Stenichnoconnus Franz, 1985

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2019, Taxonomy of the ' Afroeudesis group' of glandulariine ant-like stone beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 4612 (2), pp. 205-220 : 209-210

Stenichnoconnus Franz

Stenichnoconnus Franz, 1985: 114 . Type species: Stenichnoconnus huijbregtsensis Franz, 1985 (orig. des.).

Revised diagnosis. Body (Fig. 2) moderately stout, distinctly constricted between head and prothorax and between prothorax and elytra. Head ( Figs 10 , 13–14) transverse with vestigial tempora; tempora, vertex, genae and postgenae lacking thick bristles; occipital constriction about as broad as vertex; submentum lacking lateral sutures; hypostomal ridges present and complete, obliquely running toward posterior tentorial pits where they are not connected; antennae gradually thickened; frons not impressed between antennal insertions but vertex with posteromedian impression and head with a diffuse but distinct median longitudinal groove; median subtriangular 'platform' on frons and vertex absent; setae on frons and vertex largely symmetrical ( Fig. 10 ); maxillary palpomere IV slightly constricted before apex, so that its apical portion is broadened and truncate; pronotum (Fig. 13) broadest slightly behind middle, with transverse antebasal groove connecting small but distinct lateral antebasal pits and with distinct pair of outer lateral pits, with lateral edges developed in posterior half, lacking sublateral carinae; sides of pronotum with dense bristles; prosternum (Fig. 15) with basisternal part shorter than half length of coxal part; prosternal intercoxal process developed as a diffuse ridge; procoxal cavities closed; notosternal sutures and hypomeral ridges complete; mesoscutellum (Fig. 13) largely exposed between elytral bases; mesocoxal rests with marginal and postmarginal carinae; mesoventral intercoxal process ( Fig. 17 ) carinate and strongly elevated, narrowly separating mesocoxae, with distinct broadened and flattened area, well-defined posterior tip and a subtriangular posteromedian emargination; metaventral carinae present; anterior metaventral process present, well-defined, conspicuously large, with subrectangular anterior tip and broadly triangular base; metaventral intercoxal process ( Fig. 17 ) with a pair of elongate spines separated by a long and narrow notch; each elytron (Fig. 13) with two vestigial asetose foveae; and aedeagus ( Fig. 20–23 ) symmetrical with free, slender parameres.

Redescription. Body (Fig. 2) elongate but not very slender, distinctly constricted between head and prothorax and less so between prothorax and elytra, strongly convex, brown.

Head ( Figs 10 , 13–14) with conspicuously large, coarsely faceted and strongly projecting eyes; tempora vestigial; frons lacking sharply defined frontal impression; longitudinal median impression present but diffuse; vertex anteriorly confluent with frons, with distinct subtriangular posteromedian impression ( Fig. 10 ; pmi); numerous setae on frons and vertex largely symmetrical ( Fig. 10 ); gular plate (Fig. 14; gp) subtrapezoidal; posterior tentorial pits (Fig. 14; ptp) in front of transverse impression demarcating 'neck' region ventrally, minute; hypostomal ridges (Fig. 14; hr) complete, reaching level of posterior tentorial pits, not connected; submentum (Fig. 14; smn) lacking lateral sutures. Antennae (Fig. 2) slender, gradually thickened distad.

Pronotum (Fig. 13) bell-shaped, broadest posterior to middle; lacking lateral and sublateral carinae, with distinct antebasal transverse groove (Fig. 13; tg) and two pairs of antebasal lateral pits: inner (Fig. 13; ip) and outer (Fig. 13; op). Prosternum with vestigial basisternal region (Fig. 15; bst), prosternal process (Fig. 15; psp) carinate but weakly elevated; notosternal sutures (Fig. 15–16; nss) complete; hypomeral ridges (Fig. 15–16; hyr) complete; inner (adcoxal) portion of hypomeron broad and glabrous, outer portion (confluent with side of pronotum) covered with thick bristles. Procoxal cavities closed.

Mesoventrite with a pair of transverse impressions behind its anterior ridge that function as procoxal rests ( Fig. 17 ; pcr); mesoventral intercoxal process ( Fig. 17 ; msvp) carinate, long, strongly elevated, with distinctly broadened posterior portion bearing a median flattened area that is devoid of setae ( Fig. 17 ; mfa) and has a smooth surface, posterior tip of process with subtriangular emargination.

Mesoscutellum (Fig. 13; msc) exposed between elytral bases in intact beetles, subtriangular, about as long as broad.

Metaventrite with massive anterior metaventral process ( Fig. 17 ; amtp), its anterior portion subrectangular, posterior portion broadly subtriangular; each side of metaventrite with metaventral carina ( Fig. 17 ; mtvc) running nearly parallel to lateral margin of ventrite; mesocoxal rests ( Fig. 18 ; mscr) very deep and filled with setae, each with sharply marked posterior marginal carina ( Fig. 18 ; mc) and additional postmarginal carina ( Fig. 18 ; pmc); metaventral intercoxal process ( Fig. 17 ; mtvp) with a pair of elongated spines, not separating metacoxae.

Elytra (Figs 2, 13) oval, each elytron with one pair of vestigial, asetose basal elytral foveae (Fig. 13; bef), lacking basal impression, and with distinct humeral callus. Hind wings developed.

Legs not differ from other genera of Glandulariini, except that in males mesotrochanter bears a comb of spines on its posterior margin ( Fig. 18 ), protibia bears a subtriangular tuft of setae on apex of lateral margin ( Fig. 19 ), and each of two basal protarsomeres bear a hyaline elongate projection ( Fig. 19 ).

Abdomen unmodified, with sternites III and IV subequal in length.

Aedeagus ( Figs 20–23 ) stout, weakly sclerotized, with symmetrical median lobe, asymmetrical endophallic structures with flagellum coiled in its basal half, and free parameres bearing apical setae.

Remarks. Stenichnoconnus is very similar to Meridaphes and Pseudoraphes ; differences in relation to Merida- phes were listed in Remarks for the latter genus. Stenichnoconnus differs from Pseudoraphes in vestigial tempora (long in Pseudoraphes ), the posteromedian subtriangular impression on the vertex (absent in Pseudoraphes ), the pronotum broadest behind middle (in front of middle in Pseudoraphes ), the lateral pronotal carinae absent (present,

Figures

FIGURES 9–12. Examples of the symmetrical setal pattern on frons and vertex in representatives of the 'Afroeudesis lineage' (insertions of setae, including those broken off, marked by circles).Meridaphes venezolanus (9); Stenichnoconnus huijbregtsensis (10); Pseudoraphes minor (11); Afroeudesis (Nanoscydmus) baoshana (12).

FIGURES 17–23. Morphological structures of Stenichnoconnus huijbregtsensis Franz, male holotype. Pterothorax in ventral view (17); postmesocoxal region (18); distal portion of left protibia and basal portion of tarsus in ventral view (19); aedeagus in ventral (20, 22) and lateral (21, 23) views. Abbreviations: amtp, anterior metaventral process; mc, marginal carina; mfa, median flattened area; mscr, mesocoxal rest; msvp, mesoventral intercoxal process; mtvc, metaventral carina; mtvp, metaventral intercoxal process; pcr, procoxal rest; pmc, postmarginal carina; ti1, protibia.