Tychobythinus peyerimhoffi (Jeannel, 1956)

Sabella, Giorgio, Nouira, Vera D’Urso Said, Souissi, Rhida & Besuchet, Claude, 2013, A review of Tychobythinus theryi species group with description of a new species from Algeria (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae), Zootaxa 3701 (1), pp. 63-75 : 71-73

Tychobythinus peyerimhoffi (Jeannel, 1956)

( Figs. 14–17 )

Anopsibythus peyerimhoffi Jeannel 1956: 61 ; 63, figs 52 (habitus), 55 (aedeagus) and 56 (profemora); Tychobythinus peyerimhoffi Löbl & Besuchet 2004: 315 .

Type material. Lectotype, male, present designation. NORTHEASTERN ALGERIA. Annaba province: Bône (old name of Annaba), X.1929 (H. Normand) (ex coll. Peyerimhoff, MNHN). Paralectotypes, 1 male, same data of lectotype (ex coll. Peyerimhoff, MNHN); 2 females, same data of lectotype (INAT).

Redescription. Body length 1.20–1.25 mm, pubescence consists of long and flattened setae (length: 0.125– 0.130 mm) on head, pronotum, elytra and abdomen, other suberected setae shorter (length: 0.030–0.040 mm) on antennae and legs. Tegument smooth and glossy.

Head ( Fig. 14 ) slightly longer (0.210–0.220 mm) than wide (0.200– 0.210 mm), frontal lobe width 0.120–0.125 mm, its dorsal surface glossy with some punctures and well impressed median sulcus. Clypeal carina evident, both in dorsal and lateral view, and reaching ocular region. Occipital region with strong median longitudinal carina reaching posterior edge of vertexal foveae, tempora rounded. Gular region convex entirely traversed by evident median longitudinal carina, its surface glossy. Segment II of maxillary palpi elongated with 22–26 strong tubercles, segment III longer than wide with 4–6 tubercles, last segment of maxillary palpi ( Fig. 15 ) more than 3 times longer (0.260–0.265 mm) than wide (0.075 mm), its lateral margin straight. Antenna ( Fig. 16 ) 0.680–0.690 mm long, scape more than 4.5 times longer (0.200– 0.210 mm) than wide (0.042–0.044 mm), antennomere II, slightly asymmetric, longer (0.062 mm) than wide (0.037 mm), antennomeres III–V distinctly longer than wide, III slightly longer than IV and V, IV and V subequal in size, VI shorter than V and slightly longer than wide, VII and VIII as long as wide. Antennomeres IX–X distinctly wider than long, XI about 2 times longer than wide, and more than 1.5 times longer than combined length of IX and X.

Pronotum wider (0.310 mm) than long (0.285 mm), widest in apical fourth, pleural carina difficult to see, and antebasal sulcus well impressed.

Elytra width 0.500 mm, length 0.420–0.430 mm.

Metasternum with surface smooth and glossy.

Legs elongated, protrochanters with 4–6 tubercles; profemora with 12–14 small tubercles. Metatibiae 0.420– 0.430 mm long.

Male. T. peyerimhoffi does not show a strong sexual dimorphism. Antennae are similar in both sexes; the only external character that distinguishes male from female is article II of protarsi which in male is slightly compressed laterally. Also pro- and mesotibiae of male are more sharply defined and sinuate in basal third. Aedeagus ( Fig. 17 ) 0.285–0.295 mm long, ovoid, with parameres relatively long, sinuate and convergent, apically rounded and narrowed, bearing two bristles each. Internal sac symmetrical with a large median tooth.

Comparative notes. The characters which distinguish this species from T. longipalpis have already been highlighted in the discussion of the latter species.

Remarks. Original label on the glade preparation of aedeagus reports reads: Anopsibythus Bordei Pey. Type - Bône, but really it is the aedeagus of T. peyerimhoffi Jeannel 1956 , as can be seen from the same in Jeannel (1956: 83 fig. 55); male of T. bordei is unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 14 – 17. Tychobythinus peyerimhoffi. Scale: 0, 1 mm. 14 — Head, schematic drawing. 15 — Left maxillary palpus, lectotype. 16 — Right antenna, lectotype. 17 — Aedeagus dorsal view, lectotype.