Afrobium arabicum, Assing, Volker, 2008

Assing, Volker, 2008, On the Cryptobiina of the Arabian peninsula (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Zootaxa 1892, pp. 53-64 : 61-63

Afrobium arabicum sp. n.

( Figs. 24–31 )

Type material. Holotype ɗ: "S Yemen, Khafr Sayban mt., NW Al Mukāllā, 575 m, N14°37', E49°03' (light), 29.III.2007, M. Rejzek [11] / Holotypus ɗ Afrobium arabicum sp. n. det. V. Assing 2008" (cAss). Paratypes: 1ɗ, 5ΨΨ: same data as holotype (cSch, cAss); 1Ψ: Iran (S), Hormozgan, Beshagerd Mts., An- Gohran vill., 26°34'N, 57°54'E, 25.III–5.IV.2000, Simaev & Plutenko (cSch).

Etymology. The name (Latin, adjective) denotes Arabian.

Description. 7.0–10.0 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 24 . Coloration of body reddish brown with the elytra reddish; legs dark yellowish; antennae reddish brown.

Head 1.10–1.15 times as long as wide, wedge-shaped, widest at posterior angles ( Fig. 25 ); temples ( Fig. 28 ) keeled, with distinct infra- and supratemporal trichobothria; neck approximately 0.55 times as broad as head ( Fig. 25 ).Gular sutures separated, weakly sinuate. Anterior half of dorsal surface with very shallow, finer, irregular, and partly confluent punctation; posteriorly with coarser and well-defined punctation; interstices in posterior parts of dorsal surface partly with shallow indistinct microsculpture. Eyes distinctly convex, but rather small, approximately 1/3 the length of postocular region in dorsal view or slightly larger ( Fig. 25 ). Labrum laterally obliquely truncate, in the middle not very deeply incised, not dentate ( Fig. 27 ). Maxillary palpus with palpomere IV coniform, approximately half as long and at base about 2/3 as wide as palpomere III. Antenna slender; antennomere I longer than the combined length of II–V; III distinctly longer than II and IV; III–XI with, I–II without short pale pubescence ( Fig. 26 ).

Pronotum approximately 1.25 times as long as wide, moderately convex in cross-section, of subrectangular shape, widest before middle; lateral margins completely carinate; dorsal surface with conspicuously sparse and rather fine punctation, without microsculpture, and with pronounced shine; impunctate midline broad, on average approximately 5 times as wide as diameter of punctures ( Fig. 25 ).

Elytra almost as long and 1.30–1.35 times as wide as pronotum; punctation more or less dense (variable!), but not very deep; elytral epipleura with fine line above latero-ventral margins (lateral view). Scutellum with or without shallow microsculpture, at apex with two punctures. Hind wings fully developed. Legs slender; metatarsomere I slightly longer than the combined length of II+III.

Abdomen slightly wider than elytra, widest at segment V, distinctly narrowed towards apex and towards base; punctation fine and moderately dense; interstices with isodiametric microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe; posterior margin of tergite VIII distinctly convex; lateral processes of tergite IX with small spine-like appendix apically.

ɗ: sternite VII with weakly concave posterior margin; sternite VIII with rather deep and narrow posterior excision ( Fig. 29 ); aedeagus as in Figs. 30–31 .

Ψ: sternite VIII posteriorly weakly convex, almost truncate.

Comparative notes. The description of Afrobium was published only after Fagel´s death. According to Fagel (1977) and Drugmand (1991, 1995), 26 described species were previously attributed to the genus, all of them confined to the Afrotropical region, but, apart from the species occurring in Madagascar, they have never been revised. The types of these species were not examined, but as far as can be concluded from the details indicated in the original descriptions, Afrobium arabicum is characterised especially by the following character combination: slender habitus, sparsely punctured and glossy pronotum, small eyes, and by the male sexual characters.

Distribution and bionomics. The fact that A. arabicum was collected both in southern Yemen and in southern Iran suggests that it is probably widespread. The type specimens from Yemen were collected at a light source at an altitude of almost 600 m.

Figures

FIGURES 24 – 32. Afrobium arabicum sp. n. (24 – 31) and Ochthephilum turkestanicum (Korge) (32): 24 — habitus; 25 — forebody; 26 — antenna; 27 — mouthparts in dorsal view; 28 — head in lateral view; 29 — male sternite VIII; 30, 32 — aedeagus in lateral view; 31 — aedeagus in ventral view. Scale bars: 24 – 25: 1.0 mm; 26 – 32: 0.5 mm.