Anhoraeomorphus maximus (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 : 40-41

Anhoraeomorphus maximus (Franz) , comb. n.

( Figs 147–150 )

Horaeomorphus maximus Franz, 1986b: 170 .

Type material studied. Holotype ( Madagascar): ♀, four labels: “Massif de l’An- / karatra,Madagaskar / lg. H.Franz 1969” [white, printed], “ Horaeomorphus / maximus m. / det. H.Franz ” [yellowish, handwritten and printed], “Typus” [red, handwritten], “ ♀ ” [white, printed] ( NHMW). Paratype: ♀, same data as for holotype, but with yellow “ PARATYPUS ” label ( NHMW) .

Revised diagnosis. Body ( Fig. 147 ) slender; head ( Figs 148–150 ) oval, with vertex posteriorly strongly rounded; pronotum ( Fig. 147 ) bell-shaped, broadest near anterior third, with two pairs of large subcircular antebasal pits; antennomeres 1–6 ( Fig. 150 ) each elongate, 7–8 each about as long as broad, 9 and 10 each indistinctly transverse; profemora much thicker than meso-and metafemora.

Redescription. Body of female ( Fig. 147 ) strongly convex, dark brown, elytra with reddish hue, tarsi and palps slightly lighter; setae light brown; BL 3.10–3.18 mm.

Head ( Fig. 148 ) in anterodorsal view oval, broadest at eyes, HL 0.60–0.63 mm, HW 0.55 mm; temple in lateral view ( Fig. 149 ) slightly longer than eye; vertex and frons confluent, together weakly convex and about as long as broad; vertex posteriorly strongly rounded; each eye small and weakly convex, nearly circular, 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. 150 ) slender but short, indistinctly shorter than half BL, AnL 1.38–1.40 mm, antennomeres 1–6 each elongate, 7–8 each about as long as broad, 9 and 10 each indistinctly transverse, 11 as long as 9 and 10 combined, indistinctly wider than 10, nearly twice as long as broad.

Pronotum bell-shaped, broadest near anterior third; PL 0.88–0.90 mm, PW 0.73–0.75 mm. Anterior margin strongly rounded, lateral margins strongly rounded in anterior half, sinuate in posterior half; posterior corners blunt; posterior margin nearly straight. Base with two pairs of large subcircular pits, sublateral carinae short but distinct. Disc with fine, inconspicuous punctures; setae dense, short and suberect, lateral surface of pronotum with dense thick bristles.

Elytra together oval, conspicuously convex, broadest slightly in front of middle; EL 1.63–1.65 mm, EW 1.13 mm, EI 1.44–1.47; humeral calli weakly elevated, basal elytral foveae barely discernible. Punctures small and shallow, inconspicuous; setae sparse, conspicuously short and recumbent.

Legs long and slender, unmodified except strongly thickened profemora.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Central Madagascar (Vakinankaratra Region).

Remarks. The label data for the holotype and paratype are the same, but Franz (1986b) mentions that the holotype was collected on 12.04.1969 above a forestry station (“Station forestière”), and the paratype on 14.04.1969 at the upper edge of the forest at Col de Manontongana, altitude nearly 2000 m, both localities in a “Reserve forestière” of Manjakotompo.

Females of A. maximus are the largest among all species of Anhoraeomorphus , reaching ≥ 3.10 mm. Beside the exceptional body length, they can be distinguished from all remaining species by profemora much thicker than meso- and metafemora, slender antennae with antennomere 11 as long as 9 and 10 combined, bell-shaped and elongate pronotum with two pairs of antebasal pits, and strongly convex elytra covered with conspicuously short and recumbent setae.

Figures

FIGURES 147–150. Anhoraeomorphus maximus (Franz), holotype. Habitus in dorsal view (147); head in anterodorsal view (148); head and prothorax in lateral view (only bristles on head are shown) (149); antenna (150).