Tychobythinus algiricus ( Raffray, 1871 )

Sabella, Giorgio, Viglianisi, Fabio Massimo, D’Urso, Vera & Nouira, Said, 2014, A review of the Tychobythinus algiricus species group from North Africa (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Zootaxa 3893 (4), pp. 579-586 : 580-584

Tychobythinus algiricus ( Raffray, 1871)

( Figs 1A–D , 2C–E , 3 )

Bythinus algiricus Raffray 1871: 160 .

Bythinus algericus Raffray 1873: 366 , pl. XV, fig. 6 (antenna); Pic 1901: 403; Normand 1904: 218; Peyerimhoff 1910: 288.

Bythinus (Machaerites) algiricus Reitter 1882: 483 .

Bryaxis (groupe V) algirica Raffray 1904: 275 .

Bythinopsis algerica Raffray 1908: 283 ; Raffray 1924: 85.

Bythinopsis algirica Raffray 1911: 125 ; Martinez de la Escalera 1914: 99; Normand 1935: 85.

Chiasmatobythus algericus Jeannel 1956: 68 , figs 61–62 (habitus), 63 (aedeagus).

Chiasmatobythus algiricus Kocher 1958: 207 .

Tychobythinus algericus Besuchet 1962: 349 ; 1963a: 230; 1963b: 219; Kocher 1969: 5; Ribera Almerje 1972: 137; Besuchet 1999: 52.

Tychobythinus algiricus Löbl & Besuchet 2004: 314 .

Bythinus tuniseus Pic 1901: 403 ; Normand 1904: 218 (synonymized by Peyerimhoff 1910: 289).

Bryaxis (groupe V) tunisea Raffray 1904: 276 .

Bythinopsis tunisea Raffray 1908: 284 .

Bythinopsis algerica var. tunisea Raffray 1924: 85 .

Chiasmatobythus remyi Jeannel 1956: 69 (synonymized by Besuchet 1999: 52); Kocher 1958: 208.

Tychobythinus remyi Kocher 1969: 5 .

Tychobythinus occidentalis Besuchet 1962: 348 (syn. nov.).

Material examined. NORTHERN TUNISIA: Tabarka governorate: Aïn Draham , 2 males and 1 female, VI.1938 (H. Normand) ( INAT); idem, 1 male and 1 female, X.1938 (H. Normand) ( INAT); idem, 1 male and 1 female, VI.1939 (H. Normand) (CCo); idem, 1 male and 1 female, VI.1939 (H. Normand) ( MHNG); idem, 1 male and 1 female, 02.X.1976 (H. Franz) ( MHNG); idem, 1900, 1 male (holotype of Bythinus tuniseus ) (M. Pic) ( MNHN, ex coll. Peyerimhoff). Bèja governorate: km 32 road Aïn Draham - Bèja, 800 m, 1 male, 30.XI.1997, under stone (G. Sabella & A. Alicata) ( DBUC); Le Kef governorate: Le Kef, 3 females, IV.1940 (H. Normand) ( INAT); idem, 3 ex., XI.1939 (H. Normand) (CCo); idem, 2 ex., VI.1951 (H. Normand) (CCo); idem, 1 male, VI.1939 (H. Normand) ( MHNG); idem, 1 male and 2 females, XI.1939 (H. Normand) ( MHNG); idem, 2 females, VI.1949 (H. Normand) ( MSNM); Jendouba governorate: Camp de la Santé, 1 male (H. Normand) ( INAT); Bulla Regia, 1 male and 1 female ( MNHN, ex. coll. Pic). NORTHERN ALGERIA: Algeria, 1 female (type algiricus Raffray ) ( MNHN); El Tarf province: Marais de la Calle, 1 male and 4 females, V.1935 (H. Normand) ( INAT); idem, 3 ex., V.1938 (H. Normand) (CCo); idem, 4 females, V.1938 (H. Normand) ( MHNG); idem, 1 female (H. Normand) ( MSNM); Annaba province: Edough Mount, 1 female (sub Machaerites theryi ), 09.IV.1893, ( MNHN, ex. coll. Pic); idem, 1 female (sub Machaerites theryi ), 08.V.1893, ( MNHN, ex. coll. Pic); Annaba (new name of Bône), 1 male (sub Machaerites jugurthae ) ( MNHN, ex. coll. de Saulcy); Jijel province: El Milia, 3 ex., 10.X.1928 (H. Normand) ( INAT); Blida province: Mouzaïa Mount, 1 female, IV.1909 ( INAT); idem, 1 male, IV.1909 ( MHNG); Chiffa, 1 ex. ( MNHL); Chiffa Gorges , 1 male, 25.IV.1895 ( MHNG); Atlas de Blida, Chréa , Les Glacières , 1.100 m, 1 female, 3.V.1988 (C. Besuchet, I. Löbl & D. Burckhardt) ( MHNG); Sidi Zraïm near Mouzaïa, 11.V.1934, 1 male and 1 female ( MNHN, ex. coll. Peyerimhoff); Zaouïa de Mouzaïa, 1 male and 1 female ( MNHN, ex. coll. Peyerimhoff); Platrière marsh, near Mouzaïa, 1 female, 01.V.1894 ( MNHN, ex. coll. Peyerimhoff); Kehir river of Mouzaïa, 1 male, 02.VII.1905 ( MNHN, ex. coll. Peyerimhoff); Kaïrons river of Mouzaïa, 1 female, VIII.1905 ( MNHN, ex. coll. Peyerimhoff); Tipasa province: Koléa , Oum el Hallouf , 2 males and 1 female (P. M. de Peyerimhoff) ( MHNG); idem, 3 males and 2 females ( MHNG) ; idem, 5 males and 1 female ( MNHN, ex. coll. Peyerimhoff); idem, 1 male (sub Machaerites theryi ) ( MNHN, ex. coll. de Saulcy); idem, 1 male and 1 female ( MNHN, ex. coll. Sainte Claire Deville); idem, 2 ex. ( MNHL); Algiers province: Alger, 2 males ( MNHN, ex. coll. de Saulcy); Masafran marsh , 1 female ( MHNG); MOROCCO: Tanger-Tétouan region: Boucharen , near Larache, 3 ex. ( INAT); idem, 4 males and 3 females, V.1910 ( MHNG); idem, 04.V.1910, 4 males and 3 females ( MNHN, ex coll. Peyerimhoff and coll. Raffray); Larache, 2 males and 2 females (coll. Raffray, MNHN); Khémis of Sahel, near Larache, 4 females, 03.IV.1959 (C. Besuchet) ( MHNG); Moulay Bousselham, Merja , 1 male, 04.II.1966 ( Lapin ) ( MHNG); Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen region: Moulay Bousselham , Merja , 1 male, 04.II.1966 ( Lapin ) ( MHNG); idem, Rharb, 2 males, 22.XII.1968 (Lapin) ( MHNG); Sebou river , near Kenitra, 1 female, IV.1960 (R. Mussard) ( MHNG); Rabat region: Fouarat river , Mamora forest , 1 male, 21.IV.1962 (R. Mussard) ( MHNG); idem, 1 male, 26.I.1962 (R. Mussard) ( MHNG); Fes-Boulemane region: Dayèt Aouaoua , south of Imouzzer , 1 male, 16.VII.1963 (R. Mussard) ( MHNG); Meknès-Tafilalet region: Zaouïa Ifrane, 1.600 m, 1 male, VIII.1950, (C. Remy) (coll. Raffray, MNHN); Tadla-Azilal region: Beni-Mellal, VIII.1950, 1 female (holotype of Chiasmatobythus remyi ) ( MNHN); Souss Massa Draâ region: Tazentoute , Wit Tandoum cave , subterrain river , 1 female, 10.VIII.1971 (J. N. Romero) ( MHNG). Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz region: south slope of Tizi-n-Test , 1.600 m, 1 female (holotype of Tychobythinus occidentalis ) (C. Besuchet) ( MHNG); idem, 1.600 m, 1 female (paratype of Tychobythinus occidentalis ) (C. Besuchet) ( MHNG).

Redescription. Body 1.05–1.25 mm long, pubescence dense and fairly uniform consisting of long and flattened setae (length: 0.07–0.08 mm) on head, pronotum, elytra and abdomen, other suberect setae shorter (length: 0.03–0.04 mm) on antennae and legs and thin fluff on apical segment of maxillary palpi.

Head ( Figs 1A, 1D ) distinctly wider (0.27–0.31 mm) than long (0.18–0.19 mm), frontal lobe width 0.12–0.134 mm, front between antennal tubercles glossy with some punctures concentrated on sides; well-impressed and large median sulcus reaching vertexal foveae. Clypeal carina clearly visible in lateral view, occipital region with short median longitudinal carina. Segment II of maxillary palpi with 10–14 tubercles, segment III slightly longer than wide with 4–6 tubercles, apical segment of maxillary palpi ( Fig. 2D ) little more than 2 times longer (0.20–0.21 mm) than wide (0.08 mm). Antennae ( Fig. 2C ) 0.48–0.50 mm long with scapus about 2.5 times longer (0.12–0.13 mm) than wide (0.049–0.050 mm), antennomere II longer (0.05 mm) than wide (0.04 mm) and wide as scape, antennomere III slightly longer than wide, antennomeres IV and VIII subequal and wider than long, antennomeres IX and X distinctly transverse, XI about two times longer than wide, and longer than about 2 times combined length of IX and X.

Pronotum wider (0.30 mm) than long (0.23–0.24 mm), widest slightly before the middle, pleural carina barely visible, with deep antebasal sulcus.

Elitra width 0.50 mm, length 0.48–0.50 mm.

Metasternum with surface impressed by large and thick punctures.

Legs not particularly elongate, protrochanters and profemora without tubercles. Metatibiae 0.40–0.41 mm long.

Male. Winged and macrophthalmous (20–30 ommatidia) brown reddish with sometimes black abdomen, or micropterous and microphthalmous (6–10 ommatidia), body entirely pale brown. Occipital region with median longitudinal carina reaching about to posterior edge of vertexal foveae ( Fig. 1A ). Gular region ( Fig. 1C ) behind labium with deep and broad impression margined posteriorly by transverse ridge projecting on each side of head as sharp tubercle, this ridge with acute median process projecting ventrally bearing two tufts of modified setae at tips ( Fig. 1B ). Aedeagus ( Fig. 2E ) 0.26–0.28 mm long, ovoid with relatively short parameres that are sinuate and convergent, each bearing 3 bristles. Internal sac with 2 big and long teeth and 4 smaller and short spines.

Female. Occipital region with short median longitudinal carina reaching to about its middle ( Fig. 1D ). Wingless and microphthalmous with 2–6 ommatidia, entirely pale brown, gular region unmodified.

Notes. Besuchet (1962: 349) described Tychobythinus occidentalis based on two females (holotype and paratype) from Morocco (Tizi-n-Test) stating that this species is close to Tychobythinus algiricus from which it differs in its smaller size, narrower frontal lobe, and very reduced eyes. We have examined a long series of specimens of T. algiricus from Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco which were compared favourably with the holotype and paratype of T. occidentalis , and found that all features used by Besuchet could be seen as simple gradation or variation within these series; so Tychobythinus occidentalis is here placed as the junior synonym of Tychobythinus algiricus (syn. nov.).

According to Raffray (1873: 366) the typical series of this species (with males and females) was collected in the Chiffa Gorges in moss and in the Boghari Forest under a large stone. In the collections of the MNHN we could not find any specimens with labels referring to these two localities, and only one female with the locality label “ Algeria ” and determination label “ Bythinus algiricus / Type ”, both handwritten by Raffray.

Distribution ( Fig. 3 ). T. algiricus is a widespread species in the Maghreb ( Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco). Apart from the material examined it is reported from Fernana and Tebousouk ( Tunisia) ( Jeannel 1956: 69) and Tangeri ( Besuchet 1962: 349).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Distribution map of Tychobythinus algiricus species group. • = Tychobythinus algiricus. ★ = Tychobythinus escalerai. ˔ = Tychobythinus atlanticus.

FIGURES 1 A – F. Head of Tychobythinus. Scale: 0, 1 mm. A— Tychobythinus algiricus male, head dorsal view, schematic drawing. B— Tychobythinus algiricus male, head lateral view. C— Tychobythinus algiricus male, head ventral view, schematic drawing. D— Tychobythinus algiricus female, head dorsal view, schematic drawing. E— Tychobythinus escalerai male, head dorsal view, schematic drawing. F— Tychobythinus atlanticus male, head dorsal view, schematic drawing.

FIGURES 2 A – E. Scale: 0, 1 mm. A— Tychobythinus escalerai, paratype male, right antenna. B— Tychobythinus atlanticus, holotype male, right antenna. C— Tychobythinus algiricus male, right antenna. D— Tychobythinus algiricus male, right maxillary palpus. E— Tychobythinus algiricus male, aedeagus, dorsal view.