Ochthephilus forticornis (Hochhuth, 1860)

Makranczy, György, 2014, Revision of the genus Ochthephilus Mulsant & Rey, 1856 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Oxytelinae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 121 (4), pp. 457-694 : 564-566

Ochthephilus forticornis (Hochhuth, 1860) Figs 307, 338-342, 538, 583

Ancyrophorus forticornis Hochhuth, 1860: 553 . – Scheerpeltz, 1950: 62.

Ochthephilus forticornis (Hochhuth) . – Herman, 1970: 384.

Ancyrophorus antennatus Watanabe & Shibata, 1961: 7 , syn. nov. – Lee & Ahn, 2007: 115. Ancyrophorus confinis Smetana, 1968: 230 , syn. nov. – Kashcheev, 1989: 282.

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED: Ancyrophorus forticornis – LECTOTYPE (♀, here designated): “ Ancyrophorus ; forticornis; Hochhuth ; Dauria \ 239. \ [V. Gusarov’s large red card, blank] \ Daurien ; Koul [*+48.00/+122.98*] \ Lectotypus; Ancyrophorus ; forticornis Hochhuth ; (on the back) des. Makranczy, 1999 \ Ochthephilus ; forticornis Hochhuth ; det. Makranczy, 1999” ( ZMUM). Ancyrophorus antennatus – PARATYPES (3): “Daibosatsu.Pass [*+35.75/+138.85*]; Yamanashi pref.; May-20th 1960; Coll. Y. Watanabe \ {Paratype}; Ancyrophorus antennatus ; Yasuaki Watanabe et; Yasutoshi Shibata, 1961.” (coll. Watanabe, 23, 1♀) . Ancyrophorus confinis – HOLOTYPE (3): “ Mongolia, Uburchangaj aimak, Changaj Gebirge, Ongijn gol, 10 km ONO von Arbajcher, 1800m [*+44.55/+103.70*], 29.VI.1964., exp. Dr. Z. Kaszab ” ( HNHM) . – PARATYPE (1): labelled as “ allotypus ”, same data as holotype (coll. Smetana, CNCI, 1♀) .

OTHER MATERIAL: see Appendix.

REDESCRIPTION: Forebody as in Fig. 538. Measurements (n=10): HW = 0.56 (0.52-0.59); TW = 0.49 (0.47-0.52); PW = 0.61 (0.59-0.66); SW = 0.76 (0.69-0.85); AW = 0.80 (0.75-0.88); HL = 0.41 (0.38-0.45); EL = 0.195 (0.18-0.21); TL = 0.08 (0.07-0.09); PL = 0.49 (0.45-0.52); SL = 0.94 (0.88-1.02); SC = 0.86 (0.80-0.94); FB = 1.89 (1.77-2.03); BL = 3.46 (3.26-3.73) mm. Head, pronotum and abdomen blackish dark brown. Antennae, mouthparts and legs reddish dark brown, tarsi and both ends of tibiae often lighter. Elytra reddish dark brown, sometimes blackish, but often lighter, rather reddish or even medium brown. Body with greasy lustre mostly due to elytral setation plus forebody punctation and microsculpture. Pubescence rather fine and moderately dense, shorter and stronger (regularly spaced) on elytra, abdominal tergites with finer and longer setae, especially adjacent to laterosternites. Head anteriad eyes and near inner posterior margin of eye with stronger and darker bristles, as well as pronotal margin and middle of tibiae. Elytral apex often with two longer setae. Last tarsomere with a few setae only.

Forebody. Antenna as in Fig. 583, antennomere 6 shorter and less wide than neighbours (articles 5 and 7). Clypeus almost impunctate (colliculate microsculptured), trapezoid, corners rounded, anterior edge gently arched; separated by impressed transversal line (frontoclypeal suture) across a shinier area. Supraantennal prominences well developed, feebly separated from clypeus/vertex by impressions. Vertex with oblique impressions in middle almost joining in V-shape. Temples bulging, evenly curved, little shorter than half of eye length. Neck separated by an impressed transversal groove, microsculpture much stronger than on head, with transverse cells, no setation. Pronotum with a narrow marginal bead, visible to anterior pronotal corners. Posterior pronotal angles well-formed, just slightly obtuse-angled, sides in the posterior 2/3 very gently concave/bisinuate. 'Anchor' fully formed, longitudinal midline as a slightly elevated, impunctate, weakly microsculptured line, parallel to this line two gentle, semi-longitudinal elongate elevations in anterior half of disc. In corners of anchor feeble, oblique impressions directed outwards, in middle at sides of midline two smaller impressions. Elytra slightly broadening posteriorly, sutural corners narrowly rounded; apical sides slightly oblique and in inner halves gently convex. Elytral surface rather even with two shallow, very elongate impressions behind scutellum. Head with fine coriaceous/colliculate microsculpture, fading on elevated parts, stronger in impressions, on pronotum microsculpture slightly stronger and more even. Punctation on head sparse, mostly confined to posterior part and sides, on pronotum more evenly spaced, average interspaces much larger than puncture diameters; elytral punctation more even and regularly spaced, average interspaces (with indistinct coriaceous microsculpture) about as puncture diameters, punctures discrete..

Abdomen. Compared to forebody, abdomen with much more sparse, finer, less distinct punctation, microsculpture on tergal apices fine coriaceous with moderately transverse cells. Tergite VII posterior margin with palisade fringe unmodified in middle (nearly uniform breadth). Tergite VIII (Fig. 307) basal edge evenly arched, with small concavity in middle of basal sclerotized band; apical edge with sinuate (protruding) corners, and broad, moderately deep emargination in between. Sternite VIII with rounded apical corners, apex in males shallowly concave laterally, gently sinuate in middle; in females slightly more sinuate (convex) in middle. Tergite X unmodified, apex very slightly wider in males than in females. Aedeagus as in Fig. 338, inner sclerites as in Figs 339-340. Female ringstructures as in Figs 341-342.

COMPARATIVE NOTES: This species is extremely similar to O. strandi , and can only be separated accurately by the apical arm of the inner sclerite of aedeagus. External diagnostic features with weak separation value. Specimens across the distribution range are extremely variable in terms of the antennal structure but the specimens known from Japan are rather consistent in having much more slender/elongate antennae; nevertheless male genitalia are identical.

DISTRIBUTION: Known from East Siberia and the Russian Far East , Mongolia, northeast China, Korea, Japan and most part of North America (but while particularly common in the Pacific Coast Ranges, becomes more and more rather rare in eastern direction). Based on a male specimen from Norway (Kåfjord, Lyngen, VI.1909, Münster) that surely belongs to this species, it also occurs in North Europe .

BIONOMICS: Specimens were collected most frequently in Picea, Populus, Betula forest, wet leaflitter (e.g. at spring), dead wood & moss sifted. Found on muddy and gravelly banks of larger streams, but also in sand and under stones, in sprayed moss on rocks at waterfall, flood debris (like floating branches), wet leaflitter (e.g. Populus) at stream; in Sphagnum moss at water's edge. Interesting bionomical notes from A. Smetana (South March, 16.V.1969): swampy meadows, flooded after long rains; treading small islands of vegetation above water level. Some specimens were captured in flight; even found on carrion once.