Pseudognypeta picta CAMERON 1923

Paśnik, G., 2007, Redescription of the genus Pseudognypeta CAMERON (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 39 (2), pp. 1121-1127 : 1122-1123

Pseudognypeta picta CAMERON 1923 ( Figs 6-10 )

Pseudognypeta picta CAMERON 1923: 366 .

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Lectotype :: Jamaica, Dr. Cameron (BMNH)(present designation). Paralectotype :: W. Indies, Jamaica (BMNH).

A d d i t i o n a l m a t e r i a l: Jamaica, Dr Cameron, 2 (BMNH).

R e d e s c r i p t i o n: Body. Length 3.0- 3.4 mm, convex, parallel-sided, glossy ( Fig. 6 ); body colour dark brown, pronotal base yellow, abdomen black, tergites 3-4 yellow with black spot at middle, legs yellow, antennae brown with antennomeres 1-4 and apical half of antennomere 11 yellow.

Head circular in outline, convex, glossy, narrower than pronotum, widest across eyes; eyes large, strongly protruding from lateral contours of head, length of each seen from above longer than postocular region; surface of head with distinct isodiametric mesh microsculpture; punctuation relatively coarse and sparse; pubescence short and sparse, directed inward. Antennae long, clearly increase in width apically, antennomeres 2 and 3 subequal in length, antennomeres 4-5 longer than wide, antennomeres 6-7 as long as wide, antennomeres 8-10 transverse, antennomere 10 about 2 times wider than long.

Pronotum quadrate, moderately convex, glossy, widest in apical third, lateral sides gradually narrowed in straight line to rounded hind angles; before base without transverse impression, surface with fine isodiametric mesh microsculpture; punctuation relatively coarse and moderately sparse; pubescence at midline directed posteriorly.

Elytra subquadrate, slightly wider than pronotum, at suture as long as pronotal length at midline; surface with fine transversely stretched isodiametric mesh microsculpture; punctuation coarse and dense, interstices between punctures smaller than their diameter, pubescence short and dense.

Abdomen narrowed from base to apex, bases of tergites 3-5 each with shallow transverse impression, impressions smooth, inpunctuate, tergal punctuation minute, pinprick-like and very sparse, surface of tergites with fine microsculpture composed of transverse line.

Male. Aedeagus as in Figs 7-8 ; tergite 8 as in Fig. 10 .

Female. Spermatheca as in Fig. 9.

R e m a r k s Pseudognypeta picta is very similar to P. salvini ( SHARP 1883) , from which it can be easy distinguished by the pronotum dark brown with yellow base, the bicoloured antennomere 11, the uniformlu coloured elytra and by the shape of aedeagus.

Figures

Figs 6-10. Pseudognypeta picta CAMERON: (6) habitus; (7) aedeagus in lateral view; (8) aedeagus in ventral view; (9) male tergite VIII; (10) spermatheca.