Mentophilonthus curiosus ( Tottenham, 1949 ) Hromádka, 2009

Hromádka, Lubomír, 2009, Revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Mentophilonthus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 49 (1), pp. 119-160 : 126-127

Mentophilonthus curiosus ( Tottenham, 1949) comb. nov.

( Figs. 16–23 )

Philonthus (Philonthus) curiosus Tottenham, 1949: 298 .

Type locality. Zambia, Kashitu N of Broken Hill.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♁, ‘N.W. RHODESIA, Kashitu N of Broken Hill, 26.iii.1915, H.C. Dollman; H.C. Dollman Coll. 1919 // Philonthus curiosus, Tottenham , det [white oblong label, handwritten]’ ( BMNH).

Additional material examined. TANZANIA: 1 ♁, ‘Email Range, 4900–5900 ft., iii.40, M. Cameron, Bequest, B.M. 1955–147’ ( BMNH). ZAMBIA: 1 ♀, ‘N.W. Rhodesia, Kashitu N of Broken Hill, 26.iii.1915, H.C. Dollman., H.C. Dollman Coll. 1919’ ( BMNH).

Redescription. Body length: 10.1 mm, (with stretched abdomen), length of fore body (to end of elytra) 4.9 mm.

Colouration. Head black, clypeus narrowly yellow-brown along anterior margin and antennal sockets, mandibles brown, pronotum pitchy brown, entire elytra and abdomen black-brown, paratergites and posterior margins of all tergites narrowly, but sharply reddish, maxillary and labial palpi brown, antennae brown-yellow to brown, legs dark testaceous.

Head rounded, as wide as long, eyes almost twice as long as temples (ratio 13: 7), anterior margin of each eye with one coarse setiferous puncture, posterior margin of each eye with two coarse setiferous punctures. Temporal area with several coarse punctures, two punctures setiferous. Surface with fine and dense microsculpture consisting of mostly transverse waves and numerous microscopic dots.

Antennae reaching posterior fourth of pronotum when reclined. Antennomere 1 somewhat longer than antennomeres 2–3 combined. Relative lengths of antennomeres: 1 = 10; 2 = 4.5; 3 = 5; 4–8 = 3.5; 9–10 = 3; 11 = 4.

Pronotum as long as wide, slightly narrowed anteriad. Lateral margins with one long, brown-yellow bristle in anterior half. Each dorsal and each sublateral row with one puncture. Microsculpture similar as that on head.

Scutellum rather densely and finely punctate, punctures somewhat smaller than those on elytra. Surface partially with microsculpture much finer than that on head and pronotum. Setation black, relatively long.

Elytra combined slightly wider than long (ratio 50: 47). Punctation very fine and dense, punctures somewhat smaller than eye-facets, separated by two puncture diameters in transverse direction. Longitudinal row with three larger punctures situated at about midwidth of each elytron. Setation brown.

Legs. Metatibia as long as metatarsus. Metatarsomere 1 as long as metatarsomeres 2–3 combined, metatarsomere 5 shorter than metatarsomere 1. Relative lengths of metatarsomeres: 1 = 9; 2 = 5; 3 = 4; 4 = 2.5; 5 = 8.

Abdomen with visible tergite III widest, slightly narrowed from it toward base and apex. First four visible tergites of abdomen with two basal lines, elevated area between basal lines impunctate. Punctation on bases of all tergites slightly finer than that on elytra, punctation of each tergite gradually becoming finer and sparser posteriad. Surface without microsculpture; setation of the same colour as that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1–3 markedly dilated and subbilobed, each covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 triangular, much narrower than preceding ones. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 20 ), sternite IX ( Fig.21 ), aedeagus ( Figs. 16–19 ).

Female. Protarsomeres 1–3 much less dilated than those in male, protarsomere 4 very small; only protarsomeres 1–3 bearing modified pale setae ventrally. Tergite X ( Fig. 22 ), gonocoxite of female genital segment ( Fig. 23 ).

Differential diagnosis. Mentophilonthus curiosus may be distinguished from the similar M. dilucidus by the finer punctation of the elytra, from M. ochrigonalis by the finer punctation of abdominal tergites and darker posterior margin of the elytra, and from both species by the shape of the aedeagus.

Bionomics. Unknown.

Distribution. Tanzania, Zambia.

Figures

Figs. 11–23. 11–15 – Mentophilonthus crocuta sp. nov.: 11–13 – aedeagus (11 – ventral view, 12 – lateral view, 13 – underside of paramere, with sensory peg setae); 14 – apical portion of male sternite VIII, ventral view; 15 – male sternite IX, ventral view. 16–23 – Mentophilonthus curiosus (Tottenham, 1949): 16–19 – aedeagus (16 – ventral view, 17 – lateral view, 18 – ventral view, without paramere, 19 – underside of paramere, with sensory peg setae); 20 – apical portion of male sternite VIII, ventral view; 21 – male sternite IX, ventral view; 22 – female tergite X, dorsal view; 23 – gonocoxites of female genital segment.