Anhoraeomorphus barbatus (Franz) Jałoszyński, 2024

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2024, The ‘ curse of Horaeomorphus’ (almost) lifted. Revision of misplaced species from Madagascar, Comoros and Mascarenes (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 5505 (1), pp. 1-96 : 28-30

Anhoraeomorphus barbatus (Franz) , comb. n.

( Figs 99–106 )

Horaeomorphus barbatus Franz, 1986b: 167 .

Type material studied. Holotype ( Madagascar): ♂, four labels: “Madagaskar,Plateau / du Tampoketsa / lg. H.Franz 1969” [white, printed], “ ♂ ” [white, printed], “ Horaeomorphus / barbatus m. / det. H.Franz ” [yellowish, handwritten and printed], “Typus” [red, handwritten] ( NHMW) . Paratypes (see Remarks): 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as for holotype, except for yellowish “ PARATYPUS ” labels ( NHMW) .

Revised diagnosis. Body ( Fig. 99 ) slender; head ( Figs 100–101 ) round, with vertex posteriorly broadly rounded; pronotum ( Fig. 99 ) bell-shaped, broadest near anterior third, with one pair of large antebasal pits; antennomeres 3–7 ( Fig. 94 ) each slightly elongate; all femora similarly slender; hind tibiae in male unmodified; aedeagus ( Figs 103–106 ) in ventral view broadest in sub-basal third, apical region of dorsal wall in lateral view strongly curved dorsally, distolateral endophallic sclerites narrowly separated, each elongate and with subtriangular apex, each paramere with group of numerous subapical and apical setae occupying about half of its length.

Redescription. Body of male ( Fig. 99 ) moderately dark brown, tarsi and palps distinctly lighter, setae yellowish; BL 2.30–2.31 mm.

Head ( Fig. 100 ) in anterodorsal view round, broadest at eyes, HL 0.40–0.43 mm, HW 0.40–0.43 mm; temple in lateral view ( Fig. 101 ) subequal to eye; vertex and frons confluent, together weakly convex and about as long as broad; vertex posteriorly broadly rounded; each eye moderately large and weakly convex, oval with distinct posteromedian emargination, weakly projecting from head silhouette. Punctures on vertex fine, inconspicuous; setae short, dense and suberect; frons and vertex densely covered with thick bristles directed posteriorly. Antenna ( Fig. 102 ) slender but short, indistinctly shorter than half BL, AnL 1.08–1.10 mm, antennomeres 1–7 each weakly elongate, 8–9 each about as long as broad, 10 slightly transverse, 11 shorter than 9 and 10 combined, as wide as 10, about 1.8 times as long as broad.

Pronotum bell-shaped, broadest near anterior third; PL 0.61–0.63 mm, PW 0.50–0.54 mm. Anterior margin strongly rounded, lateral margins rounded in anterior half, weakly sinuate in posterior half; posterior corners blunt; posterior margin nearly straight. Base with one pair of large round pits, and with short but distinct sublateral carinae. Disc with fine, inconspicuous punctures; setae dense, short and suberect, lateral surface of pronotum with dense thick bristles.

Elytra together oval, broadest slightly in front of middle; EL 1.25–1.30 mm, EW 0.88 mm, EI 1.43–1.49; humeral calli weakly elevated, basal elytral foveae vestigial, barely discernible. Punctures very dense but extremely shallow and diffuse, so that surface of elytra is slightly less glossy than pronotum; setae sparse, short and suberect.

Legs moderately long, slender, unmodified except weakly curved apices of pro- and mesotibiae.

Aedeagus ( Figs 103–106 ) slender, AeL 0.38 mm; in ventral view broadest in sub-basal third, distally gradually narrowing and in subapical region rapidly narrowing towards broadly subtriangular apex with rounded tip; in lateral view apical region of dorsal wall strongly curved dorsally; endophallus with nearly symmetrical and conspicuously broad distolateral sclerites and with strongly asymmetrical assemblage of median sclerotized structures, distolateral sclerites narrowly separated, each with subtriangular apex; parameres broad and their apices slightly projecting beyond aedeagal apex, each paramere with twisted short distal region appearing in ventral view as an apical ‘loop’, and with apical-subapical group of 12 short setae proximally reaching middle of parameral length.

Female. Externally similar to male. BL 2.33 mm; HL 0.43 mm, HW 0.45 mm, AnL 1.03 mm; PL 0.60 mm, PW 0.53 mm; EL 1.30, EW 0.88 mm, EI 1.49.

Distribution. Central Madagascar (Analamanga Region).

Remarks. Anhoraeomorphus barbatus is unremarkable and examination of aedeagus is necessary to identify this species.

Franz (1986b) mentions four specimens included in the type series, of which one male was fixed as a holotype. All specimens are preserved at NHMW, but one paratype female is clearly different from remaining specimens and does not belong in A. barbatus ; it must be excluded from the type series. “Plateau du Tampoketsa” is the only locality given in label data, but in the original description Franz adds more detailed information: “Plateau du Tampokeza {sic!} d’Ankazobe nächst der Forststation Manonkazo im ca. 1500 m Seehöhe ” .

Figures

FIGURES 99–106. Anhoraeomorphus barbatus (Franz), holotype. Habitus in dorsal view (99); head in anterodorsal view (100); head and prothorax in lateral view (only bristles on head are shown) (101); antenna (102); aedeagus in ventral (103, 105) and lateral (104, 106) views.

FIGURES 91–98. Anhoraeomorphus anosyensis (Franz), paratype. Habitus in dorsal view (91); head in anterodorsal view (92); head and prothorax in lateral view (only bristles on head are shown) (93); antenna (94); aedeagus in ventral (95, 97) and lateral (96, 98) views.