Espeson lenkoi Scheerpeltz, 1969: 119

Irmler, U., 2012, The Neotropical species of the genera Pseudespeson L, 1994 and Espeson S, 1882 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Osoriinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 62 (2), pp. 331-360 : 343-344

Espeson lenkoi Scheerpeltz, 1969: 119 ; new synonymy

Type material examined:

St. Thomas: female without further data (holotype of E. moratus, ZMHU ); 1 male and 3 females (paratypes, ZMHU); Brazil: São Paulo, Barueri , 3 females, in nest of the ant Camponotus rufipes F., 3.6.1967, leg. Lenko; (holotype and paratype of E. lenkoi, MNHW ) .

Further material examined:

Cuba: Havana, Sierra Bouilla, 18.11.1928, male, leg A. Bierig; Soledad (80°16'W, 22°09N), Santa Clara , female, 1.8.1932, leg. B. B. Leavitt ( AMNH) ; Puerto Rico: El Yunque ( PUE) male, May 1938, leg. Darlington ( AMNH) ; St. Thomas : 1 female, without further data, 1 female with information: ex coll. Staudinger & Bang-Haas ( ZMHU) ; 4 females without further data ( NHMW) ; 5 males, 5 females, leg. v. Eggers ( NHMW) ; 3 males, 4 females, col. Eppelsheim Steind. ( NHMW, AMNH, UIC) ; Guadeloupe: 1 female without further data ( NHMW) ; St. Vincent: 2 females without further data ( NHMW, BMNH) ; Grenada: Mount Gay East ( Leeward side), 2 females without further date, leg. H. H. Smith ( NHMW) ; 1 female, Leeward side, without further data ( BMNH) ; Trinidad: 5 mi SE Rio Claro (61°10'16W, 10°18'17N), female, 3.1.1935, leg. N. A. Weber ( AMNH) ; Ecuador: Pichincha, W. of Alluriquin, Tinalandia , 790-850 m elevation, litter nr. stream #2724-2725, female, 19.- 20.5.1993, leg. L. Herman ( AMNH) ; Limoncocha, 40 km E Puerto Francisco Orellana, Rio Napo, 1 male, 2 females, 21.- 27.9.1979, leg. Balogh ( HNMB) ; Brazil: Guanabara (43°07'W, 22°46'S), Represa Rio Grande , female, March-April 1972, leg. F. M. Oliveira ( AMNH) ; Paraguay: Puerto President Stroessner (Cuidad del Este: 54°61.67'W, 25°51.67'S), Hungarian , Soil.Zool.Exped. , 1 male, 6 females, 5.1.1966, leg Balogh et Mahunka ( HNMB) .

Diagnosis:

The species is certainly closely related to E. titschacki and E. adisi concerning the yellow colour, shape of elytra, and structure of aedeagus. The species can be easily distinguished from the two species by the pair of weak pronotal impressions on both sides of the midline in front of posterior edge. Furthermore, it is differing from E. adisi by the slightly smaller size and shorter paramera. The shape of abdominal tergite VIII in males is very similar in both species, but posterior edge in E. moratus is slightly emarginate, whereas it is more obtuse in E. adisi and semicircular in E. titschacki .

Description:

Length: 1.4 – 1.6 mm. Colour: yellow. Head: 0.20 mm long, 0.27 mm wide; eyes not prominent, but large, as long as temples; temples smoothly rounded behind eyes to distinctly separated neck; setiferous punctation distinct, moderately fine; distance between punctures on average as wide as diameter of punctures; on disc sparser than laterally; a wide midline without punctures; surface without microsculpture and polished.

Antennae as long as head and pronotum combined; 2nd antennomere globular, 3rd conical, but not longer than 2 nd; 4 th antennomere wider than long, but not wider than 3 rd; the following antennomeres increasing in width; the penultimate antennomere 2 times wider than long.

Pronotum: 0.20 mm long, 0.23 mm wide; widest in the anterior half; smoothly rounded to the front edge, anterior angles scarcely present; distad with deep emargination; setiferous punctation similar as on head, but slightly coarser; distance between punctures half as wide as diameter of punctures; with pair of weak longitudinal impressions on each side of the midline in the posterior half; surface without microsculpture and polished.

Elytra: 0.30 mm long, 0.33 mm wide; widest in the middle; slightly narrowed to the shoulders and the posterior edge; setiferous punctation distinctly sparser and finer than on pronotum; distance between punctures on average two times wider than diameter of punctures; surface without microsculpture, polished.

Abdomen with setiferous punctation still finer and sparser than on elytra; setae pointing posteriad; surface with weak microsculpture, less shiny than elytra; abdominal tergite VIII of male differing from female tergite; posterior edge of male tergite widely emarginate and with indistinct lateral prominence that is expressed by two thicker setae; small midline without setae.

Aedeagus with thick and large basal part in central lobe and sharply angulate short apical part; paramera also short, but slightly longer than central lobe; apical transparent plate circular.

Remarks:

Unfortunately the Brazilian specimens described as E. lenkoi by Scheerpeltz (1970) are all females. A significant difference between the West Indian E. moratus specimens could not be found. Scheerpeltz (1970) also described the high similarity of the two species. He focused on the wide antennomeres of E. lenkoi compared to E. moratus . However, also E. moratus is characterised by extremely wide antennomeres. Therefore, although hesitating, I synonymise the two species.