Sagola pulchra Broun, 1880

Park, J. - S. & Carlton, C. E., 2014, A revision of the New Zealand species of the genus Sagola Sharp (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae: Faronitae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 13) 68, pp. 1-156 : 38-40

Sagola pulchra Broun, 1880

( Figs. 19a, 19e, 19l–m , 20 )

Sagola pulcher Broun, 1880: 137 . Schaufuss 1888: 85; Raffray 1893: 31, 1904: 497, 1911: 5, 1924: 231; Hudson 1923: 365, 1934: 183; Newton and Thayer 2005b; Nomura and Leschen 2006: 243.

Sagola robusta Broun, 1893b: 1420 . Raffray 1904: 497, 1911: 5, 1924: 233; Hudson 1923: 365, 1934: 183; Newton and Thayer 2005b; Nomura and Leschen 2006: 243. New synonymy.

Type Material Examined. Holotype: NEW ZEALAND: Coromandel : 1♀ ( BMNH), glued on rectangular card, “Type” [red label, printed]; “250” [white label, printed]; “Tairua” [white label, printed]; “New Zealand Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922–482.” [white label, printed]; “ Sagola pulcher . ♂.” [white label, handwritten]. The original label indicates this specimen is a male, but it is female. Holotype of Sagola robusta : NEW ZEALAND: Auckland: 1♂ ( BMNH), glued on rectangular card, “2468. ♂ ” [white label, handwritten]; “Hunua” [white label, handwritten]; “New Zealand Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922–482.” [white label, printed]; “ sagola robusta . ♂ ”[white label, handwritten].

Additional Material (n = 16: 7 males; 9 females). NEW ZEALAND: Bay of Plenty : 1♂, Mt. Te Aroha, 2.5km SE Te Aroha, 390m, Tui Road at Tui Creek , Mt. Domain Tr. , 25 II 2010, D.S. Chandler, sift forest litter & old epiphyte clumps ; 1♂, Mt. Te Aroha , 500–1000m, 14 X 1979, J.S. Dugdale ; 2♂♂, Kaimai , 18 I 1931, A.E. Brookes collection ; 1♂ 5♀♀, Tapapa Tukorehe Res. , 300m, 25 III 1978, S. & J. Peck, berl., litter ; 1♀, Waiaroho , 17 IX 1992, G. Hall, R. C. Henderson, sifted rotten wood 92/54 ; 1♀, Waenga , NZMS 260 Y14 652913, 28 I 1993, R. M. Emberson, mixed broadleaf nikau forest litter LCNZ 93 /3 ; 1♀, Waioeka Gorge , 14 IV 1987, J. Nunn, with Mesoponera ; Coromandel: 1♀, Coromandel , 350m, 23 III 1977, G. Kuschel, decayed wood ; Waikato: 1♂, Maungatautari , 17 XII 2007 – 20 I 2008, D.H. Watts, Pitfall trap .

Diagnosis. This species is similar in appearance to other members of this species-group but can be distinguished by the shape of the antennae and genitalia.

Redescription. Length 3.5–4.1 mm. Body brown, antennae, legs, and maxillary palpi paler, elytra yellowish brown ( Fig. 19a ). Head: Transverse, widest across temples ( Fig. 19a ). Antennomere 1 approximately 2.5 times longer than wide, 2–3 longer than wide, 4–5 elongate, 6–8 longer than wide, 9–10 subquadrate. Frontal sulcus deep and wide, reaching midpoint of eye from frontal fovea. Anterior frontal fovea extremely small. Posterior frontal fovea round. Eye small and prominent, one-third length of temple. Thorax: Prosternum as long as wide, widest at midpoint. Elytra approximately triangular ( Fig. 19a ). Meso-and metathorax trapezoidal, as long as wide. Aedeagus: Median lobe longer than parameres ( Fig. 19e ). Phallobase of median lobe symmetrical and rectangular ( Fig. 19e ). Parameres asymmetrical, right paramere broader and with slender branch apically ( Fig. 19e ).

Type Locality. Tairua , New Zealand .

Distribution. A u c k l a n d, B a y o f P l e n t y, Coromandel, Waikato ( Fig. 20 : black circles).

Habitat. Most specimens of this species were collected using pitfall traps or by sifting leaf litter or rotten wood in kauri or broadleaf forests. One specimen was collected with ants of the genus Mesoponera Emery.

Comments. Specimens of S. pulchra are difficult to distinguish from those of other species externally, but the shape and size of the antennomeres and genitalia are diagnostic. The type specimens of S. robusta share these diagnostic characters, and this species has been collected at or near the type locality. For these reasons, we have placed S. robusta in synonymy with S. pulchra .

Figures

Fig. 19. Sagola species in the pulchra species-group. Habitus, dorsal views: a) S. pulchra, b) S. keejeongi, c) S. ramsayi, d) S. poortmani. Aedeagi, dorsal views: e) S. pulchra, f) S. keejeongi, g) S. ramsayi, h) S. poortmani. S. keejeongi, male: i) Dorsal surface of head, j) Ventral surface of head (arrow indicates lateral process), k) Mid-leg, lateral view. S. pulchra, female: l) Ventrite VIII, ventral view, m) Ventrite IX, ventral view. Scale bars a–d = 1 mm, e–m = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 20. Known collection localities of New Zealand Sagola species. S. pulchra: black circles; S. keejeongi: triangles; S. ramsayi: black square; S. poortmani: star.