Pocadius africanus Kraatz, 1895

Cline, Andrew R., 2008, Revision of the sap beetle genus Pocadius Erichson, 1843 (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Nitidulinae, Zootaxa 1799 (1), pp. 1-120 : 17-25

Pocadius africanus Kraatz, 1895

(Figs. 2, 44, 85, 128, 171, 211)

Specimens examined. HOLOTYPE (DEI): Togo / ♂ / Pocadius ; africanus; Kraatz 95 / Coll. Kraatz; Grouvelle det. / Holotypus 1895-1968; Pocadius ; africanus Kr. ; Dr. Endrödy-Younga / Coll. DEI; Eberswalde. Additionally, 24 specimens: (LSAM) GHANA: Bobiri Forest Reserve; Near FIT #1; 23-VII-2001; V. Moseley & C. Carlton collr.; in earthstar fungi. (LSAM) GHANA: Ashanti Province; Bobiri Forest Preserve; 6°42’N 1°20’W; 23-31-July-2001, FIT# 3; V. Moseley and C. Carlton collr. GHANA: Ahanti Reg.; Bobiri Forest Reserve; 6°42’N 1°20’W; 15-22-III-2002; E. Opuni-Frimpong collr. FIT. GHANA: Ahanti Reg.; Bobiri Forest Reserve; 6°42’N 1°20’W; III-V-2002; E. Opuni-Frimpong collr. FIT.

Diagnosis. Differs from Palearctic and African fauna by diminutive size, lack of recurved gonocoxal apices, acute pointed apex of male anal sclerite, and fused ventrally curved ejaculatory rod of male internal sac sclerites.

Description. Length 2.9mm, Width 1.1mm, Depth 0.9mm. Body convex, moderately shining, uniformly light reddish brown, long golden pubescence with setae on head longer than rest of body. Pygidium and hypopygidium densely pubescent with posterior margins densely fimbriate.

Head surface deeply irregularly punctate, punctures larger near orbits and occiput becoming smaller near clypeus with some small punctures interspersed on vertex. Small punctures 4X larger than eye facet, larger punctures 2–3X diameter of small punctures; interspaces narrow between lateral punctures, 0.25 puncture diameter, becoming wider between medial punctures, 1 puncture diameter apart; alutaceous to smooth. Pronotal surface with large and small punctures similar in size to large and small punctures on head; interspaces 0.5–1 diameter apart, smooth to alutaceous. Scutellar surface densely punctate anteriorly with large punctures similar in size to large punctures on head, impunctate at apex; interspaces alutaceous. Eytral surface with serial rows of large and small, large punctures 3–4X diameter of large punctures on head, giving rise to decumbent setae. Small punctures 0.25 diameter of large punctures, giving rise to semi-erect setae; interspaces alutaceous to smooth between all punctures, large punctures separated by 0.5 diameter, small punctures by 1–2 diameters. Large and small puncture rows separated from each other by ~1 small puncture diameter. Pygidium densely finely punctate, punctures equal to small punctures on elytra, interspaces alutaceous with faint microreticulation, separated by 0.2 diameter.

Venter less densely pubescent than dorsum. Mentum with scattered punctures similar to small punctures on vertex, interspaces smooth and shining, punctures 0.5 diameter apart. Submentum and gula with several large punctures equal to large punctures on vertex; interspaces smooth and shining. Prosternum and epimeron irregularly faintly punctate, punctures 3X larger than those on mentum; interspaces alutaceous, prosternal punctures separated by 0.75 diameter, those on epimeron by 0.25–0.5 diameter. Meso- and metaventrite with large faint punctures similar to those on prosternum and epimeron; interspaces alutaceous becoming smooth on metasternal disc, punctures separated by ~1 diameter. Mesosternal punctures aggregated near posterior margin. Abdominal sternite 1 with faint, almost obsolete, punctures occurring in posterior 0.66; interspaces alutaceous, punctures separated by 1 diameter. Hypopygidium densely shallowly punctate; interspaces alutaceous with faint microreticulation, punctures separated by 0.25 diameter.

Head wider than long (W:L = 1.6:1). Antennal club compact, broadly oval, asymmetrical with last antennomere longer than 9–10 combined. Antennomeres 6–8 strongly flattened into disc-like structures, their combined length equal to antennomere 9. Antennal scape asymmetrical, broadly hemispherical, 2X length of pedicel. Pedicel similar in shape to scape. Antennal segment 3 subequal to pedicel. Segments 4–5 subquadrate, 0.5 length of segment 3. Mesoventrite extending to midway between mesocoxae with concave apex. Metaventrite wider than long (W:L = 3:1). Metepisternum slightly concave medially. First abdominal sternite with broad process with between metacoxae, 2X longer than sternite 2. Protibia with apical tooth as long as tarsomere 2. Outer apical notch with ~90° angle, notch depth shallow, equal to tarsomere 1. Inner apical spine subequal to tarsomere 1. Mesotibia heavily armed with two rows of slender spines, one row along lateral edge and another laterally oriented on ventral surface. Apical border armed with short spines, 0.33–0.25 length of lateral spines. Outer apical process elongate and robust, 0.75 length of inner apical spine. Inner apical spine equal to tarsomeres 1–2 combined. Metatibia heavily armed with rows of slender elongate spines. Spines of varying lengths, most longer than those on mesotibia. Apical border armed with short spines, as in mesotibia, but more numerous. Outer apical process elongate robust, 0.75 length of inner apical spine. Inner apical spine equal to tarsomeres 1–2 and half of 3 combined.

Male genitalia moderately sclerotized. Anal sclerite with heavily sclerotized posteriodorsal region, apex densely fimbriate (Fig. 2). Spiculum gastrale lightly sclerotized (Fig. 44), lateral region broadly rounded and widely explanate, apical border finely crenulate with =10 setae. Tegmen evenly rounded (Fig. 85), longer than wide (w:l = 1.5:6), lateral row of setae visible from median fossa around apex, inner row of setae incomplete. Median lobe large robust,>0.5 length of tegmen (Fig. 128). Internal sac sclerites small, <0.5 length of median lobe, one ejaculatory rod with ventrally curved apex (Fig. 171), basal piece not connected to ejaculatory rod.

Female genitalia lightly sclerotized. Gonocoxites with two lateral prominences on basal border, basal bor- der giving rise to two medial oblique sclerotized ridges extending apicolaterally, ridges long, 0.33 length of basal border. Gonocoxal apices widely separated with intragonocoxal invagination evenly rounded, gonocoxal tips evenly rounded at apex with small lateral depression giving rise to 4–7 short seta (Fig. 211).

Variation. Females slightly larger than males, up to 3.2mm long and more robust. Some individuals had deeper punctation on the ventral surface, however, the distribution and interspaces were similar. Males had a slightly more produced protibial outer apical process.

Seasonality/Habitat. Specimens from Ghana were collected from flight intercept traps and fungi from mid-March through July. These specimens were all from Bobiri Forest Reserve, which is an upper Guinean wet forest.

Distribution. Known range includes western Africa, however, Kirejtshuk (pers. comm.) reported it east and southward to Angola, Zaire, and Sudan but these records were not confirmed.

Notes. Some Ghana specimens were collected from “earthstar fungi” (Geasteraceae), which is the first and only known host record for the species.