Tychobythinus normandi (Jeannel, 1956)

Sabella, Giorgio, Nouira, Vera D’Urso Said, Souissi, Rhida & Besuchet, Claude, 2013, A review of Tychobythinus theryi species group with description of a new species from Algeria (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae), Zootaxa 3701 (1), pp. 63-75 : 70-71

Tychobythinus normandi (Jeannel, 1956)

( Figs. 10–13 )

Type material. Holotype, male. NORTHEASTERN ALGERIA. Skikda province: Philippeville (old name of Skikda), X.1929 (H. Normand) (INAT).

Redescription. Body length 1.50 mm, pubescence consists of long and flattened setae (length: 0.125–0.130 mm) on head, pronotum, elytra and abdomen, other suberected setae short (length: 0.030–0.040 mm) on antennae and legs. Tegument smooth and glossy.

Head ( Fig. 10 ) strongly wider (0.320 mm) than long (0.250 mm), frontal lobe width 0.130 mm with very sharp lateral sides, its dorsal surface glossy with large median sulcus. Clypeal carina evident, very long, and reaching temporal region. Occipital region convex with strong median longitudinal carina reaching posterior edge of vertexal foveae, tempora angulated with deep groove between dorsal surface of occipital region and clypeal carina, sides of tempora prominent ventrally. Gular region deeply excavated in the middle with strongly pubescent lateral edges. From the middle of the posterior edge of this excavation starts a long spiniform median process slightly raised and curved, bearing a short thick tuft of yellow hairs on each side of the apex. II segment of maxillary palpi elongated with 24 tubercles, III segment distinctly longer than wide with 6 tubercles, last segment of maxillary palpi ( Fig. 11 ) about 3 times longer (0.250 mm) than wide (0.080 mm), its lateral margin straight. Antenna ( Fig. 12 ) 0.660 mm long, scape about 3 times longer (0.185 mm) than wide (0.060 mm), antennomere II longer (0.060 mm) than wide (0.045 mm), antennomere III longer than wide, antennomeres IV–VIII subequal in size wider than long, V only a little longer and wider than other funicular antennomeres. Antennomeres IX and X short, strongly wider than long, XI about 1.5 times longer than wide, and about 1.25 times longer than combined length of IX and X.

Pronotum strongly wider (0.350 mm) than long (0.300 mm), widest a little before the middle, pleural carina well visible, very deep and close antebasal sulcus with detected edge.

Elytra width 0.700 mm, length 0.600 mm.

Metasternum with surface strongly punctated. Laterally of each coxal cavity is present a small pubescent pit.

Legs stout, protrocanthers with 4 tubercles, profemora with 14 small tubercles, base of mesofemora with 4–5 small protuberances on its anterior edge. Metatibiae 0.450 mm long.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 13 ) 0.26 mm length, ovoid with parameres relatively long, sinuates and convergent, apically rounded and narrowed, bearing two bristles for each. Symmetric internal sac armure with numerous large teeth at base and numerous longer and thiner teeth in apical region.

Female. Unknown.

Comparative notes. T. normandi is distinguished from other species of the theryi group by the angulated and excavated tempora. It is comparable with T. monoceros and T. thery in the features of IV–VIII antennal segment which are at most as long as wide (longer than wide in all other species of theryi group) and also with T. theryi for the punctated surface of metasternum (unpunctated in all other species of theryi group), with T. araneipes for the clypeal carina reaching temporal region and with T. bordei for the anterior margin of mesofemora with 4–5 small tubercles.

Remarks. Label on the slide preparation of aedeagus reads: Euplectus theryi Guill., Philippeville. The second label reads: Bythinus theryi Guill. Finally , and the third label written by Besuchet and glued on the opposite side of the slide reads: Tychobythinus normandi .

The holotype specimen is housed in the INAT, while the slide with the preparation of aedeagus is housed in the MNHN.

Figures

FIGURES 10 – 13. Tychobythinus normandi. Scale: 0, 1 mm. 10 — Head, schematic drawing. 11 — Left maxillary palpus, holotype. 12 — Right antenna, holotype. 13 — Aedeagus dorsal view, holotype.