar, and these names may turn out to be synonyms. Externally, the holotypes of both species (each known from one specimen) differ only in body length ( A. lambomakandroi 2.43 mm, A. vellyi 1.95 mm), relative lengths of antennae ( A. lambomakandroi AnL/Bl 0.52, A. vellyi 0.42), and in slightly (but rather indistinctively) different proportions of antennomeres. Unfortunately, the aedeagus of the holotype of A. lambomakandroi is partly erected, so the shapes and arrangement of twisted and displaced endophallic structures are difficult to compare with those in the holotype of A. vellyi , which are in repose ( Figs 183–186 ). Some of the endophallic structures seem identical, but comparison is inconclusive. The dorsal apical plate in the holotype of A. lambomakandroi is clearly more elongate, narrower than that in A. vellyi , but the distortion of median lobe does not allow for comparing other external aedeagal structures. With only two specimens at hand, I refrain from synonymizing these species names; more male specimens must be examined to clarify this problem.

Figures

FIGURES 131–138. Anhoraeomorphus lambomakandroi (Franz), holotype. Habitus in dorsal view (131); head in anterodorsal view (132); head and prothorax in lateral view (only bristles on head are shown) (133); antenna (134); aedeagus in ventral (135, 137) and lateral (136, 138) views.

FIGURES 179–186. Anhoraeomorphus vellyi (Franz), holotype. Habitus in dorsal view (179); head in anterodorsal view (180); head and prothorax in lateral view (only bristles on head are shown) (181); antenna (182); aedeagus in ventral (183, 185) and lateral (184, 186) views.