Philonthus varanus, Hromádka, 2008

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 : 47-49

Philonthus varanus sp. nov.

( Figs. 23-27 )

Type locality. Kenya, Muguga.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ KENYA, Muguga , 26.viii.1954, V. F. Eastop, B.M. 1966-139 [red oblong printed label]’ ( BMNH).

Description. Body length: 9.1 mm, length of fore body (to the end of elytra) 4.9 mm.

Colouration. Head black; clypeus along anterior margin and antennal sockets very narrowly yellow-brown; maxillary and labial palpi brown, all palpomeres with lighter apex; mandibles and antennae dark brown, only base of second and third antennomeres yellow-brown; pronotum and elytra black-brown; abdomen brown-black.

Head quadrangular, distinctly wider than long (ratio 36: 30). Clypeus with triangular shallow depression medially. Temples longer than eyes (ratio 13: 9), parallel-sided. Distance between medial interocular punctures about three times as long as distance between medial and lateral interocular punctures. Temporal area impunctate. Surface with fine microculpture of mostly transverse waves.

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

Pronotum as wide as long, widest around middle, slightly sinuately narrowed towards both apex and base. Anterior pronotal angles with several short bristles; posterior angles markedly rounded. Each dorsal row with four coarse punctures; left sublateral row with two slightly finer punctures; right sublateral row with one puncture. Microsculpture similar to that on head.

Scutellum very coarsely and densely punctate, diameters of punctures somewhat smaller than those of punctures of sublateral rows. Distance between punctures quite short, punctures slightly coalescent here and there.

Elytra slightly wider than long (ratio 45: 42); lateral margins somewhat widened posteriad. Punctation very fine and sparse, punctures somewhat larger than eye-facets, separated in transverse direction by two or three puncture diameters, in places scattered, slightly larger punctures. Surface without microsculpture. Anterior pronotal angles and lateral margins with several dark bristles of unequal length; setation brown.

Legs. Metatibia longer than metatarsus (ratio 27: 25). Metatarsomere 1 longer than metatarsomeres 2-3 combined, metatarsomere 5 as long as metatarsomeres 3-4 combined.

Abdomen wider, tergites slightly more densely punctured than elytra. Punctures separated in transverse direction by 1-2 of puncture diameters, bases of all visible tergites denser punctured. Elevated area between two basal lines on second and third visible tergites variably punctured, punctation on second tergite reduced to a few punctures. Surface without microsculpture; setation long, brown.

Male. Protarsomeres 1-3 strongly dilated and sub-bilobed, each densely covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 distinctly narrower than the preceding ones; sternite VIII ( Fig. 25 ), sternite IX ( Fig. 26 ), tergite X ( Fig. 27 ), aedeagus ( Figs. 23-24 ).

Female. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Philonthus varanus sp. nov. may be distinguished from the similar P. abyssinus and P. pseudoabyssinus by the apical portion of the median lobe of the aedeagus in ventral view short, with very sharply pointed apex ( Fig. 23 ).

Etymology. The name of this species, noun in apposition, is a generic name of African monitor lizard Varanus niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758).

Distribution. Kenya.

Figures

Figs.23-27.Philonthus varanus sp. nov.23 – aedeagus, ventral view; 24 – aedeagus, lateral view; 25 – apical portion of sternite VIII, ventral view; 26 – sternite IX, ventral view; 27 – tergite X, dorsal view.