Philonthus iridicollis Bernhauer, 1932

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 : 178-179

Philonthus iridicollis Bernhauer, 1932

( Figs. 38–44 )

Philonthus iridicollis Bernhauer, 1932: 152 .

Type locality. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Moreo, Kiambi, Niunzu.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‛ Moreo, Kiambi, vi.-vii.1930, Dr. P.Gérard, Chicago NHMus. M.Bernhauer Collection, // Type, Philonthus iridicollis M. Bernhauer [ochre oblong label, handwritten]’ ( FMNH).

Additional material examined. ETHIOPIA: 4 JJ 5 ♀♀, ‘ Jimma Kaffa, Ft. 1971, grass cuttings, R.O.S. Clark B.M. 1973-450’ ( BMNH, LHPC) ; 1♀, ‘ Bamenda,V.F.Easrop, 15.i.1957, C.E.Tottenham collection, B.M. 1974-587’ ( BMNH) . ZIMBABWE: 1 ♀, ‘loc., Kutsaga near Harare airport, 18.iv.1997, W. Rossi leg.’ ( LHPC) .

Redescription. Body length 8.9–9.1 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 4.0– – 4.2 mm.

Colouration. Head and abdomen black, with very slight greenish-violet hue around eyes, antennal sockets and clypeus along anterior margin very narrowly yellow-brown, maxillary and labial palpi yellow-brown, antennae black, base of antennomere 2 dark brown, pronotum black with distinct green-violet hue, scutellum and elytra black, legs black-brown, protarsomeres 1–5 yellow-brown, middle and posterior tarsi somewhat paler.

Head quadrangular, slightly wider than long (ratio 31: 27), slightly widened posteriad. Posterior angles obtusely rounded, each with one long and several short bristles. Distance between medial interocular punctures about 3.5 times as large as distance between medial and lateral interocular puncture. Eyes flat, somewhat shorter than temples (ratio 10: 12). Posterior margin of each eye with three coarse punctures. Temporal area with several coarse punctures. Dorsal surface without microsculpture, only with micropunctation.

Antennae long, almost reaching posterior margin of pronotum when reclined. Antennomeres 1–8 and 11 longer than wide, antennomeres 9–10 as long as wide. Relative length of antennomeres: 1 = 8; 2 = 4; 3 = 5; 4–8 = 3.5; 9–10 = 3; 11 = 5.

Pronotum markedly highly convex, as long as wide, distinctly narrowed anteriad.Anterior angles each with several short bristles. Posterior angles markedly rounded. Lateral margins each with one long black bristle in anterior half. Each dorsal row with 4 equidistant punctures, each sublateral row with 2 punctures.

Posterior two thirds of scutellum finely and sparsely punctate, punctures somewhat smaller than eye-facets, separated by 2 puncture diameters in transverse direction. Anterior third impunctate.

Elytra wider than long (ratio 46: 42), parallel-sided. Anterior angles each with one long black bristle. Punctation dense and fine, punctures somewhat larger than those on scutellum, separated by distance somewhat larger than puncture diameters in transverse direction. Surface without microsculpture; setation longer, greyish.

Legs. Metatibia somewhat longer than metatarsus (ratio 29.5: 28). Metatarsomere 1 almost as long as metatarsomeres 2–4 combined, metatarsomere 5 somewhat longer than metatarsomeres 3 and 4 combined. Relative length of metatarsomeres: 1 = 11; 2 = 4.5; 3–4 = 3; 5 = 6.5.

Male. Protarsomeres 1–3 strongly dilated and sub-bilobed, covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 distinctly narrower than preceding ones. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 41 ), sternite IX ( Fig. 42 ), aedeagus ( Figs. 38–40 ).

Female. Protarsomeres 1–3 less dilated than in male, covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 small. Tergite X ( Fig. 43 ), gonocoxites of female genital segment ( Fig. 44 ).

Differential diagnosis. Philonthus iridicollis may be distinguished from the similar P. aonyx sp. nov. by unicoloured elytra and legs and by the different shape of the aedeagus.

Bionomic. Some specimens were collected in grass cuttings.

Distribution. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe.

Figures

Figs. 38–53. 38–44 – Philonthus iridicollis Bernhauer, 1932; 45–48 – P. kenyanus Bernhauer, 1939; 49–53 – P. leptophilus Hromádka, 2006. 38, 45, 49 – aedeagus, ventral view; 39, 46, 50 – aedeagus, lateral view; 40, 51 – paramere with sensory peg setae, ventral view; 41, 52 – apical portion of male sternite VIII, ventral view; 42, 48, 53 – male sternite IX, ventral view; 43 – female tergite X, ventral view; 44 – gonocoxite of female genital segment; 47 – aedeagus without paramere, ventral view.