Sagola sulcator Broun, 1886

Park, J. - S. & Carlton, C. E., 2014, A revision of the New Zealand species of the genus Sagola Sharp (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae: Faronitae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 13) 68, pp. 1-156 : 52-53

Sagola sulcator Broun, 1886

( Figs. 27b, 27d , 28 )

Sagola sulcator Broun, 1886: 885 . Raffray 1893: 36, 1904: 497, 1911: 5, 1924: 232; Hudson 1923: 365, 1934: 183; Newton and Thayer 2005b; Nomura and Leschen 2006: 244.

Sagola crassulipes Broun, 1915: 283 . Hudson 1923: 365, 1934: 184; Newton and Thayer 2005b; Nomura and Leschen 2006: 242. New synonymy.

Type Material. Holotype. NEW ZEALAND: Auckland: 1♀ ( BMNH), glued on rectangular card, “Type” [red label, printed]; “1575. ♂.” [green label, printed]; “Woodhill” [white label, printed]; “New Zealand Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922–482.” [white label, printed]; “ Sagola sulcator . ♂.” [white label, handwritten]. The original label indicates this specimen is a male, but it is female . Holotype of Sagola crassulipes : NEW ZEALAND: Auckland: 1♂ ( BMNH), glued on rectangular card, “Type” [red label, printed]; “3697. ♂ ” [white, handwritten]; “Epsom. Feby.1912.” [white label, handwritten]; “New Zealand Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922–482.” [white label, printed]; “ Sagola ♂. crassulipes” [white label, handwritten] .

Additional Material (n = 6: 2 males; 4 females). NEW ZEALAND: Auckland : 1♂, Omahuta SF, 18 III 1978, S.B. Peck, litter ; 1♂, Tauranganui Estate nr Kaiwhetu , 19 XI 1985, B.A. Holloway, litter 85/57a ; 1♀, Waipoua Forest , 7 XII 1961, G. Kuschel, litter 61/13 ; 1♀, Hen & Chickens Is, Lady Alice , 1 I 1982, L. Roberts, litter 82/6 ; 1♀, Waipoua SF , Yakas Tr., 29 III 1999, R. Leschen, R. Hoare, G. Hall, at large, RL358, 35°37′S, 173°32′E ; 1♀, Mt. Huarua, 1200′, Tangihua Range , 25 XII 1936, E. Fairburn, A.E. Brookes Collection .

Diagnosis. This species is similar in appearance to other members of this species-group but can be distinguished by the horn on the ventral surface of the male head as long as wide and the shape of the antennae and genitalia.

Redescription. Length 2.4–2.7 mm. Body brown, antennae, legs, and maxillary palpi paler, elytra yellowish brown ( Fig. 27b ). Head: Transverse ( Fig. 27b ). Antennomeres 2–3 subquadrate, 4–8 longer than wide, 9–10 subquadrate. Eye small and prominent, one-third length of temple. Horn on ventral surface of male head triangular and as long as wide. Thorax: Prosternum as long as wide, widest at one-third length. Elytra approximately triangular ( Fig. 27b ). Meso- and metathorax trapezoidal, as long as wide. Aedeagus: Median lobe divided, major lobe rectangular, longer than minor lobe and parameres, minor lobe slender, as long as parameres ( Fig. 27d ). Phallobase of median lobe symmetrical and rounded ( Fig. 27d ). Parameres symmetrical, rectangular ( Fig. 27d ).

Type Locality. Woodhill , on the Kaipara Railway, near Helensville, Auckland, New Zealand .

Distribution. Auckland, Northland ( Fig. 28 : triangles).

Habitat. Most of specimens were collected by sifting leaf litter.

Comments. Specimens of S. sulcator can be distinguished externally from those of S. flavipes by the longer horn on the ventral surface of the male head and longer antennomeres. The type specimen of S. crassulipes shares these diagnostic characters with S. sulcator , and so has been placed as a junior synonym.

Figures

Fig. 27. Sagola species in the flavipes species-group. Habitus, dorsal views: a) S. flavipes, b) S. sulcator. Aedeagi, dorsal views: c) S. flavipes, d) S. sulcator. S. flavipes, male head: e) Dorsal surface (arrow indicates anterior frontal fovea), f) Ventral surface (arrow indicates setose horn). Scale bars a–b = 1 mm, c–f = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 28. Known collection localities of New Zealand Sagola species. S. flavipes: black circle; S. sulcator: triangles.