Pseudomedon mirei COIFFAIT 1980

Assing, V., 2009, On the Pseudomedon species of the Palaearctic region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 41 (2), pp. 1175-1189 : 1181-1182

Pseudomedon mirei COIFFAIT 1980 (Figs 6, 14; Map 2)

Pseudomedon (s. str.) mirei COIFFAIT 1980: 45 .

Pseudomedon (s. str.) africanus COIFFAIT 1980: 43 ff.; nov.syn.

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d P. mirei : Holotype Ƌ: "Dj. Mana, Darfour, P. d. M. / Source Guendi, 2000 m, XI.69 / Type / Pseudomedon mirei H. Coiffait 1980 / Muséum Paris, Coll. J. Jarrige / Pseudomedon mirei Coiffait det. V. Assing 2009" (MNHNP). Paratypes: 2♀♀: same data as holotype (MNHNP).

C o m m e n t: The original description of P. mirei is based on a male holotype and two female paratypes from "Sahara algérien, Djebel Mana, Source Guendi, 2000 m, XI- 74 [sic], de Miré leg." ( COIFFAIT 1980). The altitude and additional data suggest that the type locality is situated in the Hoggar range in southeastern Algeria and not in the Djebel Mana in southwestern Algeria, whose altitude is less than 600 m.

COIFFAIT (1980) described Pseudomedon africanus from a single male from "Marécages de Bedo, zone du Bourkou, Tibesti ", stating that the holotype was deposited in the Jarrige collection and that the species was distinguished from P. mirei by smaller size, paler coloration, smaller eyes, finer elytral punctation, and the longer and more slender ventral process of the aedeagus. The holotype was looked for, but not found at the MNHNP (TAGHAVIAN pers. comm.), so that it must be considered lost. As can be inferred from the similar – and highly derived – morphology of the aedeagus ( COIFFAIT 1980: figures 1K and 1L), the types of P. mirei and P. africanus are evidently conspecific. Also, both names were described from the same region. The type locality of P. africanus is in Chad, not in Libya as indicated by SMETANA (2004). The external differences mentioned by COIFFAIT (1980) suggest that the holotype of P. africanus probably was a teneral specimen.

D i a g n o s i s: Externalmorphology ( Fig. 14 ) highly similar to that of the macropterous morph of P. obscurellus , distinguished only by the dark-brown antennae, the less densely punctured and somewhat more shiny head, and by the male sexual characters.

Ƌ: posterior margin of sternite VIII with deeper and larger excision; aedeagus with long and slender process of characteristic shape (Fig. 6).

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: This species is distinguished from all its congeners particularly by the characteristic morphology of the aedeagus, from P. obsoletus also by the reddish-brown coloration of the pronotum, elytra, and abdomen (usually blackish in P. obsoletus ), the less densely punctured and more shiny head, the less strongly dilated male protarsomeres I-IV, and the much deeper posterior excision of the male sternite VIII. For characters separating it from P. obscurellus see the diagnosis above.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Pseudomedon mirei is currently known only from the type locality in Algeria and from the type locality of P. africanus in Chad (Map 2).

Figures

Figs 10-19: Pseudomedon pallidus (FAUVEL), lectotype (10-13), P. mirei COIFFAIT, holotype (14), P. lecoqi COIFFAIT, paratype (15-17), P. obscurellus (ERICHSON) (18), and P. obsoletus (NORDMANN) (19): (10, 15) habitus; (11, 14, 16) forebody; (12) antenna; (13) head in lateral view); (17) head and pronotum in lateral view; (18) male sternite VIII; (19) posterior portion of male sternite VIII. Scale bars: 10, 15: 1.0 mm; 11-14, 16-17: 0.5 mm; 18-19: 0.2 mm.