Blattivorus inquirendus ( Silvestri, 1906 ), 2009

Batelka, Jan, 2009, Confirmation of the synonymy of Rhyzostylops with Blattivorus and the description of the male of Blattivorus inquirendus (Coleoptera: Ripiphoridae: Ripidiinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (1), pp. 247-251 : 248-250

Blattivorus inquirendus ( Silvestri, 1906) comb. nov.

( Figs. 1–3 )

Rhyzostylops inquirendus Silvestri, 1906: 317 .

Specimen examined. ITALY: 1 ♁, ‘Venturina LI-I- [Livorno, Italy] 2000 / malaise Bianca/Nera / 11/16-VIII / 16°01’.17 N - 10°36’.34 E / leg. F. Strumia [printed label]’.

Description of male. Body length 4.0 mm (because of the possible deformation caused by desiccation, the real body length can be ca. 4.5 mm). Body dark brown, less sclerotized parts light brown, hind wings fuscous with brown veins, whole body (except mesothorax) and all appendages covered with long, pale, erect pubescence.

Head globular, slightly narrower than base of pronotum. Eyes large, consisting of large isolated convex ommatidia, with long setae inserted in spaces between them. Eyes occupying two thirds of central part of dorsal side of head and whole ventral side of head, well separated dorsally by median line. Postocular ommatidia absent. Mouth parts extremely reduced to knob-like stylus inserted on ventral side of head.

Antennae inserted anteriorly, antennal sockets well separated. Antennae consisting of 10 antennomeres: scape twice as wide as long, robust, pedicel small, rounded, almost hidden in scape, antennomere 3 shortly extended anteriorly, appressed to antennomere 4, antennomeres 4–10 bearing long and flat processes, touching each other, antennomeres 4–9 curved at base.

Pronotum slightly wider than long, elevated and saddle-like anteriorly. Central part of pronotum with deep U-shaped impression.

Mesothoracic scutum divided medially into two glabrous lobes. Elytra shortened, reaching end of first abdominal segment, each elytron three times as long as wide, rounded at tip, glabrous in basal part.

Legs long and slender, femora of all legs widest at midlength, tibiae narrow, wider apically, tarsal formula 5-5-4, hind tarsomere 1 longer than the three remaining combined, claws simple.

Abdomen long and narrow, slightly shorter than hind wings.

Genitalia not examined.

Figures

Figs.1–4. Blattivorus inquirendus (Silvestri, 1906). 1 – male habitus; 2 – male, detail of antennae, head and pronotum; 3–4 – female habitus (after SILVESTRI 1906): 3 – dorsal view, 4 – ventral view.