Acylophorus congoensis Cameron

Lott, Derek A., 2010, The species of Acylophorus Nordmann (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae) in continental sub-Saharan Africa, Zootaxa 2402, pp. 1-51 : 21

Acylophorus congoensis Cameron

( Figs 14 , 42 , 64 , 90 , 123 )

Acylophorus congoensis Cameron, 1932: 134 ; Scheerpeltz, 1933: 1466; Bernhauer & Paulian, 1942: 364; Cameron, 1950: 43; Herman, 2001: 3027.

Redescription. Length 7–7.5mm. Body black. Pronotum and less frequently elytra dark brown. Abdomen with very weak iridescence. Legs, antennae and palpi reddish brown, antennae and femora sometimes darkened. Maxillary palpi pale with darker terminal segment.

Head rounded, large (pronotum 1.6x wider than head), as wide as long with rounded but evident temples behind somewhat large eyes, produced in front of antennal insertion, covered with sparse micro-punctures ( Fig. 14 ). Short dense pubescence behind eyes. Two pairs of short and pale interocular setae arising from foveate punctures much closer to eyes than each other. A line of four postocular setae visible from above on each side. No additional seta on hind margin of eye. Right mandible with large medial tooth in front of flange, no teeth on left mandible ( Fig. 42 ). Maxillary palpi with terminal segment pubescent, more rounded on outer margin than inner margin and asymmetric, longer than glabrous penultimate segment which is triangular ( Fig. 64 ). First segment of antenna as long as next five. Segments I to V elongate, VIII to XI transverse ( Fig. 90 ).

Pronotum relatively narrow with sides less rounded, almost quadrate (1.05x wider than long) and widest toward basal half, covered with sparse micro-punctures. Dorsal, lateral and marginal setae relatively short. Elytra transverse (1.5x wider than long) with short, pale pubescence that is not shining arising from fine, dense asperate punctures. Apical fringe of bristles rather short, not much longer than hairs on rest of elytra. Abdominal tergites with short, sparse pubescence, barely overlapping in centre of tergite III, though longer on apical tergites.

Paramere bilobed and divergent, twisted round side margin of median lobe, which is flattened and broadly incised at apex ( Fig. 123 ). Pegs confusedly arranged at apex of each lobe.

Type material. Cameron described the species from specimens collected by A. Collart on 10th December 1928 at Blukwa (Nizi) in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Two syntypes have been located and one of these is here designated as the lectotype in order to fix the identity of the species. Lectotype Ƥ: “ TYPE / Blukwa; 10-XII-28; A. Collart / Acylophorus congoensis Cam. TYPE / LECTOTYPE Acylophorus congoensis Cameron Ƥ det. DA Lott” ( IRSNB). Paralectotype Ƥ: “ Paratype / Blukwa; 10-XII-28; A. Collart / M. Cameron Bequest B.M. 1955-147 / Acylophorus congoensis Cam. COTYPE / PARALECTOTYPE Acylophorus congoensis Cameron Ƥ det. DA Lott” ( BMNH).

Further material examined. SUDAN: Didinga District: Nagichot, 6700 feet, GDH Carpenter, xii.1925 - i.1926, 132Ƥ ( BMNH). TANZANIA: W Mkusi, Usambara Mts, B Verdcourt, 31. viii.1950, 13 ( MMUM).

Distribution and bionomics. I have seen specimens from Congo, Tanzania and SE Sudan ( Fig. 143 ). Further records in the literature from Cameroon ( Bernhauer & Paulian, 1942) and Congo ( Cameron, 1950) must be open to question, given the frequency of misidentifications of African Acylophorus in collections. There are no ecological data.

Comparative notes. Lacks bright yellow pubescence on elytra found in many other species of this species group. Aedeagus flattened, similar to that of A. allardi but less elongate. Distinguishable from A. mareei and A. ziloensis with similarly short pubescence on the abdomen, either by the form of the mandibles or the last segment of the maxillary palpi.

Figures

FIGURE 143. Distribution of species in the Acylophorus densipennis group = A. densipennis Bernhauer, = A. micans new species, = A. allardi Levasseur, = A. congoensis Cameron, = A. methneri Bernhauer).

FIGURES 9 – 17. Forebodies of species in the Acylophorus densipennis group. 9, A. densipennis Bernhauer; 10, A. antennalis Cameron; 11, A. collarti Cameron; 12. A. micans new species; 13, A. allardi Levasseur; 14, A. congoensis Cameron; 15, A. ziloensis Levasseur; 16, A. mareei Bernhauer; 17 A. methneri Bernhauer.

FIGURES 42 – 50. Mandibles of Acylophorus species. 42, A. congoensis Cameron; 43, A. ziloensis Levasseur (Katanga); 44, A. ziloensis Levasseur (Kivu); 45, A. allardi Levasseur; 46, A. salifi new species; 47, A. lomaensis Levasseur; 48, A. mareei Bernhauer; 49, A. bafutensis Levasseur; 50, A. lualabaensis Levasseur.

FIGURES 51 – 76. Terminal segments of the maxilliary palpi of Acylophorus species. 51, A. orientalis Fauvel; 52, A. nitens new species; 53, A. rossii Bordoni, 54, A. bumbunae Bordoni; 55, A. capensis Cameron; 56, A. dankalensis Bordoni; 57, A. tshuapensis new species; 58, A. makhoreae new species; 59, A. densipennis Bernhauer; 60, A. antennalis Cameron; 61, A. collarti Cameron; 62. A. micans new species; 63, A. allardi Levasseur; 64, A. congoensis Cameron; 65, A. ziloensis Levasseur; 66, A. mareei Bernhauer; 67, A. salifi new species; 68, A. lomaensis Levasseur; 69. A. minor new species; 70, A. trigonocephalus Cameron; 71, A. setiger new species; 72, A. usambarae Bernhauer; 73, A. grandis Bernhauer; 74, A. bafutensis Levasseur; 75, A. kambuiensis Bordoni, 76. A. lualabaensis Levasseur.

FIGURES 77 – 96. Antennae of Acylophorus species. 77, A. orientalis Fauvel; 78, A. nitens new species; 79, A. rossii Bordoni, 80, A. bumbunae Bordoni; 81, A. capensis Cameron; 82, A. dankalensis Bordoni; 83, A. tshuapensis new species; 84, A. makhoreae new species; 85, A. densipennis Bernhauer; 86, A. antennalis Cameron; 87, A. collarti Cameron; 88. A. micans new species; 89, A. allardi Levasseur; 90, A. congoensis Cameron; 91, A. ziloensis Levasseur; 92, A. mareei Bernhauer; 93, A. methneri Bernhauer; 94, A. salifi new species; 95, A. lomaensis Levasseur; 96. A. minor new species.

FIGURES 117 – 125. Aedeagi of species in the Acylophorus densipennis group. 117, A. densipennis Bernhauer; 118, A. antennalis Cameron; 119, A. collarti Cameron; 120. A. micans new species; 121, A. allardi Levasseur (RD Congo); 122, A. allardi Levasseur (South Africa); 123, A. congoensis Cameron; 124, A. ziloensis Levasseur; 125, A. mareei Bernhauer.