Tetartopeus fragilis ( SHARP 1889)

Assing, V., 2011, On some East Palaearctic Tetartopeus species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (2), pp. 1179-1197 : 1185-1187

Tetartopeus fragilis ( SHARP 1889) ( Figs 22-26 )

Lathrobium fragile SHARP 1889: 258 .

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Lectotype, present designation: " Lathrobium fragile Type D. S. Osaka. 7.7.1881. Japan Lewis [written next to specimen] / Japan. G. Lewis. / Type / Syntype / Sharp Coll 1905-313. / Lathrobium fragile Sharp, P.M. Hammond det. 1979 / Lectotype Lathrobium fragile Sharp , des. LE Watrous 1980 / Lathrobium fragile Sharp, V.I. Gusarov det. 1993 / Lectotypus Lathrobium fragile Sharp , desig. V. Assing 2011 / Tetartopeus fragilis (Sharp) , det. V. Assing 2011" ( BMNH).

C o m m e n t: The original description is based on "five examples" from "Ogura lake, 7th July" ( SHARP 1889). One of the syntypes, a male dissected prior to the present study, was located in the collections of the BMNH. It has a lectotype label by Watrous attached

to it, but the designation was never published. The specimen is here formally designated as the lectotype.

D i a g n o s i s: Small and slender species; length of forebody 2.8 mm. Body darkbrown; elytra with pronounced and extensive yellowish spots in postero-lateral angles; legs and antennae reddish. Head distinctly oblong. Elytra approximately 0.9 times as long as pronotum ( Fig. 22 ).

: tergite and sternite VIII as in Figs 23-24 ; aedeagus small, approximately 0.75 mm long; ventral process very slender and very weakly curved in lateral view ( Fig. 25 ); internal sac with four large sclerotized structures ( Fig. 26 ).

D i s t r i b u t i o n: This species is currently known only from Japan.

Figures

Figs 22-29: Tetartopeus fragilis (SHARP), lectotype (22-26), and T. pallipes (SHARP) (27-29): (22) forebody; (23) male tergite VIII; (24) male sternite VIII; (25) aedeagus in lateral view; (26) internal structures of aedeagus (extruded); (27) female tergite VIII; (28) female sternite VIII; (29) female tergite X. Scale bars: 22: 1.0 mm; 23-24, 27-28: 0.5 mm; 25-26, 29: 0.2 mm.