Tachyusa leptothorax Fauvel, 1907

Pa ṡnik, Grzegorz, 2006, A revision of the World species of the genus Tachyusa Erichson, 1837 (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Zootaxa 1146, pp. 1-152 : 56-57

Tachyusa leptothorax Fauvel, 1907 ( Figs. 39–41)

Tachyusa leptothorax Fauvel, 1907: 59 .

Tachyusa (s. str.) leptothorax: Fenyes, 1920: 173 ; Bernhauer & Scheerpeltz, 1926: 585.

Type material. Lectotype: ♂: Afr. or. angl., Nakuro 12, Rift Valley ( IRSNB) . Paralectotypes: ♀: same data as the lectotype ( IRSNB) ; ♂ and ♀: Bogos, 1500 m, 6 a 8 ( IRSNB) .

Additional material. Ethiopia: Bale , Sof Omar, 20.VI.1971, 1 ex ( ISEA) ; Gemu , Arba Mireli, 1.X.1971, 3 exx ( BMNH) ; Shoa Awash Park , 1971, 1 ex ( BMNH) . Kenya: Mt. Elgon , East slope, Camp 1, 2100 m, Mission de l'Omo, 1932–33, Arambourg, Chappuis & Jeannel, 2 exx ( MNHN) ; Nakuro (Rift­Valley), XII.1903, Ch. Alluaud, 4 exx ( MNHN) ; Wa­Kikuyu , Tchania river, 1520 m, 1912, Alluaud & Jeannel, 2 exx ( MNHN) .

Redescription. Body. Length 2.3–2.5 mm, convex, parallel­sided, glossy; body colour brown, abdomen black with two basal tergites red to reddish brown, antennae and legs red.

Head circular in outline, convex, 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. Antennae long, clearly increasing in width apically, antennomeres 2 and 3 subequal in length, antennomeres 4–6 longer than wide, antennomeres 7–8 quadrate, antennomeres 9–10 sexually dimorphic quadrate in male and transverse in female, antennomere 11 nearly conical.

Pronotum quadrate, lateral sides clearly concavely narrowed to obtuse hind angles; before base with small and shallow transverse impression; surface without microsculpture; puncturation relatively coarse, dense and asperate; pubescence at midline directed posteriorly.

Elytra quadrate, at suture as long as pronotal length at midline; surface lacking microsculpture; puncturation fine and dense.

Abdomen parallel­sided, bases of tergites 3–5 each with deep transverse impression, impressions with 7–8 longitudinal ridges connected by the short transverse ridges in the shape of honeycomb, tergal puncturation very fine and scattered, punctures very small and scarcely visible, surface without microsculpture.

Male. Aedeagus as in Figs. 39–40.

Female. Spermatheca as in Fig. 41.

Remarks. See under T. gemma .

Distribution. Tachyusa leptothorax is known so far only from Ethiopia and Kenya.