Tachyusa lewisiana Cameron, 1920

Pa ṡnik, Grzegorz, 2006, A revision of the World species of the genus Tachyusa Erichson, 1837 (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Zootaxa 1146, pp. 1-152 : 72-73

Tachyusa lewisiana Cameron, 1920 ( Figs. 63–65)

Tachyusa lewisiana Cameron, 1920: 95 .

Tachyusa (s. str.) lewisiana: Bernhauer & Scheerpeltz, 1926: 585 ; Cameron, 1939: 267.

Type material. Lectotype: ♂: Ceylon, Kandy , 1.546–1.727 ft., 17–23.II.1882, C. Lewis ( BMNH).

Redescription. Body. Length 2.7–3.1 mm, convex, parallel­sided, glossy; head brown to pitchy brown, pronotum red to reddish brown, elytra brownish red with posterior margin narrowly yellow, abdomen black with two basal tergites red, legs yellow, antennae brown with antennomeres 1–3 yellow.

Head circular in outline, convex, eyes large, strongly protruding from lateral contours of head, length of each seen from above longer than postocular region; surface of head without microsculpture; puncturation fine, pinprick­like and moderately dense. Antennae long, clearly increasing in width apically, antennomeres 2 and 3 subequal in length, antennomeres 4–7 longer than wide, antennomeres 8–10 sexually dimorphic, elongate in male and quadrate in female, antennomere 11 nearly conical.

Pronotum quadrate, lateral sides clearly concavely narrowed to obtuse hind angles; before base with deep transverse impression; surface without microsculpture; puncturation fine and moderately dense; pubescence at midline directed posteriorly.

Elytra subquadrate, at suture as long as pronotal length at midline; surface lacking microsculpture; puncturation very fine, pinprick­like and moderately dense.

Abdomen parallel­sided, bases of tergites 3–5 each with deep transverse impression, first impression with 7–8 short longitudinal ridges, two remaining impressions with elliptical hole at middle, tergal puncturation very fine and scattered, punctures very small and scarcely visible, surface without microsculpture.

Male. Aedeagus as in Figs. 63–64.

Female. Spermatheca as in Fig. 65.

Remarks. Tachyusa lewisiana is similar to T. loriai , from which it can be distinguished by the red pronotum, the antennomeres 2 and 3 subequal in length, the pronotal pubescence directed entirely posteriorly, the elytral puncturation finer than that on pronotum and by the shape of genitalia.

Distribution. Tachyusa lewisiana is known so far only from Sri Lanka.