Tachyusa smetanai Pa, 2006

Pa ṡnik, Grzegorz, 2006, A revision of the World species of the genus Tachyusa Erichson, 1837 (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Zootaxa 1146, pp. 1-152 : 142-143

Tachyusa smetanai Pa ś nik, sp. n. ( Figs. 147–149)

Type material. Holotype: ♂: [ United States], N.M. [New Mexico], Sandia Mts. , 7000 Cibola N.F., Las Huertas Crk., 8.VII.1969, A. Smetana ( CNC) . Paratypes: ♂: same data holotype ( CNC) ; ♂ and ♀: same data as holotype ( ISEA) ; ♂: [ United States], Az. [Arizona], Santa Cruz Co., 4 mi SW Patagonia 4050, 8.VIII.1979, A. Smetana ( CNC) ; ♀: [ United States], Ky. [Kentucky], Pennyroyal St. Pk., Christian Co., 23.IX.1967, Campbell ( CNC) ; ♀: [ United States], Texas, Kerrville , 16.IV.1959, Becker & Howden ( CNC) ; ♀: [ United States], Texas, Del Rio , 25–26.IV.1959, Becker & Howden ( CNC) ; 3♂♂ and 2♀♀: [ United States], Deer Creek, Colo [Colorado], 13.VII.1938 ( CAS) ; ♀: [ Canada], P.Q. [Province du Quebec], Berthierville, 11.VIII.1985, River Bank : sand, V. Bousquet ( CNC) ; ♂: [ Canada], MB [Manitoba]: Spruce Woods P.P., 5.VI.1985, V. Bousquet ( CNC) .

Description. Body. Length 2.7–3.0 mm, convex, parallel­sided, glossy; body colour pitchy brown to black; elytral posterior margin and shoulders yellow, abdominal tergites 3–4 paler brownish red to brown, legs red, antennae brown with antennomeres 1–3 red.

Head circular in outline, convex, glossy, narrower than pronotum, widest across eyes; eyes large, moderately protruding from lateral contours of head, length of each seen from above subequal to that of postocular region; surface of head without microsculpture; puncturation fine and moderately dense; pubescence short and moderately dense, directed inward. Antennae short, clearly increasing in width apically, antennomere 3 shorter than 2, antennomeres 4–8 longer than wide, antennomeres 9–10 sexually dimorphic, quadrate in male and slightly transverse in female, antennomere 11 nearly conical.

Pronotum quadrate, convex, glossy, widest in apical third, lateral sides rounded in front, gradually narrowed in straight line to obtuse hind angles; before base with small and shallow transverse impression; surface lacking microsculpture; puncturation fine, dense and asperate; pubescence at midline directed posteriorly.

Elytra as long as wide, slightly wider than pronotum, lateral sides arcuate, at suture as long as pronotal length at midline; surface lacking microsculpture; puncturation fine, dense and asperate.

Abdomen parallel­sided, bases of tergites 3–5 each with deep transverse impression, impressions with 7–8 longitudinal ridges and distinct median carina, tergal puncturation fine and moderately dense, punctures moderately small and well visible, surface without microsculpture; pubescence relatively long and moderately dense, semirecumbent.

Male. Aedeagus as in Figs. 147–148.

Female. Spermatheca as in Fig. 149.

Remarks. Externally, Tachyusa smetanai is extremely similar to T. faceta , but differs in the following characters: the antennomere 3 shorter than 2; the elytra brown with posterior margin and shoulders yellow; and particularly the distinct shape of the genitalia.

Etymology. The species is dedicated to Aleš Smetana (Ottawa), a specialist in Staphylinidae , who collected some of the type specimens.

Distribution. The new species is known so far only from Canada and the United States.