Mentophilonthus odzalaensis Levasseur, 1966

Hromádka, Lubomír, 2009, Revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Mentophilonthus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 49 (1), pp. 119-160 : 142-144

Mentophilonthus odzalaensis Levasseur, 1966

( Figs. 69–72 )

Mentophilonthus odzalaensis Levasseur, 1966: 211 .

Type locality. Gabon, Odzala.

Type material examined. PARATYPE: ♁, ‘ Congo ex francaise, Belinga 5.ii.63., H. Coiffait, Mission biologique // Paratype, Mentophilonthus odzalaensis Levasseur det. [white oblong label, handwritten]’ ( MNHN).

Redescription. Body length 10.5 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 5.0 mm.

Colouration. Head black, entire clypeus and antennal sockets narrowly yellow-brown, pronotum brown-red, elytra and abdomen dark brown, suture and posterior margin of elytra yellow-brown, posterior margin of tergites and all paratergites yellow-brown, palpi and mandibles dark brown, antennomere 1 brown-yellow, remaining antennomeres black-brown, legs yellow-brown, medial side of all tibiae infuscate.

Head of rounded shape, as wide as long, eyes flat and much longer than temples, occupying almost entire sides of head (ratio 18: 5), anterior margin of each eye with one coarse puncture, posterior margin of each eye with two punctures. Posterior angles indistinct, with two long dark bristles. Surface with microsculpture consisting of transverese and oblique waves.

Antennae reaching posterior margin of pronotum when reclined, all antennomeres longer than wide. Antennomere 1 longer than antennomeres 2–3 combined, antennomere 2 shorter than antennomere 3, antennomere 11 as long as antennomere 10. Relative lengths of antennomeres: 1 = 12; 2 = 5; 3 = 6; 4–11 = 4.

Pronotum longer than wide (ratio 43: 41), slightly narrowed anteriad. Each dorsal row with two punctures; each sublateral row with one puncture. Lateral margins of pronotum with 4 long dark bristles of unequal length in anterior half. Microsculpture similar to that on head.

Scutellum very finely and densely punctate, punctures smaller than eye-facets. Surface with very fine microsculpture consisting of transverse and oblique waves.

Elytra combined wider than long (ratio 54: 48), distinctly widened posteriad. Punctation very fine and sparse, diameter of punctures smaller than eye-facets, punctures separated by two puncture diameters in transverse direction. Longitudinal row of four larger setiferous punctures situated at midwidth of each elytron. Surface between punctures without microsculpture, with numerous microscopic dots.

Legs. Metatibia longer than metatarsus (ratio 38: 36). Metatarsomere 1 somewhat longer than metatarsomere 5. Relative lengths of metatarsomeres: 1 = 7; 2 = 4; 3 = 3.5; 4 = 3; 5 = 6.5.

First four visible tergites of abdomen with two basal lines, elevated area between basal lines finely and very sparsely punctate. Punctation of all abdominal tergites slightly denser and coarser than that on elytra. Setation much longer than that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1–3 distinctly dilated and sub-bilobed, covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 markedly narrower than preceding ones. Aedeagus ( Figs. 69–72 ).

Female. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Mentophilonthus odzalaensis may be distinguished from the similar M. dilutior by the sparser punctation of the elytra, from M. descanpentriesi by the darker antennae and tibiae, and from all species of Mentophilonthus by the different shape of the aedeagus.

Bionomics. Unknown.

Distribution. Gabon (this paper); Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo ( HERMAN 2001).

Figures

Figs.69-80. 69–72 – Mentophilonthus odzalensis Levasseur, 1965: 69–72 – aedeagus (69 – lateral view, 70 – ventral view, 71 – ventral view, without paramere, 72 – underside of paramere).73–80 – Mentophilonthus reinecki (Schubert, 1902): 73–76 – aedeagus (73 – ventral view, 74 – lateral view, 75 – ventral view, without paramere, 76 – underside of paramere with sensory peg setae); 77 – apical portion of male sternite VIII, ventral view; 78 – male sternite IX, ventral view; 79 – genocoxites of female genital segment; 80 – female tergite X, dorsal view.