Afrosorius Fagel, 1958

Ferreira, Raul Nascimento, 2014, New records of Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) from São Tomé and Príncipe (Western Africa)., Arquivos Entomolóxicos 10, pp. 93-96 : 94-95

Genus Afrosorius Fagel, 1958

The genus Afrosorius Fagel, 1958 is represented by 20 species in the Ethiopian Region ( Herman, 2001) with the type species Osorius assiniensis Fauvel, 1903 fixed by original designation. Originally most of the Osoriinae species were located on the genus Osorius Guérin-Méneville, 1829 .

After some exhaustive and detailed studies on the Osoriinae of Africa, Fagel (1958) separated the “complex osorien” with the description of Afrosorius and others for species of Ethiopian Region.

This genus includes insects of robust to medium structure with black to pitch black color, shiny, pronotum gradually narrowing to the base, elytra longer or the same length of the pronotum and the lateral margins totally visible from the top with discal and terminal sutures well defined. Currently this genus is represented in S. Tomé and Príncipe by two species ( Herman, 2001), Afrosorius curtipennis Fagel, 1958 from S. Tomé, Monte Café, EsperanÇa (1300 m) and Afrosorius viettei Fagel, 1958 from S. Tomé, south of Lagoa Amélia (1500 m). These are the only two species of the “complex osorien” with the elytra shorter than the pronotum.

In this paper I am adding two new species for the Island of S. Tomé. The specimens were collected in litter mixed with spongy and decomposed wood.

1. Afrosorius assiniensis (Fauvel, 1903)

Material; São Tomé and Príncipe, São Tomé, Água Grande, PAntufo, 0˚18′52″N, 6˚44′38″E, VII-20-1958, 2 ex.

Distribution; Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Cameroon ( Herman, 2001).

2. Afrosorius strigifrons (H. Kolbe, 1889)

Material; São Tomé and Príncipe, São Tomé, Lobata, Guadalupe, 0˚21′33″N, 6˚33′6″E, VII-20- 1958, 1 ex.

Distribution; Biokó, Cameroon, Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan ( Herman, 2001).