Philonthus pseudoabyssinus Tottenham, 1940

Hromádka, Lubomír, 2008, Revision of Afrotropical species of the Philonthus abyssinus species group (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 48 (1), pp. 37-50 : 44-45

Philonthus pseudoabyssinus Tottenham, 1940

( Figs. 13-16 )

Philonthus pseudoabyssinus Tottenham 1940: 148 .

Type locality. South Africa, Delagoa Bay.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ SOUTH AFRICA, Delagoa Bay , C.E. Tottenham collection, B. M. 1974-587 // [white round label with red margin]’ ( BMNH).

Additional material examined. ANGOLA: 2 JJ, (A 35) 12 mls. SW. Luimbale, c. 5500 ft., 20.-21.iii.1972, Southern African Expedition , Exp. B. M. 1972-1 ( BMNH) ; 1 J, (A 40) Tundavala, 8-10 mls. NW Sa de Bandeira , 27.-29.iii.1972, dog dung, Southern African Exp. B. M. 1971-2 ( BMNH) . DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (‘ Congo Belge’): 1 J, Kaniama , 8.iv.1939, H. J. Brédo, Cafe arabica (LHPC) . ETHIOPIA: 1 J, Arussa , 2 km E of Dighelli, 0744 N 39/SE, 2850 m a.s.l., under stone, R. O. S. Clark, B. M. 1973-450 ( BMNH) . KENYA: 16 exs., Muguga , 5.viii.1960, Berlese: cow manure, Coll. D. H. & A. C. Kistner, R. Banfill Field No. 507 ( FMNH, LHPC) . ZIMBABWE: 1 J, Ntondwa , 28.viii.1939, H. J. Brédo ( LHPC) .

Redescription. Body length: 9.8-10.3 mm, length of fore body (to the end of elytra) 5.0- 5.4 mm.

Colouration. Head and pronotum black, clypeus along anterior margin and antennal sockets narrowly brown-yellow; antennomeres 1-3 black-brown, antennomeres 4-9 dark brown, antennomeres 10-11 somewhat paler, elytra, scutellum and abdomen anthracite black and strongly shiny; legs black.

Head transverse (ratio 32: 26), slightly narrowed behind eyes; posterior angles obtuse, but well marked, with one long black bristle. Clypeus with a small depression medially. Eyes as long as temples, approximate distance separating medial interocular punctures about twice as long as that separating medial punctures from lateral interocular punctures. Two coarse punctures at posterior margin of eyes. Temporal area impunctate. Surface without microsculpture.

Antennae rather long, reaching posterior third of pronotum when reclined, antennomeres 1-3 longer than wide, antennomeres 4-10 as wide as long. Antennomere 1 somewhat shorter than antennomeres 2-3 combined, antennomere 11 half as long as antennomere 1.

Pronotum wider than long (ratio 34: 30), slightly narrowed anteriad; posterior angles markedly rounded. Each dorsal row with 4 coarse punctures; each sublateral row with 2 finer punctures. Pronotal margins with several dark bristles of unequal length. Surface with traces of fine, transverse undulated microsculpture here and there.

Scutellum densely and coarsely punctate, punctures somewhat larger than eye-facets, surface without microsculpture.

Elytra wider than long (ratio 43: 40), slightly widened posteriad. Punctation fine and sparse, punctures smaller than those on scutellum, separated by two or three diameters of punctures. Surface without microsculpture; setation brown.

Legs. Metatarsus shorter than metatibia (ratio 22: 26). Metatarsomere 1 as long as metatarsomeres 2-3 combined, metatarsomere 5 somewhat shorter than metatarsomere 1.

Abdomen from fifth visible tergite slightly narrowed both towards apex and base. Elevated area between basal lines on first two visible tergites almost impunctate, those on third and fourth tergites sparsely punctate. Punctation of tergites finer than that on elytra, becoming distinctly sparser towards apex of each tergite. Surface between punctures without microsculpture; setation similar to that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1-3 not strongly dilated and bilobed, each densely covered with modified pale setae ventrally; protarsomere 4 distinctly narrower than preceding ones; sternite VIII ( Fig. 15 ), sternite IX ( Fig. 16 ), aedeagus ( Figs. 13-14 ).

Female. Unknown to the author.

Differential diagnosis. Philonthus pseudoabyssinus may be distinguished from the most similar species P. abyssinus and P. varanus sp. nov. by the apical portion of the median lobe of the aedeagus short in ventral view, with very sharply pointed apex ( Fig. 23 ).

Bionomics. Collected under stone, on cow and dog excrements, as well as in Coffea arabica plantation.

Distribution. Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire), Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Zimbabwe ( TOTTENHAM 1940, HERMAN 2001, this paper).

Figures

Figs. 9-16.9-12 – Philonthus elgonensis Tottenham,1940; 13-16 – P.pseudoabyssinus Tottenham, 1940.9, 13 – aedeagus, ventral view; 10, 14 – aedeagus, lateral view; 11, 15 – apical portion of sternite VIII, ventral view; 12 – tergite X, dorsal view; 16 – sternite IX, ventral view.

Figs.23-27.Philonthus varanus sp. nov.23 – aedeagus, ventral view; 24 – aedeagus, lateral view; 25 – apical portion of sternite VIII, ventral view; 26 – sternite IX, ventral view; 27 – tergite X, dorsal view.