Stenichnodes (s. str.) cordicollis sp. n.

(Figs 1, 7–10)

Type material. Holotype: IVORY COAST: ♂, two labels: “IVORY COAST Tai / Forêt de Tai 17.X.80 / tamisage ss. bambous / Mahnert - Perret» [white, printed], « STENICHNODES (s. str.) / cordicollis m. / P. Jałoszyński, 2020 / HOLOTYPUS ” [red, printed] (MHNG).

Diagnosis. Elytral apex in male unmodified; protarsomere I in male with short anteroventral projection and slightly curved; antennae conspicuously slender, antennomeres IX and X each about as long as broad; aedeagus with asymmetrical parameres, of which one is bifurcate.

Description. Body of male (Fig. 1) elongate and slender, strongly convex, moderately dark brown, covered with yellowish vestiture; BL 1.01 mm.

Head broadest at large, strongly convex and finely faceted eyes, HL 0.16 mm, HW 0.20 mm; tempora slightly shorter than half length of eye in lateral view; vertex weakly convex and anteriorly confluent with frons; frons flattened, between indistinct supraantennal tubercles with a pair of tiny and diffuse round impressions. Each eye beanshaped, transverse in relation to the long body axis, with narrow posteromedian emargination. Vertex and frons with fine, inconspicuous punctures; setae fine, nearly recumbent, barely discernible under magnification 100 ×. Antennae conspicuously slender, with slightly flattened, trimerous club, AnL 0.43 mm; antennomeres I–II strongly elongate, III slightly transverse, IV–VIII each indistinctly elongate, IX–X each about as long as broad, XI about 1.2 × as long as broad, much shorter than IX and X combined, with rounded apex.

Pronotum heart-shaped, broadest near anterior third; PL 0.28 mm, PW 0.25 mm. Anterior and posterior margins weakly rounded, sides in anterior half strongly rounded; posteriorly distinctly constricted; base with shallow but distinct transverse groove deepened at middle to form diffuse pit. Punctures on pronotal disc inconspicuous, fine and sparse; setae sparse, short and recumbent, with a few erect setae on sides near each hind corner.

Elytra together oval, broadest distinctly behind middle; EL 0.58 mm, EW 0.43 mm, EI 1.35; humeral calli indistinct, basal impressions absent; apices rounded together. Punctures on elytra slightly more distinct than those on pronotum, but superficial and inconspicuous; setae sparse, short, suberect.

Hind wings absent.

Legs long and slender; protarsi modified, with tarsomere I slightly curved (dorsally convex) and with short anteroventral projection.

Aedeagus (Figs 7–10) elongate and with thick walls, in ventral view median lobe asymmetrical, especially in apical region, with long and flat apical projection; parameres present, massive and asymmetrical, one bifurcate, with asymmetrical branches, one bearing two setae, the other one asetose; AeL 0.28.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Southwestern Ivory Coast.

Etymology. The adjective cordicollis refers to the heart-shaped pronotum.

Remarks. Stenichnodes cordicollis is highly unusual in having the aedeagus with strongly modified, asym- metrical parameres, of which one is bifurcate, with one branch broadening distad and bearing apical setae, and the other tapering and lacking setae. Bifurcate parameres were not known in Scydmaeninae, and they are rarely found among Staphylinidae (examples can be found among Euaesthetinae, e.g., Puthz (2008)).