Atheta (Microdota) pratensis ( Maeklin , 1852)

Klimaszewski, Jan, Webster, Reginald P., Sikes, Derek, Bourdon, Caroline & Labrecque, Myriam, 2015, A review of Canadian and Alaskan species of the genera Clusiota Casey and AthetaThomson, subgenusMicrodota Mulsant & Rey (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae), ZooKeys 524, pp. 103-136 : 112

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Staphylinidae

Atheta (Microdota) pratensis ( Maeklin, 1852)

Homalota pratensis Mäklin, 1852: 308. As Atheta (Microdota) : Moore and Legner 1975, Klimaszewski et al. 2011; Bousquet et al. 2013.

Syntypes.

USA, Alaska: Kenai; Holmberg; pratensis Mäklin; Mus. Zool. Helsinki, No. 14517 (ZMH) 1 male; same labels except No. 17518 (ZMH) 1 female.

Diagnosis.

This species may be readily separated from other Nearctic congeners by the following combination of characters: pronotum rounded and margined, as wide as head and at least 1.5 times narrower than elytra; elytra elongate about twice as long as pronotum with wavy pattern of pubescence posteriorly; male tergite VIII truncate apically; sternite VIII rounded apically; median lobe of aedeagus with large oval bulbus and small triangular tubus in dorsal view, apical part of tubus narrow and produced ventrally in lateral view; female tergite VIII truncate apically, and sternite VIII rounded apically and with antecostal suture sinuate and pointed medially; spermatheca S-shaped with club-shaped capsule bearing deep invagination and sinuate stem looped posteriorly, similar to that of Atheta platonoffi .

Distribution.

AK, WA ( Mäklin 1852, Moore and Legner 1975).

Comments.

This species is somewhat similar to Atheta subtilis but may readily be distinguished externally by having elytra about 1.5 times wider and almost twice longer than pronotum. We examined the type series but the specimens were in poor shape and therefore were not illustrated.