Philonthus bucorvus, Hromádka, 2009

Hromádka, Lubomír, 2009, Revision of the Afrotropical species of the Philonthus caffer species group (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (1), pp. 161-190 : 168-169

Philonthus bucorvus sp. nov.

( Figs. 14–16 )

Type locality. Malawi, Mulanoe Mts. env.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ Malawi S, Mulanoe Mts. Env., 22.vii.2001, J. Bezděk lgt., // HOLOTYPUS, Philonthus bucorvus sp. nov. Hromádka det. 2008 [red oblong printed label] ’ ( NMPC). PARATYPES: 7 ♀♀, same label data as holotype [red oblong printed labels] ( LHPC).

Description. Body length 7.4–7.6 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 3.8–4.0 mm.

Colouration. Head and scutellum black, antennal sockets and clypeus along anterior margin narrowly yellow-brown, pronotum and abdomen black, elytra red, shoulders, around scutellum and suture very narrowly black, maxillary and labial palpi and legs yellow-brown, antennomere 1 and base of antennomere 2 yellow-brown, remaining antennomeres black.

Head rounded quadrangular, almost as long as wide. Eyes flat, as long as temples. Posterior angles distinctly rounded. Four coarse punctures between eyes, distance between medial interocular punctures about 4 times as large as distance between medial and lateral interocular puncture. Medial punctures distinctly shifted anteriad. Posterior angle of each eye with three small punctures. Temporal area each with numerous punctures of unequal size. Dorsal surface with very fine irregular microsculpture.

Antennae long and slender, reaching posterior fourth of pronotum when reclined. All antennomeres longer than wide. Relative length of antennomeres: 1 = 11; 2 = 7.5; 3 = 7; 4–8 = 5; 9–10 = 4.5; 11 = 7.

Pronotum highly convex, distinctly longer than wide (ratio 43: 38), slightly narrowed anteriad. Anterior angles obtusely rounded, posterior angles markedly rounded. Each dorsal row with 5 coarse punctures, punctures 2–4 almost equidistant, distance between punctures 1–2 and 4–5 somewhat larger than distance between punctures 2–4. Each sublateral row with 2 fine punctures. Surface with very fine irregular microsculpture.

Scutellum very densely and finely punctate. Punctures somewhat larger than eye-facets. Distance between punctures much smaller than their diameter.

Elytra combined wider than long (ratio 50: 46), very slightly widened posteriad. Punctation fine and dense, punctures similar to that on scutellum, separated by 1.5 puncture diameters in transverse direction. Dorsal surface without microsculpture; setation grey.

Legs. Metatibia longer than metatarsus (ratio 34: 32). Metatarsomere 1 as long as metatarsomere 5, metatarsomere 2 somewhat shorter than metatarsomeres 3–4 combined. Relative length of metatarsomeres: 1 = 10; 2 = 6; 3 = 4; 4 = 3; 5 = 10.

Abdomen wide, parallel-sided. First three visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between basal lines with scattered fine punctures. Punctation of tergites very fine and dense. Punctures much smaller than those on elytra, distance between punctures much smaller than their diameter, punctation becoming sparser toward posterior margin of each tergite. Surface without microsculpture; setation similar as on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1–3 strongly dilated and sub-bilobed, covered with modified pale setae ventrally. Protarsomere 4 distinctly narrower than preceding ones. Sternite IX ( Fig. 16 ), aedeagus ( Figs. 14–15 ).

Female. Protarsomeres 1–3 much less dilated than those in male, protarsomere 4 small, all protarsomeres bearing modified pale setae ventrally.

Differential diagnosis. Philonthus bucorvus sp. nov. is quite similar to P. maridadus in all characters, but differs as follows: antennae shorter, elytra red, only shoulders and area around scutellum narrowly black, aedeagus of different shape.

Etymology. The name of this species, a noun in apposition, is the Latin generic name of the African ground hornbill Bucorvus abyssinicus (Boddaert, 1783).

Bionomics. Unknown.

Distribution. Malawi.

Figures

Figs. 12–24. 12–13 – Philonthus biguttulus Fauvel, 1907 (Côte d’Ivoire); 14–16 – P. bucorvus sp. nov.; 17–20 – P. caffer Boheman, 1848; 21–24 – Philonthus cliens Eppelsheim, 1890. 12, 14, 17, 21 – aedeagus, ventral view, 13 – paramere with sensory peg setae, ventral view; 15, 18, 22 – aedeagus, lateral view; 16, 20 – male sternite IX, ventral view; 19, 23 – aedeagus without paramere, ventral view; 24 – apex of paramere with sensory peg setae, ventral view.