Phlaeopterus fusconiger Motschulsky, 1853

Mullen, Logan J., Campbell, J. M. & Sikes, Derek S., 2018, Taxonomic Revision of the Rove Beetle Genus Phlaeopterus Motschulsky, 1853 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae: Anthophagini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 72, pp. 1-54 : 32-33

8. Phlaeopterus fusconiger Motschulsky, 1853

( Figs. 2D , 9B, 17A , 18B , 24D )

Phlaeopterus fusconiger Motschulsky 1853: 78 [original description]. Casey 1885: 320; Blackwelder 1952: 303; Moore 1966: 52; Moore and Legner 1979: 193; Campbell and Davies 1991: 5;

Herman 2001: 366; Bousquet et al. 2013: 89; Shavrin and Mullen 2015: 121.

Lesteva fusconigra Mäklin 1853: 193 [original description]. Fauvel 1878: 248.

Tilea fusconigra Casey 1893: 402 [original description].

Type Locality. Unalaska Island , Alaska, USA .

Redescription. Habitus: Length 5.8–7.2 mm. Dark brown to reddish brown; legs, elytral epipleura, and tarsi often lighter; apices of tibiae, tarsi, and palpi even lighter reddish brown; elytra usually slightly lighter than pronotum ( Fig. 2D ). Head: Slightly broader than long, ratio of width across eyes to head length = 4:3. Interantennal groove broadly and deeply impressed. Anteocellar foveae large, deeply impressed. Eyes glabrous or with less than 10 scattered setae near ventral margin. Antennomeres 5–10 at least 2 times longer than wide; antennomeres 4–11 each with many sensory pits with papilliform projections. Ocelli present. Nuchal constriction vague. Mandibular molar area with L-shaped row of setae. Labrum with sensory pores along entire surface. Labial palpi with 3 rd palpomere 1.6–1.8 times longer than palpomere 2. Thorax: Pronotum moderately wide ( Fig. 17A ), length to width ratio = 0.68–0.72; ratio of pronotal width to head width = 1.54–1.67; maximum width subequal to elytral width at humeral angles; punctures separated by distance equal to slightly greater than diameter of a puncture; lateral margins explanate posterad but not anterad lateral foveae; lateral foveae deeply impressed. Elytra with humeral angles convex; epipleural carina not projecting; 2.1–2.2 times longer than pronotum; apical margins convex or subtruncate. Wings fully developed in most individuals, brachypterous in very few. Mesosternum with projecting tooth, tooth more strongly notched on posterior margin than on anterior margin; longitudinal carina along midline of mesosternum distinct on anterior half, reduced on posterior half. Legs: Apices of all tibiae glabrous, subglabrous apex of mesotibia subequal to length of basal 3 mesotarsomeres ( Fig. 18B ), length of glabrous apical region of metatibia as ratio to metatibial length in males = 7.4–12.2, in females = 6.6–8.6. Metatrochanter without tooth on apical margin. Abdomen: Wing-folding spicules on tergites IV and V; shape of wing-folding patches on tergite V broadly oval and narrowly separate. Aedeagus: Length 1.23–1.43 mm long. Median lobe with margins concavely constricted near midline ( Fig. 24D ). Parameres convex, converging past apex of median lobe. Internal sac rectangular; lightly sclerotized, uniformly covered with microspinules; lacking subapical transverse fold.

Type Specimen. Holotype female (UAMObs: Ento:235794) labeled as follows: Unalaschka, Phlaeopterus fusconiger Motsch., Unalaschka [Unalaska Island]/ Phlaeopterus fusconiger Mots. , HOLOTYPE, exam. 1984 J.M. Campbell.

As of 1984, the holotype was confirmed by JMC to be located in the collection of the ZMM. The specimen is glued to a transparent plate and badly damaged with both elytra and apical five antennomeres of the right antenna, right middle and hind legs, and apical four metatarsomeres missing. In 2015, Alexey V. Shavrin (A. Shavrin, personal communication) visited the collection and could not locate the holotype. Although the holotype is possibly missing, this species is currently in no danger of being confused with similar species, thus a neotype is not needed .

Distribution. Phlaeopterus fusconiger is widely distributed along the northwest coast of North America, from the Olympic Mountains of Washington north through the Pacific Coast Range, on Vancouver Island and the Haida Gwaii, to the Aleutian Islands and Nome, Alaska ( Fig. 9B).

Bionomics. Adults have been collected at near sea level in Alaska up to 2,000 m in mainland Washington and British Columbia during June– August.The Nome record (UAMObs:Ento:234463) is the northernmost record for any Phlaeopterus species.

Remarks. Phlaeopterus fusconiger can be distinguished from all other Phlaeopterus species by the shape of the pronotum, the glabrous region at the apex of the tibiae, and the aedeagus. This species is very similar to P. frosti but can be distinguished by the shorter glabrous region of the mesotibia, slightly lighter color, more strongly developed anterior margins of the mesosternal notch, and the aedeagus with the internal sac shorter, broader, less heavily sclerotized, and with the apex less acutely narrowed. These two species are sympatric in the coastal range from the Olympic Mountains of Washington north to the Kenai Mountains of Alaska. We have confirmed the surprising occurrence of P. fusconiger in Nome, Alaska by examination of a single specimen collected in Nome by George Ball in 1958 (UAMObs:Ento:234463). However, we are aware of no additional specimens of Phlaeopterus from Nome, or anywhere on the Seward Peninsula. This remote population would be interesting to confirm and compare genetically to other populations of this species.

Figures

Fig. 2. Phlaeopterus species, habitus. A) P. elongatus, male (UAMObs:Ento:232543), B) P. filicornis, female

Fig. 17. Phlaeopterus species. Pronota, dorsal view, of A) P. fusconiger, B) P. frosti, C) P. filicornis, D) P. hatchi, E) P. elongatus. Abdominal segments 4–6, dorsal view, of F) P. houkae, G) P. obsoletus, H) P. elongatus.

Fig. 18. Mesotibiae, dorsal view, of A) Phlaeopterus frosti (UAMObs:Ento:235497), and B) Phlaeopterus fusconiger (UAMObs:Ento:235751). Red highlights are added to emphasize the difference in the length of the subglabrous region (lacking dense pubescence but with longer spine-like setae) at the apex of the tibia.

Fig. 24. Phlaeopterus species, aedeagi (left = ventral view; right = dorsal view of median lobe). A) P. occidentalis, B) P. olympicus, C) P. loganensis, D) P. fusconiger.