Philonthus tottenhami Last, 1953

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 : 45-47

Philonthus tottenhami Last, 1953

( Figs. 17-22 )

Philonthus tottenhami Last, 1953: 114 .

Type locality. South Africa, Natal, Qudeni Forest.

Type material. Not examined.

Additional material examined. SOUTH AFRICA: NATAL, 1 J 1 ♀, ‘ 75km WSW Estcourt, Cathedral Parks For. Sta, Forestry Sta. 9.-12.xii.1979, veld pasture, 1400 m a.s.l., S. + J. Peck, mega-dung traps’ ( FMNH, LHPC).

Redescription. Body length 11.8 mm, length of fore body (to the end of elytra) 5.2 mm.

Colouration. Black, clypeus along anterior margin and antennal sockets narrowly brown; mandibles, maxillary and labial palpi black-brown; antennae and legs black; terminal tarsomeres of all tarsi somewhat paler.

Head transverse (ratio 44: 30), parallel-sided. Eyes small, shorter than temples (ratio 12: 17). Clypeus with wide and deep depression medially. Posterior angles of head capsule obtusely rounded, with one long black bristle. Medial interocular punctures widely separated, distance between medial interocular punctures almost three times as long as distance between medial and lateral interocular punctures, two coarse punctures at posterior margin of eyes. Temporal area impunctate. Surface with very fine microsculpture of transverse waves; sides with several black bristles of unequal length.

Antennae reaching posterior half of pronotum when reclined, antennomeres 1-3 and 11 longer than wide, antennomeres 4-6 as long as wide, antennomeres 7-10 a little wider than long. Antennomere 1 distinctly shorter than antennomeres 2-3 combined, antennomere 2 shorter than antennomere 3, antennomere 5 a little shorter than antennomere 2.

Pronotum parallel-sided, longer than wide (ratio 47: 43); anterior angles rectangular, with many dark bristles of unequal length; posterior angles strongly rounded. Each dorsal row with 4 coarse punctures; each sublateral row with 2 punctures. Pronotal margins with several black bristles of unequal length. Surface with microsculpture similar to that on head.

Scutellum very coarsely and densely punctate, diameters of punctures almost twice as large as eye-facets. Distance between punctures much smaller than diameters of punctures. Surface with traces of fine microsculpture.

Elytra wider than long (ratio 57: 53), slightly widened posteriad. Punctation dense and coarse, punctures a little smaller than those on scutellum, separated in transverse direction mostly by one puncture diameter. Anterior pronotal angles with one long bristle; pronotal margins with many long bristles of unequal length. Surface without microsculpture; setation brown-yellow.

Legs. Metatarsus longer than metatibia (ratio 31: 27), all tibiae with many bristles of different length. Metatarsomere 1 distinctly longer than metatarsomeres 2-3 combined, metatarsomere 5 approximately as long as metatarsomere 1.

Abdomen from fifth visible tergite slightly narrowed towards both base and apex. First four visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between basal lines on first three tergites almost impunctate, that on fourth tergite sparsely punctate. Punctation of visible tergites very sparse and fine. Surface without microsculpture, very shiny; setation dark.

Male. Protarsomeres 1-3 moderately dilated, each densely covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 narrow and small; sternite VIII ( Fig.19 ), sternite IX ( Fig.20 ), aedeagus ( Figs. 17-18 ).

Female. Tergite X ( Fig. 21 ), gonocoxites of female genital segment ( Fig. 22 ).

Differential diagnosis. Philonthus tottenhami may be distinguished from all species of this group by denser punctation of elytra.

Bionomics. Collected in mega dung trap on veld pasture.

Distribution. South Africa ( LAST 1953, HERMAN 2001).

Figures

Figs. 17-22. Philonthus tottenhami Last, 1953. 17 – aedeagus, ventral view; 18 – aedeagus, lateral view; 19 – apical portion of sternite VIII, ventral view; 20 – sternite IX, ventral view; 21 – female tergite X, dorsal view; 22 – gonocoxites of female genital segment.