Pseudoplandria, FENYES, 1921

Hanley, Rodney S., 2003, Generic revision of the staphylinid beetle tribe Hoplandriini (Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 138 (1), pp. 83-140 : 130-134

GENUS PSEUDOPLANDRIA FENYES, 1921 (FIGS 26,27)

Pseudoplandria Fenyes, 1921:30 . Bernhauer & Scheerpeltz, 1926:798. Scheerpeltz, 1934:1720. Cameron, 1939a:664. Blackwelder, 1952:329. Sawada, 1990:548. Hanley, 2002a:301. Hanley, in press b.

Type species: Pseudoplandria laeta Fenyes, 1921 by original designation.

Troposandria Cameron, 1939b:151 . Blackwelder, 1952:400. Hanley, 2002a:318. New synonymy.

Type species: Troposandria papuana Cameron, 1939b by original designation.

Diagnosis: See under subtribe Pseudoplandriina diagnosis.

Description: [1] Lengths of adults 2.5–7.5 mm. [2] Body ( Fig. 26A ) fusiform; [3] surface more or less glossy with [4] punctation and microsculpturing in many species; [5] pubescence generally sparse on head and [6] abdominal terga, variably dense on [7] pronotum, [8] elytra, and [9] abdominal sterna.

Head: ( Fig. 26A ) [10] Slightly broader than long. [11] Eyes small, 0.3–0.4 times length of head. [12] Neck absent. [13] Infraorbital carina weakly developed and incomplete. Antenna ( Fig. 26A ) with [14] 11 antennomeres; [15] articles 1–3 elongate, 1.5–2.5 times longer than wide; [16] segment 4 quadrate to slightly elongate; [17] articles 5–10 short, 1.1–2.0 times wider than long, [18] coeloconical sensilla absent in segment 11.

Mouthparts: Labrum ( Fig. 26B ) with epipharyngeal area with [19] medial pores small, relatively few, uniformly distributed in [20] moderately delimited, longitudinal sensory field; [21] pores between longitudinal sensory field and lateral sclerotized areas absent ( Fig. 26C ). Mandible ( Fig. 26D,E ) [22] asymmetrical with right mandible with a distinct median tooth; [23] apex acute and curved adorally; [24] condylar molar patch moderate in size, width about 1/4 of basal mandibular width, [25] composed of very small denticles, [25a] arranged in two primary patches, [26a] apical area with denticles in transverse rows, more or less sparsely arranged; [26b] basal area with denticles irregularly spaced, densely arranged; [27] subcondylar molar patch absent; [28,29] dorsobasal ‘velvety patch’ absent; [30] ventral aspect with outer basal angle with setae absent. Maxilla ( Fig. 26F ) with [31] length of lacinia shorter than galea, [32] lacinia more or less acute apically, [33] teeth on adoral margin short, about 3 times longer than wide, and [34] more or less closely placed, into [35] three distinct regions, [35a] basal region with setae gradually tapering out, and [36] 2 large spinose setae on dorsal surface near apex of middle region; [37] galea wide, as wide as lacinea at widest area, and rounded apically, [38] membranous in apical 1/2–1/3, [39] densely covered with rows of very short, fine hairs giving stubble appearance, [39a] with small patch of longer setae at base of apex; [40] maxillary palpi with 4 articles and a weakly defined pseudosegment, [41] articles 2 and 3 with numerous long setae, [42] articles 1, [43] 4 and [44] pseudosegment without setae. Labium ( Fig. 26G ) with ligula [45] elongate, longer than labial palpi 1 + 2, [46] very narrow apically with [47] forked apex, [48] with two very small spines at apex and one subapical spine on each division of fork; [48a] two very small spines on each division of fork near base of fork; [48b] two short medial spines present on basal half of ligula; [49] two more or less short medial setae of prementum present, shorter than ligula, [50] insertion of setae adjacent; [51] real pores and [52] setal pores present; [53] median pseudopore field very narrow and linear, [53a] without pseudopores; [54] lateral pore field with a single setose pore, two asetose pores and numerous pseudopores; [55] hypoglossal lobes ( Fig. 26H ) moderate in length, typically reaching near middle of ligula, [56] with more or less short, about 1.5 times longer than width of lobe, comb-like setae along [57] entire length of adoral margin, [57a] apex with longer setae than rest of lobe, about 5 times longer than width of lobe. Labial palpi ( Fig. 26G ) [58] elongate, overall length 5–6 times longer than greatest width, with [59] 3 distinct articles, [60] with distal pore field composed of two pores with small sensory pegs inside; [61] segment 1 subequal in length with segment 2, [62] segment 3 about 0.8 times length of segment 2; [63] twin pores and [64] median pores present. Mentum with [65] apical margin concave with [66] antero-lateral angles obtusely rounded; [67] sensory pores moderate in number, typically distributed each side of midline.

Thorax: Pronotum ( Fig. 26A ) [68] subquadrate to transverse, [69] typically 1.5 times wider than long, [70] more or less convex to flattened. Setae [71] generally densely distributed, [72] typically directed posteriorly towards outer apical angles on disc. [73] Hypomera strongly inflexed, not visible in lateral aspect. Elytra ( Fig. 26A ) [74] moderately broad, commonly wider apically than basally; [75] apico-lateral angles slightly to distinctly sinuate; [76] elytra together about 1.5–1.8 times wider than long; [77] microsetae numerous, [78] generally uniformly distributed and [79] directed posteriorly. Mesosternum ( Fig. 27A ) [80] with medial carina that extends to apex of process. Mesocoxal cavities ( Fig. 27A ) [81] moderately separated by meso- and metasternal processes by about 1/8 length of coxal cavities. Mesosternal process [82] significantly longer than metasternal process, extended to basal 1/6 of coxal cavities; [83] meso- and metasternal processes separated by short isthmus; [84] mesosternal process generally flattened at apex. Metasternum [85] shorter than width of mesocoxae, [86] without medial carina; [87] metasternal process generally rounded at apex. Macrosetae [88] absent on metasternum; [89] generally absent from mesosternum. Legs [90] with tarsal formula 5-5-5; [91] tarsal claws long and slender, [92] with single empodial bristle, [93] empodial bristle longer than tarsal claws; [94, 95] articles 1–4 of hind tarsus subequal in length; [96] segment 5 subequal in length to combined lengths of articles 2–4.

Abdomen: ( Fig. 27B ) [97] Fusiform, tapering apically to broadly pointed apex; [98] tergum III with moderate to deep transverse basal depressions on anterior portion, terga IV – V without noticeable depressions. [99] Terga and sterna with prominent microsetae, macrosetae sparse. [100] Anterior corner of sternum III with region delimited by very fine carina, no differentiated microsculpturing visible, area not appearing irridescent. [101] Tergum IX with distinct crescent-shaped setal pattern.

Secondary sexual characteristics: Males variable with morphological modifications on the elytra in the form of [102] small humeral carina ( Fig. 27E ); [103] denticle, carina or conical process on the medioapical region ( Fig. 27E ); [104] denticle, carina or bump on the outer apical third absent; [104a] sinuate areas of apico-lateral angles often produced into heavy carina-like structure ( Fig. 27E ). Abdomen: posterior corners of [105] sternum III often produced into short spine-like structure not reaching tergum IV, and [106] posterior corners of tergum IV not produced into spine-like structures; [107] carina on tergum IV absent; [108] narrow posteromedian longtitudinal carina on tergum VII; [109] two transverse rows of large macrosetae on near apex of tergum VIII.

Aedeagus: ( Fig. 27C ) Variable, with bulb of median lobe [110] more or less elongate, greater in length than tube, [111] with distinct, elongate ventral projection; internal sac [112] typically with numerous, small spinules; [113] parameres ( Fig. 27D ) with apical lobe of parmerite greatly extended beyond velum, length about 1/2 of total length of paramere; [114] typically with 2 short and 2 long setae at apex; [115] paramerite anterior margin more or less straight; condylite with [116] apex unmodified, [117] generally subequal in length to apex of paramerite.

Spermatheca: [118] Generally open L-shaped, with three primary divisions: basal bulb, [119] generally simple and rounded at base; neck, [120] significantly bent, typically at 120–140∞; and tube, [121] typically membranous, [122] more or less straight.

Habitat: Unknown.

Comments: Representatives of this genus superficially resemble species of Hoplandria . Perhaps the most easily detected morphological difference is the 5-5-5 tarsal segmentation in Pseudoplandria , while Hoplandria has 4-5-5. No species of Pseudoplandria is known to occur in the New World, while Hoplandria s.l. appears to be restricted to the New World. Pseudoplandria contains 71 described species, while many others likely remain to be described.

Cameron (1939b) described the genus Troposandria to contain a single species from Indonesia based on the long first tarsomere of the hind legs. The external differences separating Troposandria from Pseudoplandria are extremely minor as a basis for dividing them into separate groups. Therefore, I have synonymized Troposandria into Pseudoplandria .

Distribution: ORIENTAL REGION. Bhutan, India (Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh), Indonesia (Java, Irian Jaya, Kalimantan), Malaysia (Sabah), Nepal, Philippines (Luzon, Mindanao), Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam. PALAEARCTIC REGION. Japan.

Figures

Figure 26. Pseudoplandria siwalikensis Cameron. (A) Habitus, dorsal view. Pseudoplandria laeta Fenyes. (B) Labrum. (C) Epipharynx. (D) Mandible, dorsal view. (E) Mandible, ventral view. (F) Maxilla. (G) Labium. (H) Hypopharynx.

Figure 27. Pseudoplandria laeta Fenyes. (A) Meso- and metathorax. (B) Abdominal tergum VIII. (C) Aedeagus, lateral view. (D) Paramere, lateral view. Pseudoplandria siwalikensis Cameron. (E) Right elytron, male.