Medon

Assing, V., 2011, The Sunius species of the Palaearctic region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (1), pp. 151-193 : 187-189

" Medon " fungi CAMERON 1943 ( Figs 69-77 )

Medon (Hypomedon) fungi CAMERON 1943: 34 .

Sunius fungi: SMETANA (2004) .

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Holotype: "Ghum district, v-vi-31, Dr. Cameron / Fungus / M. fungi Cam. Type / M.Cameron Bequest B.M. 1955-147. / Type / Syntype / Syntype Medon fungi Cameron 1943 , det. R.G. Booth 2010 / Holotypus Medon fungi Cameron , rev. V. Assing 2010 / " Medon " fungi Cameron , det. V. Assing 2010 " (BMNH). Paratype: "Ghum dist, v-vi-1931, Dr. Cameron / Fungus / M.Cameron Bequest B.M. 1955-147. / Syntype / Syntype Medon fungi Cameron 1943 , det. R.G. Booth 2010 / Paratypus Medon fungi Cameron , rev. V. Assing 2010 / " Medon " fungi Cameron , det. V. Assing 2010 " (BMNH).

C o m m e n t: CAMERON (1943) explicitly designated a holotype ("Type in my collection"). Also, it can be inferred from his use of the plural "specimens" that he had examined additional paratypes. Consequently, despite the syntype labels attached to the above material, the specimen with Cameron´s type label has holotype status and the second female represents a paratype. The species is listed as Sunius in the recent Palaearctic catalogue ( SMETANA 2004), probably because Cameron originally attributed it to the subgenus Hypomedon MULSANT & REY 1878 , a name that in Cameron´s days was used for the species today included in Sunius .

An examination of the external characters and the mouthparts of the type material revealed that the species does not belong to the genus Sunius . The punctation of the head and the pronotum, the shape of the elytra, the shape and chaetotaxy of the labrum, as well as the morphology of the labium suggest that M. fungi is not congeneric with true Medon either and probably represents an undescribed genus. However, since the male sexual characters are unknown, assigning the species to a new genus does not seem ad- visable. Instead, it is temporarily attributed to Medon , a genus which already includes numerous species of doubtful generic assignment.

R e d e s c r i p t i o n: Small species; body length 3.2-3.3 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 69 . Coloration: body reddish to reddish-brown, with the elytra anteriorly diffusely yellowish and the preapical abdominal segments (segment VII, anterior 3/4 of segment VIII) infuscate; legs and antennae reddish-yellow.

Head ( Fig. 70 ) approximately as long as wide; posterior angles weakly marked; punctation extremely coarse and dense, interstices reduced to narrow ridges, rendering the surface matt ( Fig. 71 ). Eyes moderately convex, moderately projecting from lateral contours of head, and moderately large, distinctly shorter than postocular portion in dorsal view. Labrum transverse, anterior margin deeply incised in the middle, on either side of this incision without tooth-like processes ( Fig. 72 ); maxillary palpus as in Fig. 74 ; labium as in Fig. 75 , ligula bilobed ( Fig. 76 ); left mandible as in Fig. 73 . Gular sutures relatively broadly separated. Antenna of similar morphology as in Sunius species.

Pronotum ( Fig. 70 ) appoximately as wide as long and almost as wide as head, weakly tapering posteriad, and strongly convex in cross-section (more so than in Sunius ); posterior angles weakly marked; punctation extremely coarse and longitudinally confluent ( Fig. 71 ).

Elytra approximately as long and 1.2 times as wide as pronotum, rather strongly convex in cross-section; lateral margins distinctly convex in dorsal view ( Fig. 70 ); punctation relatively fine, shallow, and rather dense; interstices glossy. Hind wings apparently fully developed. Metatarsomere I longer than II, but shorter than the combined length of II and III.

Abdomen approximately as wide as elytra, widest at segment VI; punctation very fine, relatively dense on anterior tergites and sparse on posterior tergites; interstices with shallow microsculpture and somewhat glossy; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

: unknown.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: The species is readily distinguished from all true Medon and Sunius species by the conspicuous punctation of the head and pronotum alone.

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: The known distribution is confined to the environs of Ghum in West Bengal, northeastern India. The type specimens were collected from fungi during the period May-June.

Figures

Figs 69-77: "Medon" fungi CAMERON: (69) habitus; (70) forebody; (71) median dorsal portion of head; (72) labrum; (73) right mandible; (74) maxilla; (75) labium; (76) ligula; (77) median dorsal portion of pronotum. Scale bars: 69: 1.0 mm; 70: 0.5 mm; 71-75, 77: 0.1 mm; 76: 0.05 mm.