Philonthus elgonensis Tottenham, 1940

Hromádka, Lubomír, 2008, Revision of Afrotropical species of the Philonthus abyssinus species group (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 48 (1), pp. 37-50 : 42-44

Philonthus elgonensis Tottenham, 1940

( Figs. 9-12 )

Philonthus elgonensis Tottenham,1940: 149 .

Type locality. Uganda , Mt. Elgon. Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ UGANDA, Mt. Elgon 10,000 ft., 10.iii.1934, H. B. Johnston, Bamboo zone, Pres. by Imp. Inst. Ent. B. M. 1935-40 // [white round label with red margin]’ ( BMNH).

Redescription. Body black, length 11.4 mm, length of fore body (to the end of elytra) 5.1 mm.

Colouration. Body black, clypeus along anterior margin and antennal sockets narrowly brown-yellow; mandibles, maxillary and labial palpi black-brown; antennae black, base of antennomeres 1-2 brown-yellow, remaining antennomeres darker; legs brown-black, all tarsi with claws somewhat paler.

Head markedly transverse (ratio 44: 31), slightly narrowed posteriad. Posterior angles of head capsule obtusely rounded. Eyes shorter than temples (ratio 8: 16), distance between medial interocular punctures about 3 times as long as distance between medial and lateral interocular punctures. Temples with single coarse puncture. Surface with very irregular, almost indistinct microsculpture.

Antennae short, reaching to middle of pronotum when reclined, antennomeres 1-3 and 11 longer than wide, antennomeres 4-10 as long as wide. Antennomere 1 distinctly shorter than antennomeres 2-3 combined, antennomere 2 as long as antennomere 3, antennomere 11 half as long as antennomere 1.

Pronotum about as long as wide (ratio 41: 40), widest around middle, vaguely narrowed anteriad and posteriad. Each dorsal row with 4 coarse, equidistant punctures; each sublateral row with 2 punctures. Anterior pronotal angles and sides with bristles of unequal length. Microsculpture similar to that on head.

Scutellum coarsely and densely punctate, punctures somewhat larger than eye-facets, distance between punctures smaller than their diameters. Surface without microsculpture.

Elytra somewhat wider than long (ratio 55: 52), parallel-sided. Punctation fine and scattered, only around scutellum denser. Punctures similar to that on scutellum, distance between punctures two or three times as large as diameters of punctures. Surface between punctures without microsculpture. Sides with several long black bristles; setation grey.

Legs. Metatarsus as long as metatibia. Metatarsomere 1 somewhat longer than metatarsomeres 2-3 combined, metatarsomere 5 as long as metatarsomere 1.

Abdomen from tergite V slightly narrowed towards base and apex. First four visible abdominal tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between basal lines on first three visible tergites almost impunctate, that on fourth tergite with scattered punctures. Punctation of tergites very irregular and scattered, diameters of punctures equal to those of eye-facets, distance between punctures variable. Surface without microsculpture; setation similar to that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1-3 slightly dilated, each covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 narrowly heart-shaped; sternite VIII ( Fig. 11 ), tergite X ( Fig. 12 ), aedeagus ( Figs. 9-10 ).

Female. Unknown to the author.

Differential diagnosis. Philonthus elgonensis seems to be a sister species of P. brendelli sp. nov.; it differs by the apical portion of the median lobe of the aedeagus in ventral view almost gradually narrowed towards rather sharply pointed apex ( Fig. 6 ).

Distribution. Uganda, Rwanda ( HERMAN 2001).

Figures

Figs. 9-16.9-12 – Philonthus elgonensis Tottenham,1940; 13-16 – P.pseudoabyssinus Tottenham, 1940.9, 13 – aedeagus, ventral view; 10, 14 – aedeagus, lateral view; 11, 15 – apical portion of sternite VIII, ventral view; 12 – tergite X, dorsal view; 16 – sternite IX, ventral view.

Figs. 1-8. 1-5 – Philonthus abyssinus Fauvel, 1880; 6-8 – P. brendelli sp. nov. 1, 6 – aedeagus, ventral view; 2, 7 – aedeagus, lateral view; 3, 8 – apical portion of sternite VIII, ventral view; 4 – sternite IX, ventral view; 5 – tergite X, dorsal view.