Acylophorus delphinus Fauvel, 1905

(Figs. 52–66, 175)

Acylophorus delphinus Fauvel, 1905: 181; Bernhauer and Schubert, 1914: 438; Jarrige, 1965: 141; Herman, 2001: 3028; Lott, 2010: 9 (characters, Figs.).

Type locality. Madagascar, Ambovombé, ca. 25 10' S, 46 05' E.

Type material examined. Holotype ♂: MADAGASCAR: “Ambovombé Madag.”, “ Acylophorus Nordmann ”, “ delphinus Fvl. ”, “R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479 Coll. et det. A. Fauvel”, “ TYPE ”, “ HOLOTYPE Acylophorus delphinus Fauvel m# det. DA Lott, 2009” (IRSNB).

Additional material examined. MADAGASCAR: 2 ♂: NW Madagascar, Morondava distr., Kirindi Forest, 4.– 8.1.2002, J. Rolčík lgt. (JJRC); 1 ♀: Mahajanga prov., Mahajamba riv., Ampatika env., 10.– 12.12.1996, Ivo Jeniš lgt. (JJRC); 1 ♂: 60 km N Morondava, Kirindi, 100 m, 5.– 7.1.2004, S. Murzin & A. Shamaev leg. (JJRC).

Redescription (n=5). Body length 6.8–7.6 mm (M= 7.2 mm, HT= 7.2 mm), forebody length 3.0– 3.2 mm (M= 3.1 mm, HT= 3.2 mm). Body (Fig. 52) brown, apical margins of abdominal segment reddish, abdominal tergites markedly iridescent; antennae brown with base of first two segments and segment 11 light reddish; legs reddish yellow, maxillary palpi reddish yellow, last segment brown.

Head subrounded (Fig. 53), about as long as wide (L/W=0.97–1.04, M=1.00, HT=1.01), slightly widened behind eyes, with two pairs of interocular setae. Temples markedly shorter than eyes (LT/LE=0.63–0.69, M=0.65, HT=0.67). Dorsal side of head shining, without micropunctures. Dense pale grey pubescence behind eyes. Four postocular setae visible on each side, additional seta on hind margin of eye absent. Left mandible with two sharp teeth, right mandible with three sharp teeth (Fig. 54). Maxillary palpi with terminal segment wide and long, pubescent, asymmetric, markedly wider and much longer than glabrous penultimate segment which is triangular (Fig. 55). First segment of antenna nearly as long as next four; segments 1 to 7 elongate, segment 5 markedly elongate (R=1.58–1.69, M=1.62, HT=1.69), segment 8 about as long as wide, segment 9 slightly transverse, segment 10 markedly transverse (R=0.68–0.82, M=0.75, HT=0.82).

Pronotum markedly transverse (R=1.14–1.21, M=1.16, HT=1.12), markedly widened behind with sides slightly rounded, widest in basal half (Fig. 53), shining, without micropunctures. One pair of dorsal setae and one pair of lateral setae. Marginal setae short. Elytra transverse (R=1.43–1.52, M=1.47, HT=1.52) with short, pale, but not shining pubescence arising from dense aspirate punctures. Apical fringe of bristles slightly longer than pubescence on other parts of the elytra. Abdominal tergites with relativelly short, moderately dense pubescence, arising from aspirate punctures more coarse and sparser than on elytra.

Meso- and metatarsi with empodial setae longer than claws (similar as in Figs. 9, 10).

Male (n=5). Sternite 9 long and narrow (Fig. 64), apex of tergite 10 narrowly rounded, with very long apical setae (Fig. 63). Aedeagus (Figs. 56–62) 0.81–0.87 mm long (M = 0.84 mm, HT = 0.87 mm). Parameres bilobed, lobes widely separated, apically slightly widened, sensory pegs confusedly arranged at the very apex (Fig. 62). Median lobe of aedeagus markedly overreaching paramere, apex rounded (Figs. 58–60, 62).

Female. Tergite 10 pointed apically (Fig. 65), valves as in Fig. 66.

Differential diagnosis. Acylophorus delphinus is similar to A. orientalis Fauvel, 1907 from continental Africa, but can be distinguished by the pale terminal segment of the maxillary palpi, the longer additional postocular seta on the hind margin of the eye and the shape of the aedeagus.

Distribution. The species is known only from South and South-west Madagascar (Fig. 175).

Bionomics. Nothing is known about the bionomics of the new species.

Discussion. The unique male type from Ambovombe was studied by Jarrige (1965, wrongly reported as a female) and Lott (2010). Additional material is from south-western part of Madagascar.