Platystethus nitens ( C. Sahlberg, 1832 )

Lü, Liang & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2015, Review of the Genus Platystethus Mannerheim (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) in China, Zootaxa 3915 (2), pp. 151-205 : 182-185

8. Platystethus nitens ( C. Sahlberg, 1832)

( Figs. 19 & 20 )

C. Sahlberg, 1832: 413 ( Oxytelus ; Type locality: Fennia australis; Helsingforsiae); Erichson, 1839: 587 ( Platystethus ; synonym of nodifrons); Baudi di Selve, 1870: 399 ( Stenus ); Bernhauer & Schubert, 1911: 123 ( Platystethus ); Scheerpeltz, 1933: 1108 ( Platystethus ); Herman, 1970: 402 ( Platystethus ); Hammond, 1971: 95, 101 ( Platystethus ; Britain; Azores to eastern Siberia and northeast China); Gusarov, 1992: 776 ( Platystethus ; synonymic notes); Zheng, 1998: 254 ( Platystethus ; China); Herman, 2001a: 1482 ( Platystethus ); Smetana, 2004: 518 ( Platystethus , subgenus Craetopycrus ); Yan, Li & Zheng, 2012: 342 ( Platystethus ; China).

Synonymy.

Platystethus splendens Heer, 1839: 208 (Type locality: Genf); Kraatz, 1857: 845 (synonym of nitens ).

Platystethus striatulus Heer, 1839: 208 (Type locality: Lägerenberg); Kraatz, 1857: 845 (synonym of nitens ).

Platystethus longicornis Lucas, 1846: 126 (Type locality: Algeria: environs d’Alger; environs de Philippeville par l’Ouad- Safsaf); Fauvel, 1869: 492 (synonym of nodifrons); Fauvel, 1872: 184 [= 1873: 26] (synonym of nitens ).

Platystethus fossor Wollaston, 1854: 603 (Type locality: Madeira: Santa Anna); Wollaston, 1865: 515 (synonym of spinosus ); Fauvel, 1902: 68 (synonym of nitens ); Herman, 2001a: 1489 (synonym of spinosus ); Schülke, 2004: 401 (synonym of nitens ); Smetana, 2004: 518 (subgenus Craetopycrus ; synonym of nitens ).

Platystethus aegyptiacus Motschulsky, 1857: 506 (Type locality: Egypt sur les bords du Nil); Fauvel, 1872: 184 [= 1873: 26] (synonym of nitens ).

Platystethus angustipennis Scriba, 1868: 158 (Type locality: Florenz); Fauvel, 1872: 184 [= 1873: 26] (synonym of nitens ).

Platystethus debilis Hochhuth, 1872: 161 (Type locality: Not cited, presumably from Gouvernements Kiew and/or Volhynien ( Herman, 2001a: 1484)); Gusarov, 1992: 776 (synonym of nitens ; lectotype designation).

Platystethus punctatus Fiori, 1915: 7 (Type locality: Carlentini, Catania); Scheerpeltz, 1933: 1108 (aberration of nitens ); Herman, 2001a: 1484 (synonym of nitens ).

Platystethus laevigatus Fiori, 1915: 8 (Type locality: Carlentini); Scheerpeltz, 1933: 1108 (aberration of nitens ); Herman, 2001a: 1484 (synonym of nitens ).

Material examined. 48 specimens, 25♂♂, 23♀♀. CHINA: 2♀♀, 1914. VI.18, E. Licent leg. [with “AE.24” or “AE.27” on the downside of each label]; 1♀, 1927. VI.29, E. Licent leg. (IZ-CAS). Beijing: 2♂♂, 1♀♀, Chaoyang Dt., Datun Township [40.00ºN 116.41ºE], 1996. IV.21, H.-Z. Zhou leg. (IZ-CAS). Yunnan: 4♂♂, 4♀♀, Yuanmo Co., Laocheng Township, Maochang Village, 2005. VII.23, Q. Li leg. (IZ-CAS). Hebei: 16♂♂, 7♀♀, Prov. Hopeh [=Hebei], Sienhsien [=Xianxian or Xian Co., 38.19ºN 116.12ºE], Platystethus nitens (Sahlb.) det. P.M.Hammond 1980; 4♀♀, 1936. IV.8–VII.2, Platystethus nitens (Sahlb.) det. P.M.Hammond 1981; 2♂♂, 2♀♀, “Liou-Sinn” ( IZ- CAS). Liaoning: 1♀, Xinmin Winery [42.00ºN 122.83º2], 1959. VI.23, in vinasse, “7052”[?], Platystethus nitens (Sahlb.) det. P.M.Hammond 1980 (IZ-CAS). EGYPTE [ EGYPT]: 1♂, Ismalia, Avril [April], F. Lotte leg. ( IZ- CAS); 1♀, “Awriah” [?], 1936. VI.13, F. Lotte leg., Platystethus nitens Sahlb. det. anonym (IZ-CAS).

Redescription. Body shiny and brown; mandibles, maxillary palpi, antennae, elytra and legs lighter; forebody dorsal surface delicate, abdomens scarcely coriaceous. Small in size, length [average]: ♂, 2.8 mm; ♀, 2.6 mm.

Male. Head ( Figs. 19 A; 20A) broadest at eyes or temples. Disc coriaceous, nearly glabrous, with punctures dense and coarse. Clypeus transverse and scarcely punctate, protruding beyond anterior border of supra-antennal ridges, with anterior margin shallowly emarginate in middle, furnished a pair of sharp and slender spines. Epistomal suture with middle portion absent, lateral portions posteromedially directed. Supra-antennal ridges moderately elevated. Vertex depressed in anterior part, slightly convex in center; mid-longitudinal suture fine, posteriorly reaching occipital suture. Eyes slightly convex, shorter than temples, with fine facets; orbital sulcus almost invisible. Long and deep longitudinal groove sculptured throughout mesial side of eye and temple; two other short grooves paralleled mesially. Temple not dilated laterally. Neck not constricted. Occipital suture slightly curved, present only in middle, with large setal fovea at each end. Mandible ( Fig. 20 C) short, incurved at apex; bearing 3 prominent teeth on inner edge.

Pronotum ( Figs. 19 A; 20A) slightly narrower than head or equal, widest at near anterior 1/4, with midlongitudinal sulcus present whole length, with punctures as large as but sparser than in head, with micro-striae absent; anterior margin bi-emarginate, anterior lateral angles prominent, no posterior angles; lateral and posterior margins integrated and evenly rounded, weakly crenulate in front half. Scutellar impression ( Fig. 20 A) bi-reniform in anterior part. Elytra ( Fig. 20 A) with posterior margin truncate, elytral suture dehiscent or partly overlapping.

Abdominal sternite VII ( Figs. 19 C; 20E) with posterior margin nearly straight without modification. Sternite VIII ( Figs. 19 D; 20F) tri-partitioned by 2 curved narrow sutures, middle part truncate on posterior margin, without mid-longitudinal internal ridge, lateral parts separated by middle part but touched at anterior margin, each with two teeth at mesial side of posterior margin: one sharp, one dull; basal ridge interrupted in middle and subbasal ridge with middle portion absent.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 19 G–I; 20I –M) with median lobe inflated at base and gradually narrowed apically; apical orifice fissured to middle of ventral surface, edges of ventral fissure sharply protruding into a pair of long spines (not as sharp as in P. cornutus ); internal sac membranous and rolling into watch-spring-shape at base. Paramere arm-like, basal arm with furrow on ventral surface; apical arm slightly explanate and furnished with one seta at apex and one smaller seta at near apical 1/3, and with pits scattered.

Female. Head and pronotum ( Figs. 19 B; 20B) smaller; clypeus more protruding, anterior margin truncate with two reduced denticles; mid-longitudinal suture nearly reduced; eyes more convex; only one long groove at mesial side of eye and temple. Mandibles ( Fig. 20 D) similar to male, with teeth more prominent. Pronotal anterior margin ( Figs. 19 B; 20B) slightly bi-emarginate. Sternite VIII ( Figs. 19 E; 20G) not partitioned, without teeth, with posterior margin gradually narrowed to middle.

Spermatheca ( Figs. 19 F; 20H) comma-formed, basal part inflated into globoid, apical part thin and sharp, shorter and a little curved.

Remarks. Similar to P. rugifrons Bernhauer , but the latter without spines on the anterior margin of male clypeus, just with tiny teeth (cf. Fig. 34 F–J).

Distribution. China (Beijing, Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Ningxia, Shanghai, Yunnan); Afghanistan, Algeria, Azores, Canary Islands, Cyprus, Egypt, Europe, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Madeira, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan.

Figures

FIGURE 19. Platystethus nitens (Sahlberg, 1832) I: A, head and pronotum ♂ (dorsal view); B, head and pronotum ♀ (dorsal view); C, sternite VII ♂; D, sternite VIII ♂; E, sternite VIII ♀; F, spermatheca; G, aedeagus (ventral view); H, median lobe of aedeagus (lateral view); I, right paramere (in situ) of aedeagus (lateral view). Scales: A, B = 0.3 mm; F = 0.05 mm; rest, 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 20. Platystethus nitens (Sahlberg, 1832) II: A, forebody ♂ (dorsal view); B, head and pronotum ♀ (dorsal view); C, right mandible ♂; D, right mandible ♀; E, sternite VII ♂; F, sternite VIII ♂; G, sternite VIII ♀; H, spermatheca; I, aedeagus (ventral view); J, aedeagus (dorsal view); K, aedeagus (ventero-apical view); L, median lobe of aedeagus (lateral view); M, right paramere (in situ) of aedeagus (lateral view). Scales: A, B = 0.5 mm; H = 0.05 mm; rest, 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 34. Platystethus praetermissus Eppelsheim, 1893 (A, B), syntype of P. spinicornis Luze, 1904 (C – E), and syntypes of P. r u gif ron s Bernhauer, 1900 (F – J): A, C, habitus ♂ (dorsal view); B, D, F, forebody ♂ (dorsal view); E, labels of P. spinicornis (syntype in FMNH); G, forebody ♀ (dorsal view); H, sternite VIII ♂ (ventral view); I, J, labels of P. rugifrons (syntypes in SDEI). Scales: A, C = 1 mm; B, D, F, G = 0.5 mm, H = 0.1 mm. [Photos C – E © The Field Museum, FMNHINS 2819581, Photographer Kelsey Keaton, used by permission]