Philonthus peripateticus Tottenham, 1949

Hromádka, Lubomír, 2008, Revision of Afrotropical species of the Philonthus peripateticus species group (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 48 (1), pp. 51-65 : 61-62

Philonthus peripateticus Tottenham, 1949

( Figs. 29-34 )

Philonthus (Raucalius) peripateticus Tottenham, 1949: 303 .

Type locality. Mozambique, Nyassa.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♁, ‘ Mozambique, NYASSA / B. M. Tottenham collection [oblong white label with red margin]’ ( BMNH).

Redescription. Body length 12.0 mm (with stretched abdomen), length of fore body (to the end of elytra) 5.9 mm.

Colouration. Head and pronotum black, elytra and abdomen black-brown, suture of elytra brown-black, maxillary and labial palpi brown, apex of terminal palpomere of maxillary palpi paler, mandibles dark brown, clypeus along anterior margin and antennal sockets narrowly yellow-brown, antennae black, base of antennomere 2 brown-yellow, femora black-brown, tibiae and tarsi black.

Head rounded, somewhat wider than long (ratio 36: 34), sides behind eyes nearly straight. Eyes flat, as long as temples. Posterior angles rounded. Four punctures between eyes distance between medial interocular punctures, about 4 times as large as the distance between medial and lateral interocular punctures. Temporal area with many coarse punctures of different size, some punctures along base. Surface without microsculpture.

Antennae long and stout, widened to apex, almost reaching posterior margin of pronotum when reclined. Antennomeres 1-4 and 11 longer than wide, remaining antennomeres as long as wide.

Pronotum vaguely wider than long (ratio 37: 35) sides straight and slightly converging anteriad, posterior angles widely rounded. Each dorsal row with 2 coarse punctures, situated far from each other; puncture 1 at anterior half of pronotal length, puncture 2 at posterior half; each sublateral row with 2 punctures, puncture 1 situated at same level as puncture 1 of dorsal row, puncture 2 situated near lateral margin of pronotum. Surface without microsculpture.

Scutellum very densely and wrinkly punctured, punctures coalescent.

Elytra somewhat longer than wide (ratio 66: 59), slightly widened posteriad, very coarsely and densely punctured, punctures coalescent here and there. Setation brown.

Legs. Metatarsus as long as metatibia, metatarsomere 1 almost as long as metatarsomeres 2-3 combined, metatarsomere 5 as long as metatarsomeres 3-4 combined.

Abdomen wide, from third visible tergite slightly narrowed towards both base and apex. Elevated area between two basal lines on first three visible tergites very densely and coarsely punctate, punctures mostly drop-shaped. Setation similar to those on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1-3 markedly dilated and sub-bilobed, each covered with modified yellow setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 distinctly narrower than preceding ones. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 33 ), sternite IX ( Fig. 34 ), aedeagus with branches of paramere not reaching apex of median lobe ( Figs. 29-32 ).

Female. Unknown to the author.

Differential diagnosis. Philonthus peripateticus may be distinguished from the similar species P. lamtoensis by the stouter antennae and narrower head; from P. madianus by the stouter and shorter antennae, and the narrower head, and from both species by the different shape of the aedeagus.

Bionomics. Unknown.

Distribution. Mozambique ( TOTTENHAM 1949, HERMAN 2001).

Figures

Figs. 29-40. 29-34 – Philonthus peripateticus Tottenham, 1949; 35-40 – P. rugulipennis Tottenham, 1949. 29-31, 35-37 – aedeagus: 29, 35 − ventral view, 30, 36 – dorsal view, 31, 37 – lateral view; 32, 38 – underside of paramere, with sensory peg setae; 33, 39 – apical portion of sternite VIII, ventral view; 34, 40 – sternite IX, ventral view.