Thoracostrongylus Bernhauer, 1915

Yang, Zhuo, Zhou, Hong-Zhang & Schillhammer, Harald, 2011, Taxonomy of the genus Thoracostrongylus Bernhauer (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) with descriptions of five new species from China, Journal of Natural History 45 (7 - 8), pp. 407-433 : 408-410

Genus Thoracostrongylus Bernhauer, 1915

Type species: Ontholestes javanus Bernhauer, 1915 , fixed by monotypy.

Parontholestes Coiffait, 1982: 71 (type species: Parontholestes nepalicus Coiffait , fixed by original designation and monotypy).

Paramichrotus Cameron, 1932: 213 (published as a synonym of Thoracostrongylus ) is an unavailable name.

Bernhauer, 1915: 233; Cameron, 1932: 213; Scheerpeltz, 1933: 1406; Blackwelder, 1952: 388; Smetana, 1959: 394; Shibata, 1973: 62; Hammond, 1984: 207; Shibata, 1986: 124; Smetana and Davies, 2000: 19, 23, 39; Herman, 2001: 3555; Smetana, 2004: 686.

Diagnosis

Species of this genus share the synapomorphy of a short median carina at the base of the mesoventrite. They also share a submentum with apical margin beaded.

Further character states include: body elongate, nearly parallel; antennae rather short, approximately reaching midlength of pronotum when reclined and moderately thickened apically; eyes large, prominent, tempora short, evenly rounded toward narrow neck, which is a little over one-third total width of head; maxillary and labial palpi both with last segment asetose, fusiform; mandibular prostheca short, copiously ciliate along entire length, with long, dense basal ciliae gradually shortening apicad; mentum with two lateral setae; postmandibular ridge present; postgenal ridge bent toward gula from lateral; superior line of pronotal hypomeron rather abruptly deflexed ventrad around middle of pronotum, with anterior portion of superior line therefore situated markedly below basal portion in lateral view; deflected portion of pronotal disc visible from distinctly behind epimeron in ventral aspect; proepimeron poorly developed, membranous; prosternum very long (length about three-quarters width), with distinct, straight carina from behind macrosetae, continuing on furcasternum; serial long setae on mesoventrite arranged in broadly U-shaped pattern behind an elevated arcuate ridge behind median carina; intercoxal process of mesoventrite very narrowly rounded apically; metaventrite as in Ontholestes ; dorsal apicolateral lobe of metacoxa with one short, fine spine located distinctly subapically; scutellum very long, extending almost halfway to apex of elytra ( Smetana and Davies, 2000).

Key to species of Thoracostrongylus from China

1. Head obviously small, slightly wider than pronotum (<1.2)................................................................. Th. velutinus Scheerpeltz

Head large, moderately wider than pronotum (> 1.2)...................... 2

2. Dorsal surface of head, pronotum and elytra with rather strong, reddish reflex................................................... Th. miyakei Bernhauer

Dorsal surface of head, pronotum and elytra without reddish reflex....... 3

3. Middle notch on posterior margin of 8th sternite deep and broad, triangular shape ( Figure 7A )............................................................................................................ Th. birmanus (Fauvel)

Middle notch on posterior margin of 8th sternite shallow and narrow, triangular shape........................................................ 4

4. Temple wide, ratio of eyes’ longitudinal diameter to temple length <3........................................................ Th. malaisei Scheerpeltz

Temple not wide, ratio of eyes’ longitudinal diameter to temple length> 3..5

5. In lateral view, middle lobe of aedeagus curved apically................... 6

In lateral view, middle lobe of aedeagus not curved apically............... 7

6. In lateral view, middle lobe of aedeagus apical half bent ventrad, at about one-ninth from apex, with a small process projecting dorsad ( Figure 3E )........................................................ Th. aduncatus sp. nov.

In lateral view, middle lobe of aedeagus apical half bent ventrad, at about one-ninth from apex, without a small process projecting dorsad ( Figure 8G )................................................... Th. formosanus Shibata

7. In ventral view, middle lobe of aedeagus constricted gradually............. 8

In ventral view, middle lobe of aedeagus not constricted gradually......... 9

8. In ventral view, parameres of aedeagus almost parallel ( Figure 6E )............................................................. Th. fujianensis sp. nov.

In ventral view, parameres of aedeagus constricted gradually ( Figure 5F )..................................................... Th. diaoluoensis sp. nov.

9. In ventral view, parameres of aedeagus almost parallel, middle lobe of aedeagus very sharp apically, like a needle ( Figure 2E )........................................................................... Th. acerosus sp. nov.

In ventral view, parameres of aedeagus constricted gradually, middle lobe of aedeagus sharp apically ( Figure 4F )......................................................................................... Th. baoxingensis sp. nov.

Figures

Figure 2. Thoracostrongylus acerosus sp. nov., holotype, male and female from Sichuan and Hubei, China. (A) 8th sternite, male; (B) 10th tergite, male; (C) 10th tergite, female; (D) 9th sternite, male; (E) aedeagus, ventral view; (F) aedeagus, lateral view; (G) genital segment with second gonocoxite, female. Scale bar 1 mm.

Figure 3. Thoracostrongylus aduncatus sp. nov., holotype, male from Yunnan, China. (A) 8th sternite, male; (B) 10th tergite, male; (C) 9th sternite, male; (D) aedeagus, ventral view; (E) aedeagus, lateral view. Scale bar 1 mm.

Figure 4. Thoracostrongylus baoxingensis sp. nov., holotype, male and female from Sichuan, China. (A) 8th sternite, male; (B) 10th tergite, male; (C) 10th tergite, female; (D) 9th sternite, male; (E) genital segment with second gonocoxite, female; (F) aedeagus, ventral view; (G) aedeagus, lateral view. Scale bar 1 mm.

Figure 5. Thoracostrongylus diaoluoensis sp. nov., holotype, male and female from Hainan, China. (A) 8th sternite, male; (B) 10th tergite, male; (C) 9th sternite, male; (D) 10th tergite, female; (E) genital segment with second gonocoxite, female; (F) aedeagus, ventral view; (G) aedeagus, lateral view. Scale bar 1 mm.

Figure 6. Thoracostrongylus fujianensis sp. nov., holotype, male from Fujian, China. (A) 8th sternite, male; (B) 10th tergite, male; (C) 10th tergite, female; (D) 9th sternite, male; (E) aedeagus, ventral view; (F) aedeagus, lateral view; (G) genital segment with second gonocoxite, female; Scale bar 1 mm.

Figure 7. Thoracostrongylus birmanus, (Fauvel, 1895), male and female from Hainan and Yunnan, China. (A) 8th sternite, male; (B) 10th tergite, male; (C) 9th sternite, male; (D) 10th tergite, female; (E) genital segment with second gonocoxite, female; (F) aedeagus, ventral view; (G) aedeagus, lateral view. Scale bar 1 mm.

Figure 8. Thoracostrongylus formosanus Shibata, 1982, male and female from Sichuan, Zhejiang, Hunan, Fujian, Hubei and Taiwan, China. (A) 8th sternite, male; (B) 10th tergite, male; (C) 9th sternite, male; (D) genital segment with second gonocoxite, female; (E) 10th tergite, female; (F) aedeagus, ventral view; (G) aedeagus, lateral view. Scale bar 1 mm.