Acylophorus methneri Bernhauer

Lott, Derek A., 2010, The species of Acylophorus Nordmann (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae) in continental sub-Saharan Africa, Zootaxa 2402, pp. 1-51 : 23-25

Acylophorus methneri Bernhauer

( Figs 17 , 93 )

Acylophorus methneri Bernhauer, 1917: 48 ; Scheerpeltz, 1933: 1467; Bernhauer & Chapman, 1939: 74; Scheerpeltz, 1974: 25; Herman, 2001: 3034.

Description. Length 6.5mm. Body relatively wide and flat, pitchy with paler pronotum. Abdomen with weak iridescence. Legs and palpi pale, antennae mostly infuscate with pale terminal segments.

Head somewhat small (pronotum 1.8x wider than head) as long as wide, pigmented area produced in front of antennal insertion ( Fig. 17 ). Side of head rounded with temples not very prominent. Covered with dense micro-punctures. Dense pale pubescence behind eyes. Four rather short postocular setae visible from above. Two pairs of short and pale interocular setae arising from shallow punctures less than twice as close to eyes as to each other. Maxillary palpi missing on material available for study. First segment of antenna longer than next four. Segments I to V elongate, VII to XI transverse ( Fig. 93 ).

Pronotum slightly transverse (1.1x wider than long) with rounded sides and widest in basal half, micropunctures much sparser than on head. Dorsal and lateral setae short. Marginal setae short and reduced in number. Elytra transverse (1.7x wider than long) with short pubescence. Apical fringe of bristles short, slightly longer than hairs on the rest of the elytra. Punctures sparse and less obviously asperate than in other species. Abdominal tergites with short pubescence on basal segments, not overlapping on tergites III, IV and V, becoming longer on apical segments, punctures fine and dense throughout. Form of the aedeagus unknown.

Type material. Bernhauer described this species from a single specimen, which has been located. This specimen is the holotype by monotypy. Holotype Ƥ: “D. Ostafrika; Methner; Kaguru. v.09. Bach U. / Methneri Bernh. Typus unicus / Chicago NHMus M. Bernhauer Collection / HOLOTYPE Acylophorus methneri Bernhauer Ƥ det. DA Lott, 2009” ( FMNH).

Distribution and bionomics. The type was collected from the banks of a stream at Kaguru, Tanzania ( Fig. 143 ). There are further records in the literature from Kenya ( Bernhauer & Chapman, 1939) and Sudan ( Scheerpeltz, 1974), but these must be open to question given the frequency of misidentifications in collections.

Comparative notes. Easily recognised by the extremely short pubescence on the elytra and abdomen and the short setae on the head and pronotum.

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 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.