Euconnus (Tetramelus) aequalis Franz, 2024

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2024, The ‘ curse of Horaeomorphus’ (almost) lifted. Revision of misplaced species from Madagascar, Comoros and Mascarenes (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 5505 (1), pp. 1-96 : 82

Euconnus (Tetramelus) aequalis Franz , stat. rev.

Euconnus (Anthicimorphus) aequalis Franz, 1986b: 256 .

Horaeomorphus aequalis (Franz) ; Jałoszyński (2014b): 12 (result of placing Anthicimorphus as junior synonym of Horaeomorphus ).

Remarks. This species was described on the basis of a single and incomplete specimen (with distal portions of antennae missing). The holotype is deposited in Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris and was not available for my study. This species has bristles on the lateral margins of vertex and on sides of pronotum, antennomeres 3–4 and 6–8 almost as long as broad, 5 elongate, the pronotum elongate and widest in front of middle, with one pair of antebasal pits connected by a transverse groove, and the aedeagus resembling copulatory organs of Malagasy Tetramelus species, with strongly projecting dorsal apical wall forming a narrowly elongate process with its distal margin rounded ( Franz 1986b). All these characters strongly suggest that this species belongs in Euconnus (Tetramelus) . However, because the ventral structures were not described, this is a tentative placement, aimed at removing from the Australo-Oriental Horaeomorphus all extralimital species that currently make it non-monophyletic.

Distribution. Northern Madagascar (Analanjirofo Region).