Anaulacaspis desertorum ( FAUVEL, 1898 )

Assing, Volker, 2016, Revision of the Anaulacaspis species of the Palaearctic region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 66 (2), pp. 201-255 : 236-237

Anaulacaspis desertorum ( FAUVEL, 1898)

( Figs 102–107 , Map 4 )

Falagria desertorum FAUVEL, 1898: 106 .

Type material examined: Lectotype ♂ [dissected by R. Pace]: “ Sfax, Tunisie / Coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Falagria desertorum Fauvel, R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479 / Ex-Typis / G. Fagel elig., 1968, Falagria desertorum Fauv. , Lectotype / vidit R. Pace 1985 / Anaulacaspis desertorum (Fauvel) , det. V. Assing 2016” ( IRSNB) . Paralectotypes: 2 ♀♀: “ Desertorum Fvl. Tunisie / R.I.Sc. N.B. 17.479, Falagria, Coll. et det. A. Fauvel / Ex-Typis / Syntype / Falagria desertorum Fvl. , det. R. Pace 1985” ( IRSNB) ; 1 ♀: “ Tilremt , Algérie / coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Falagria desertorum Fauvel, R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479 / Ex-Typis / Falagria desertorum Fvl. , det. R. Pace 1985” ( IRSNB) ; 1 ♂ [dissected by R. Pace]: “ Bled Thala , Tunisie / coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Falagria desertorum Fauvel, R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479 / Ex-Typis / Falagria desertorum Fvl. , det. R. Pace 1985” ( IRSNB) ; 1 ♀: “ Laghouat, 5 / coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Falagria desertorum Fauvel, R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479 / Ex-Typis / Falagria desertorum Fvl. , det. R. Pace 1985” ( IRSNB) ; 1♂ [dissected by R. Pace]: “ Tiout, Oranais / coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Falagria desertorum Fauvel, R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479 / Ex-Typis / Falagria desertorum Fvl. , det. R. Pace 1985” ( IRSNB) ; 1 ♀: “ Nza-ben-Rzig, Oued-Rirh , Algérie / El Kantara, 3 / coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Falagria desertorum Fauvel, R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479 / Ex-Typis / Falagria desertorum Fvl. , det. R. Pace 1985” ( IRSNB) ; 2 ♂♂ [teneral]: “ Biskra, 5 / Desertorum Fvl. / R.I.Sc. N.B. 17.479, Falagria, Coll. et det. A. Fauvel / Ex-Typis / Falagria desertorum Fvl. , det. R. Pace 1985” ( IRSNB) .

Comment: The original description is based on an unspecified number of syntypes from “ Algérie, Tunisie ” ( FAUVEL 1898). FAGEL (1969) designated a male from Tunisia as the lectotype.

Additional material examined: Morocco: 1 ♂, Erfoud, Bou Gafer, V.1975, leg. Curti (cAss) ; 1 ♂, Tata, Aka Iguirene, UV light, 12.V.1915, leg. Miessen (cTro) ; 1 ♀, Ouarzazate, 23.V.1986, leg. Fongond (cTro) .

Algeria: 4 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Biskra ( NHMW, cAss); 1 ♀, Takaraba, Oued Tamanghanet , 12.IV.1948, leg. Hollande (cTro); 1 ♀, Hoggar, Tesselite Lehete, IV.1961, leg. Hollande (cTro); 3 ♂♂, Hoggar , Tela N’telahedit, IV.1961, leg. Hollande (cTro) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Djebel Metlilli , gorges d’El Kantara , V.1954, leg. Fagel ( MHNG) .

Tunisia: 1 ♀, Jerid , 4 km NE Tozeur, 30–40 m, light trap, 21.X.2009, leg. Lehmann (cAss); 3 ♀♀, Gafsa, Seldja gorge, XII.1980, leg. Frank (cAss); 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Gafsa, V.1948, leg. Demoflys (cTro); 2 ♂♂, Gafsa, XI.1951, leg. Demoflys (cAss); 1 ♂, Tozeur, VI.1953, leg. Demoflys (cTro); 2 ♀♀ , Kairouan, XI.1936, leg. Normand (cTro); 1 ♂, Bir el Hafey, VI.1947, leg. Demoflys (cTro); 1 ♀, Gabès, I.1946, leg. Demoflys (cTro); 1 ♂, El Hamma, I. 1949, leg. Demoflys (cTro) .

Jordan: 1 ♂, 6 ♀♀ [2 ♀♀ teneral], Madaba, Wadi Manshala, 31°41'N, 35°35'E, – 280 m, 1.III.2014, leg. Meybohm (cAss); 4 ♀♀, Madaba, Wadi Manshala , 31°41'N, 35°35'E, – 370 m, 4.III.2015, leg. Meybohm & Hetzel (cAss, cFel) .

Saudi Arabia: 2 ♂♂, Khamis Mushayt , Wadi Bishah, 18°20'N, 42°42'E, 1990 m, 27.IV.2011, leg. Sharaf (cAss) .

Redescription: Body length 2.1–2.6 mm; length of forebody 1.1–1.3 mm. Coloration: head dark-brown to black; pronotum reddish to reddish-brown; elytra yellowish, with an extensive medio-lateral dark spot usually leaving only the posterior margins, the suture, and the humeral portions yellow; abdomen dark-brown to black, with segments III and IV reddish-yellow; legs brown with yellow tarsi; antennae brown to blackish-brown, with the basal 2–3 antennomeres reddish.

Head approximately 1.15 times as broad as long, without distinct sexual dimorphism; punctation moderately fine, distinct, and rather dense. Eyes distinctly longer than postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna 0.8–1.0 mm long; antennomeres IV–V as long as broad or oblong, VI–X of gradually increasing width and increasingly transverse, X approximately 1.5 times as broad as long.

Pronotum 1.05–1.10 times as broad as long and approximately as broad as head, with pronounced sexual dimorphism; punctation rather dense and distinct.

Elytra slightly longer than pronotum; punctation rather dense and fine. Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen narrower than elytra; punctation more or less regularly distributed; posterior margin of tergite VIII ( Fig. 102 ) weakly convex, with relatively short and thin marginal setae.

♂: pronotum with extensive median impression and with dense and distinct punctation; posterior margin of sternite VIII ( Fig. 103 ) strongly convex to obtusely pointed and with long thin marginal setae; median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 104–107 ) approximately 0.33–0.35 mm long, without conspicuous modifications.

♀: pronotum with small and shallow impression in postero-median portion, this impression anteriorly extending into a short narrow sulcus, punctation slightly less distinct than in male; posterior margin of sternite VIII broadly convex, in the middle usually weakly concave.

Comparative notes: Anaulacaspis desertorum differs from the closely related A. naevula by paler coloration and above all by the different shape of the ventral process of the aedeagus in ventral and in lateral view, from the sympatric and syntopic A. elegans by a usually more paleyellowish posterior margin of the elytra, shorter antennae, a more transverse pronotum, more densely punctate elytra and abdomen, unmodified setae at the posterior margin of tergite VIII, and a median lobe of the aedeagus with a shorter and differently shaped ventral process. For characters distinguishing A. desertorum from the closely related and similarly coloured A. seclusa see the redescription in the following section.

Distribution and natural history: The known distribution ranges from Morocco across North Africa into the Middle East ( Jordan, Saudi Arabia) ( Map 4 ). The altitudes indicated on the labels range from – 370 to 1990 m. Two specimens were collected with a light trap. Two specimens found in early March are teneral.

Figures

Map 4: Distributions of Anaulacaspis desertorum (black circles), A. naevula (white circles), A. iberica (white stars), A. laevigata (white diamonds), A. gratilla (black diamonds), and A. excisa (black stars) in the West Palaearctic and Middle Asia, based on revised records. The question mark indicates the records without specified locality of A. gratilla from Iraq.

Figs 91–112:Anaulacaspsisnaevula(91–101;93–94:SaudiArabia;95–96:paralectotype;97–98: Iran;99–100:holotypeofA. elegansides), A. desertorum (102–107), and A. seclusa (108–112): male tergite VIII (91, 102, 108); male sternite VIII (92, 103, 109); median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (93–100, 104–107, 110–111); female sternite VIII (101, 112). Scale bars: 0.1 mm.