Oedichirus paederinus Erichson

Herman, Lee H., 2013, Revision Of The New World Species Of Oedichirus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Pinophilini: Procirrina), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2013 (375), pp. 1-137 : 33-38

Oedichirus paederinus Erichson Figures 1 , 32–38

Oedichirus paederinus Erichson, 1840: 685 .

— Lucas, 1846: 121 ( Algeria). — Redtenbacher, 1857: 217 (characters; Sicily). — Rottenberg, 1870: 34 (Sicily). — Fauvel, 1873a: 291 (5 1873b: 133) (Sicily; Barbarie). — Redtenbacher, 1874: 236 (characters). — Fauvel, 1878a: 105 (5 1878b: 25) ( Algeria; Morocco). — Fauvel, 1886a: 33, 98 (5 1886b: 25, 90) ( Algeria; Morocco; Tunisia). — Ragusa, 1891: 241 (Sicily). — Fauvel, 1897: 271 ( Morocco; Algeria; Tunisia). — Champion, 1898: 98 ( Gibraltar). — Fauvel, 1902: 81 (notes; Barbary). — Reitter, 1906: 263 (key). — Bernhauer and Schubert, 1912: 201 (catalog). — Porta, 1926: 67 (characters; Basilicata; Calabria; Sicily; Sardinia). — Scheerpeltz, 1933: 1218 (catalog; Spain). — Normand, 1935: 365 ( Tunisia; Algeria). — Coiffait, 1978: 330 (characters; distribution). — Outerelo and Gamarra, 1989: 377 (characters; notes; illustrations; Morocco). — Sparacio, 1995: 150 (characters; notes; Sicily). — Ciceroni and Zanetti, 1995: 20 (checklist; Italy; Sicily; Sardinia). — Smetana, 2004: 624 (subgenus Oedichirus ; catalog; Italy; Spain; Algeria; Morocco; Tunisia). — Herman, 2010: 45 ( Italy; Spain; Morocco; Algeria; Tunisia).

Oedichirus quedenfeldtii Schaufuss, 1888: 314 ( Oedichirus ; type locality: Marocco).

— Fauvel, 1897: 271 (synonym of paederinus ). — Fauvel, 1902: 81 (synonym of paederinus ). — Bernhauer and Schubert, 1912: 201 (synonym of paederinus ). — Coiffait, 1978: 330 (synonym of paederinus ). — Smetana, 2004: 624 (synonym of paederinus ).

TYPE MATERIAL: Not examined. Deposited in Berlin ( MNHB).

TYPE LOCALITY: Sicilia.

DIAGNOSIS: This species is confined to southern Europe and northwestern Africa. It can be separated from all of the New World species by the Paederus -like coloration (fig. 1) and the transverse tergal carina on tergum IX that extends from the dorsal to the lateral and ventral surfaces (fig. 38) in both males and females. Other diagnostic characters include the modification of sternum VIII of the male (figs. 35, 36), the aedeagus (figs. 32–34), and features of the median gonocoxal plate and vulvar plate (fig. 38).

DESCRIPTION: Length: 6.0–7.0 mm. Length of head: 0.8 mm. Width of head: 1.0– 1.1 mm. Pronotal length: 1.1–1.2 mm. Pronotal width: 1.0 mm. Elytral length: 0.9– 1.1 mm. Elytral width: 1.0– 1.1 mm.

Body bicolored (fig. 1); head, elytra, and abdominal segments dark reddish brown to nearly black; prothorax and abdominal segments III to VI orange. Legs unicolorous yellowish brown and without dark femorotibial spot.

Head one to two fifths wider than long (HW/HL: 1.2–1.4). Frontoclypeal ridge incomplete, widely separated medially. Dorsal surface without V-shaped depression; surface with coarse, sparse punctation laterally and posteriorly and less dense medially and anteriorly. Labrum quadridentate; surface without tubercle near submedial denticle (compare fig. 3).

Pronotum about a tenth to a fifth longer than wide (PL/PW: 1.1–1.2). Pronotum with coarse punctation; punctation variable and arranged in scattered, dense clusters; submedial cluster large with punctures evenly arranged or with posterior punctures arranged in sinuous row; surface with or without moderately deep, submedial, punctate groove on basal half beginning near middle. Elytra with length about a fifth less than to equal to width (EW/EL: 1.0–1.2); surface coarsely punctate and slightly convex.

Abdominal segments III to VI with transverse rows of coarse punctation; VII with transverse rows of finer punctation. Segment III with short paratergal carina (as in fig. 23) reaching to or nearly to spiracle but not beyond; carina poorly to moderately well developed. Tergum III without median point extending from transverse basal ridge. Tergum VIII with broadly, slightly rounded to straight posterior margin; transverse basal ridge broadly, shallowly curved anteriorly, and without median point. Tergum IX with lateroapical process about a fifth longer to a fifth shorter than midbasal length (LLaP/L9 5 0.8–1.2), straight to feebly bent ventrally, and slightly diverging from other process; surface with curved, sinuous, transverse tergal ridge dorsally and laterally to ventromedial margin (fig. 38); ventromedial margin without posteriorly directed spur (cf. fig. 158).

MALE: Sterna VI and VII unmodified. Sternum VIII (figs. 35, 36) asymmetrical; posterior marginal region divided into membranous to lightly sclerotized posterior margin and sclerotized submarginal region; posterior margin lightly pigmented, lightly sclerotized, and translucent left and right of posteriorly directed, sclerotized processes that gradually become membranous medially; posterior margin membranous between sclerotized processes, with shallow, basally rounded emargination, and extending beneath and between sclerotized processes; submarginal sclerotized region with process on each side of midsagittal line extending posteriorly to or slightly beyond posterior margin; right process closer to midsagittal line than left; margin of submarginal region with comb of spinelike setae between submarginal processes; comb with many more setae to left of midsagittal line than right; comb with setae of left end beneath left process; right process broader than left; remainder of surface without depressions, carinae, tumescences, combs, or setal clusters; transverse basal ridge sinuate. Tergum IX with process reduced to small lobe on right and feeble swelling on left of anterior margin of anterovental angle; lateroapical process about a fifth shorter than to equal to midbasal length (LLaP/L9 5 0.8–1.0).

Aedeagus (figs. 32–34) asymmetrical. Median lobe with deep incision extending from left lateral side of ventral surface around dorsal surface to right lateral side; ventral surface with carina extending from near middle of posterior margin to large ventrally directed, strongly carinate lobe at about anterior end of apical quarter, lobe just to left of midsagittal line; ventral surface with strong carina on right side adjacent to deep circumferential incision and extending from ventral surface toward dorsal surface, carina large and strong ventrally and gradually diminishing dorsally; lateral apical margin without spurs, lobes, or processes. Ostial operculum rounded and broadly attached to apical margin of dorsal sclerite. Parameres strongly tapered from wide base toward slender, acute apices; right paramere short, sinuate, strongly curved medially, restricted to ventral surface, and not nearly reaching apical margin; left paramere long, sinuous, with apical fifth strongly curved dorsally, restricted to lateral side, and extending to apical margin.

FEMALE: Tergum IX with anteroventral angles widely separated from each other (fig. 38); lateroapical process about a fifth longer than midbasal length (LLaP/L9 5 1.0–1.2).

Median gonocoxal plate absent anteriad of vulvar plate (fig. 38); gonocoxal plate posteriad of vulvar plate large, wide basally, and gradually tapered posteriorly; anterior margin strongly asymmetrical (fig. 38); posterior margin broadly rounded; surface with curved, transverse ridge; ridge extending posteriorly along lateral edge of sclerite. Vulvar lobe anteriad of median gonocoxal plate, not embedded. Vulvar plate represented by only one vulvar lobe; lobe with large, deep pit on right side and adjacent to posterior margin (fig. 38); surface moderately strongly sclerotized. Vulva presumably in pit, and orientation indeterminate.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: 6 males, 2 females. Italy: Sizilian, Ragusa (2 males, FMNH) ; Sicilia, Pati (5 Patti?), G. Leoni (1 male, FMNH) ; Sicilia (1 male, AMNH) ; Sicilien, Ficuzza, Geo. C. Kr. (1 male, FMNH) ; Calabria, Cimina , lg. Paganetti (1 female, FMNH) ; Calabria, Antonimina (1 male, FMNH) ; Calabria, Antonimina , 1905 (legit) Paganetti (1 female, FMNH) .

DISTRIBUTION: The species, described from Sicily, is recorded from southern Europe ( Italy and Spain) and western Mediteranean Africa ( Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia) ( Smetana, 2004: 624; see references at beginning of species account for articles to earlier citations of the distribution).

REMARKS: This European species is redescribed in the present article because it is the type species of the genus and it is important to compare and contrast it with the New World species of the genus.

Oedichirus paederinus shares with the Neotropical species and all other species of the genus the presence of the spiniform pencil of modified apical setae on antennomere 11 (fig. 9), the ‘‘window’’ at the anterior margin of the abdominal segments (fig. 24), and the dense cluster of setae on the ventral surface of protarsomere 5 (fig. 7).

Characters found in O. paederinus , but none of the New World species include: presence of a ridge on tergum IX that extends across the dorsal surface, then ventrally on both the male and female (fig. 38); presence of a transverse ridge across the basal third of the median gonocoxal plate, then posteriorly along the lateral margins (fig. 38); absence of a transverse groove on tergum IX at the base of the lateroapical process (cf. figs. 27 and 38); and absence of a paratergite and presence of a short paratergal carina on segment III (fig. 23).

Since so few specimens of O. paederinus were available for the present article, I plan to gather specimens to examine its distribution and morphological details.

Figures

Figs. 1–2. Habitus. 1. Oedichirus paederinus Erichson, type species. 2. Oedichirus geniculatus (Sahlberg), first collected and described New World species. Specimens are to the same scale.

Figs. 32–37. Oedichirus paederinus. 32. Aedeagus, right lateral. 33. Aedeagus, ventral. 34. Aedeagus, left lateral. 35. Sternum VIII, male. 36. Sternum VIII, midapical margin enlarged, male. 37. Sternum IX, male.

Fig. 38. Oedichirus paederinus. Segment IX, ventral, female (CLSM).