Tachyusa bertiae 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 : 115-116

Tachyusa bertiae Pa ś nik, sp. n. ( Figs. 115–117)

Type material. Holotype: ♂: [ Democratic Republic of the Congo], Cours du Congo, Entre Leopoldville [Kinshasa] & Stanleyville, L. Burgeon 1918, Tachyusa congoensis Bernh. (MNHN) ; Paratypes: ♂ and ♀: same data as the holotype ( FMNH) ; ♂: same data as holotype ( ISEA) ; ♀: Congo belge [ Democratic Republic of the Congo], Coquilhatville [ Mbandaka ], L. Levasseur ( MNHN) .

Description. Body. Length 2.5–3.0 mm, convex, parallel­sided, glossy; body colour dark brown to pitchy brown; legs and antennae brown.

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 longer than postocular region; surface of head with fine isodiametric mesh microsculpture; puncturation fine and dense; pubescence fine, short and moderately dense, directed inward. Antennae clearly increasing in width apically, antennomeres 2 and 3 subequal in length, antennomeres 4–8 longer than wide, antennomeres 9–10 quadrate, antennomere 11 nearly conical.

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

Elytra subquadrate, 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; tergal puncturation fine and moderately dense, punctures moderately small and well visible, surface without microsculpture; pubescence moderately long and moderately dense, semirecumbent.

Male. Aedeagus as in Figs. 115–116. Female.

Spermatheca as in Fig. 117.

Remarks. Tachyusa bertiae resembles T. coarctata , from which it can be distinguished by the larger and more strongly protruding eyes, the strongly narrowed temples, the antennomeres 2 and 3 subequal in length, the distinct microsculpture of the head and by the shape of the aedeagus.

Etymology. The species is dedicated to Nicole Berti (Paris), who kindly made this material available for study.

Distribution. The new species is known so far only from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.