Gabrius tsaratananus JARRIGE 1970

Hromádka, L., 2011, Revision of the genus Gabrius STEPHENS 1829 from Madagascar and adjoining Islands (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (2), pp. 1377-1397 : 1392

Gabrius tsaratananus JARRIGE 1970 (Figs 43-45)

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d Holotype: ″Mt. Tsaratanana, 1500-1600m, x.1949, // Gabrius tsaratananus J. Jarrige det., 1968, Holotype, [white oblong label handwritten]″ (MNHN). Paratype, [same label data as in holotype] (MNHN).

R e d e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 4.0 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 2.3 mm. Whole body black, antennomeres 1-2 yellow-brown, remaining antennomeres brown-yellow, legs testaceous, tarsi slightly darker.

Head square, slightly wider than long (ratio 16: 14), parallel-sided, posterior angles obtusely rounded. Between eyes 4 punctures, distance between medial punctures 5 times as large as distance between lateral and medial puncture. Eyes small and slightly convex, much shorter than temples (ratio 5: 12), temporal area with several punctures. Sides bearing several bristles. Surface lacks microsculpture.

Antennae long, reaching posterior fifth of pronotum when reclined. Antennomere 1 longer than antennomere 11, almost as long as antennomeres 2-3 combined.

Pronotum longer than wide (ratio 18: 16), parallel-sided, posterior angles markedly rounded. Each dorsal row with 6 coarse, approximately equidistant punctures, each sublateral row with 2 punctures, puncture 1 situated behind level of puncture 3 in dorsal row, puncture 2 slightly shifted to the lateral margin. Surface lacks microsculpture.

Scutellum very finely and relatively sparsely punctate. Diameter of punctures as large as eye-facets, separated by one or one and half puncture diameters. Setation black.

Elytra slightly wider than long (ratio 23: 22), widened posteriorly. Punctation double, diameter of larger punctures much larger than eye-facets, smaller punctures as large as eye-facets. Separated between punctures by 1 puncture diameter in transverse direction. Surface lacks microsculpture; setation grey.

Legs. Metatibia longer than metatarsus (ratio 13: 11.5). Metatarsomere 1 as long as metatarsomere 5, shorter than metatarsomeres 2-3 combined.

Abdomen wide, from visible tergite III very slightly narrowed anteriorly and posteriorly. Punctation at base of each tergite finer and sparser than that on elytra, becoming finer and sparser towards posterior margin of each tergite. Surface lacks microsculpture; setation longer than that on elytra.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s G. tsaratananus may be distinguished from similar G. phelsuma by the darker antennomeres 1, 2 and 11 and base of antennomere 3 and by the different shape of the head and the aedeagus.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Madagascar ( HERMAN 2001).