Philonthus promerops, Hromádka, 2014

Hromádka, L., 2014, Four new species of the genus Philonthus from Afrotropical region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 46 (1), pp. 687-694 : 691-692

Philonthus promerops nov.sp. (Figs 12-14)

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: " Uru north, env, 1750 m, 16 km N of Moshi, v.2010, Milan KuboĖ lgt., // Holotype Philonthus promerops nov.sp. Hromádka det., 2013, [red oblong label printed]" (cHPC).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 6.5 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 2.6 mm. Coloration. Head black, pronotum black-brown, scutellum dark brown, elytra blackbrown, posterior margin and suture narrowly yellow-brown, whole epipleura wide yellow-brown, abdomen black-brown, posterior margin of all tergites yellow and whole paratergites yellow-brown. Maxillary and labial palpi brown-yellow, antennomeres 1-2 and base of antennomere 3 yellow-brown, remaining antennomeres brown, femora and tarsi yellow-brown, tibiae darker.

Head rounded, wider than long (ratio 18: 15), posterior angles markedly rounded bearing two long black bristles. Four coarse punctures between eyes, lateral punctures slightly shifted anteriad, distance between medial punctures five times larger than distance between medial and lateral puncture. Eyes flat, longer than temples (ratio 7.5: 5), posterior margin with one coarse puncture, temporal area with several varying large punctures. Surface with very fine microsculpture consisting of transverse waves.

Antennae reaching posterior fifth of pronotum when reclined. Antennomeres 1-3 and 11 distinctly longer than wide, antennomeres 4-10 as long as wide.

Pronotum longer than wide (ratio 25: 22), slightly narrowed anteriad, anterior angles conspicuously deflexed, vaguely obtusely rounded, posterior angles markedly rounded. Each dorsal row with five approximately equidistant punctures, distance between puncture five and posterior margin of pronotum as large as the length of antennomere 1. Each sublateral row with two punctures, puncture two shifted to the lateral margin. Sides in anterior third bearing one long black bristle. Surface with microsculpture similar to that on head.

Scutellum very densely and very finely punctured, diameter of punctures slightly larger than eye-facets, separated smaller than one puncture diameter.

Elytra wider than long (ratio 33: 29), slightly widened posteriad. Punctation fine, diameter of punctures slightly larger than that on scutellum, separated by one or one and half puncture diameters, somewhere two punctures diameter. Surface without microsculpture; setation brown-yellow.

Legs. Metatibia as long as metatarsus, metatarsomere 1 slightly longer than metatarsomere 5, shorter than metatarsomeres 2-4 combined.

Abdomen wide, from visible tergite III slightly narrowed posteriad. First three visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between lines densely and finely punctate. Punctation of visible tergites extremaly finely and densely punctate. Diameter of punctures smaller than eye-facets, mostly of punctures contiquous. Surface without microsculpture; setation similar to that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1-3 distinctly dilated and sub-bilobed, each covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 narrower than preceding ones. Aedeagus (Figs 12- 14).

Female. Unknown.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s Philonthus promerops nov.sp. may be distinguished from the similar P. mlogosiensis BERNHAUER 1934 , (15-17). by the narrower head, paler antennomeres 1-2, longer eyes, finer punctation of elytra and by the different shape of the aedeagus.

E t y m o l o g y: The name of this species, a noun in apposition, is the Latin generic name of the African Cape sugarbird Promerops umbretta (LINNAEUS 1758).

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Tanzania.