Thoracophorus verhaaghi, Irmler, Ulrich, 2015

Irmler, Ulrich, 2015, Four new species of the genus Thoracophorus Motschulsky, 1857 for the Neotropical region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Osoriinae), Zootaxa 4039 (3), pp. 431-444 : 434-436

Thoracophorus verhaaghi n. sp.

Figs. 2 A, B, 9C

Type material. HOLOTYPE. male, Peru: Huanuco, Yuyapichis, Panguana, trop. rain forest (74°56.8’W, 9°3.37’S), 0 8.02.1984, leg. M.Verhaagh ( UIC).

Diagnosis. T. verhaaghi n. sp. is distinctly larger than the very similar T. filum Sharp, 1887 and T. zicsii n. sp. The colouration resembles that of T. filum Sharp, 1887 , but the abdomen is orange such as the fore-body, whereas it is darker in T. filum Sharp, 1887 . Moreover, the shape of T. verhaaghi n. sp. differs from that of T. filum Sharp, 1887 . Whereas T. filum Sharp, 1887 is distinctly parallel with the elytra as wide as the head and the pronotum, T. verhaaghi n. sp. has conspicuously wider elytra. The antennae are more elongate than those of T. filum Sharp, 1887 . The paramera are much longer than those of T. filum and have a much higher number of sensillae.

Description. Length: 1.8 mm. Colouration: orange; vertex of head blackish; legs and antennae yellow.

Head: 0.19 mm long, 0.31 mm wide; eyes large and prominent; temples extremely short and shortly narrowed to distinctly separated neck; neck only 0.7 times as wide as head; fore-head approximately triangular; finely margined; pair of swellings on posterior vertex weak; without punctation, but with short white scaly hairs on clypeus and on supraocular area; isodiametric microsculpture deep and dense; surface matte.

Antennae as long as head and half of pronotum combined; first and second antennomere equally thick; first antennomere approximately rectangular; second oval; third antennomere thinner as first and second antennomeres and triangular; following antennomeres increasing in width; fourth to sixth antennomere approximately quadrate; following antennomeres distinctly wider than long; penultimate antennomere 1.5 times as wide as long; one third wider than first and second antennomeres.

Pronotum: 0.26 mm long, 0.32 mm wide; widest in anterior half; sides of anterior half nearly parallel; sides of posterior half convergent; slightly sinuate; anterior edge 1.6 times wider than posterior edge; anterior angles widely rounded; posterior angles obtuse; in dorsal aspect, lateral margin weak and invisible; not denticulate and not even; with minute nubs; central depression with extremely weak central swelling; lateral longitudinal depression weak; without punctation, but few scaly hairs laterally; isodiametric microsculpture deep and dense; surface matte.

Elytra 0.38 mm long, 0.38 mm wide; sides nearly parallel; shoulders and posterior angles widely rounded; on disc with three indistinct carinae; without punctation, but with dense white scaly hairs; isodiametric microsculpture deep and dense; surface matte.

Abdomen parallel; anterior tergites III to V with weak transverse impression; without punctation, but with white short scaly hairs; isodiametric dense microsculpture, but less deep than on fore-body; surface less matte than fore-body.

Aedeagus smoothly curved; inner edge of apical lobe slightly sinuate; endophallus with thick basal bulb and long ductus; paramera slender; distinctly projecting apical lobe; at base with numerous sensillae.

Etymology. The specific name honours the collector of the species, Dr. Manfred Verhaagh, who collected extensively at the Biological Station Panguana.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Thoracophorus filum (1: from Belize, 1 ’: from Costa Rica); T. verhaaghi (2); T. zicsii (3); aedeagus in lateral aspect (A), antenna (B); scale bar: 0.1 mm.