Sciocharis buphthalma SCHEERPELTZ 1970

Assing, V., 2011, A revision of Eusclerus SHARP, with a redescription of Sciocharis buphthalma SCHEERPELTZ (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Medonina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (2), pp. 1169-1177 : 1174-1176

Sciocharis buphthalma SCHEERPELTZ 1970 ( Figs 12-24 )

Sciocharis buphthalma SCHEERPELTZ 1970: 235 .

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Lectotype, present designation: " / Venezuela, Umg. Caracas, leg. Marcuzzi / Rancho Grande 4.49 / Sciocharis buphthalma Scheerp. / buphthalma Scheerp. / Typus Sciocharis buphthalma O. Scheerpeltz / ex coll. Scheerpeltz / Lectotypus Sciocharis buphthalma Scheerpeltz , desig. V. Assing 2011 (NHMW).

C o m m e n t: Sciocharis buphthalma was described in a key to the Central and South American Sciocharis species. Neither the precise locality (" Venezuela ") nor the number of type specimens are specified ( SCHEERPELTZ 1970). The sole specimen in the Scheerpeltz collection at the NHMW, a male, is designated as the lectotype.

A d d i t i o n a l m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Venezuela: 3, 1, Carabobo, Mun. Bejuma, El Maquero, 1200-1300 m, 9./ 21.I.2007, leg. Brachat (cAss).

R e d e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 2.8-3.2 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 12 . Coloration: body blackish; legs dark-brown with paler tarsi; antennae brown with paler apical antennomeres.

Head ( Fig. 13 ) approximately 1.3 times as broad as long; punctation moderately coarse, very dense, but not confluent, interstices reduced to narrow ridges ( Fig. 14 ). Eyes conspicuously large and bulging. Temples approximately 1/5 the length of eyes in dorsal view, with long black setae; posterior angles of head obtuse, but noticeable; posterior margin of head weakly concave in dorsal view. Gular sutures broadly separated, distance between these sutures subequal to the width of antennomere II. Mandibles bidentate ( Fig. 15 ); labrum and labium as in Figs 16 , 21-22 .

Pronotum ( Fig. 13 ) approximately 1.15 times as broad as long; punctation dense, similar to that of head or slightly coarser; midline posteriorly with very narrow, somewhat indistinct impunctate band and with short, shallow furrow ( Fig. 17 ); lateral and anterior portions with long black setae; posterior margin weakly concave in the middle.

Elytra ( Fig. 13 ) approximately 1.1 times as long as, and much broader than pronotum; punctation dense and shallow. Metatarsus distinctly shorter than metatibia; metatarsomere I distinctly longer than II; II approximately as long as broad; III and IV weakly transverse.

Abdomen slightly narrower than elytra; punctation very fine; microsculpture very shallow; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

: sternite VII with weakly concave posterior margin, otherwise unmodified; sternite VIII with moderately small posterior excision, pubescence unmodified ( Fig. 23 ); aedeagus as in Figs 18-20.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: For a key to the species of Sciocharis see SCHEER- PELTZ (1970).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: Sciocharis buphthalma has been recorded only from two localities in the north of Venezuela, one near Bejuma and one near Caracas. The specimens from Bejuma were collected by sifting litter and dead wood in a dense montane forest (BRACHAT pers. comm.).

Figures

Figs 12-20: Sciocharis buphthalma SCHEERPELTZ: (12) habitus; (13) forebody; (14) median dorsal portion of head; (15) mandibles; (16) labrum; (17) median dorsal portion of pronotum; (18-19) aedeagus in lateral view; (20) aedeagus in ventral view. Scale bars: 12: 1.0 mm; 13: 0.5 mm; 14-15, 17: 0.2 mm; 16, 18-20: 0.1 mm.

Figs 21-28: Sciocharis buphthalma SCHEERPELTZ (21-24) and Eusclerus sordidus SHARP (25-28): (21, 27) labium; (22, 28) ligula; (23) male sternite VII; (24) male sternite VIII; (25) mandibles; (26) labrum. Scale bars: 23-25: 0.2 mm; 21, 26-27: 0.1 mm; 22, 28: 0.05 mm.