Brachygluta (Brachygluta) ulkei (Brendel, 1866)

Chandler, Donald S., Sabella, Giorgio & Bückle, Christoph, 2015, A revision of the Nearctic species of Brachygluta Thomson, 1859 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Zootaxa 3928 (1), pp. 1-91 : 33-35

10. Brachygluta (Brachygluta) ulkei (Brendel, 1866)

( Figs 12 , 36 D)

Bryaxis ulkei Brendel, 1866b: 193 , 194 (discussion of female characters). Type locality: District of Columbia. Type depository ANSP, Holotype male: // D.C./ Brend/ Horn Coll H1921/ Lectotype desg. Moxey 1962 / B. Ulkei Brend./ [red label] TYPE #8300 Bryaxis ulkei Brendel Carl Farr Moxey 29.VI.1962 //. LeConte 1880: 181 (key). Moxey 1962: 100 (lectotype designation).

Bryaxis (Bryaxis) ulkei: Brendel & Wickham 1890: 268 (key), 280 (redescription), plate VIII, fig. 54.

Brachygluta ulkei: Raffray 1904: 225 ; 1908: 231; 1911: 94. Leng 1920: 130. Bowman 1934: 83 (Group II, key), 84. Moxey 1962: 101. Chandler 1994: 40; 1997: 56. Downie & Arnett 1996: 581. Poole & Gentili 1996: 381.

Material examined, 28 specimens. USA: District of Columbia: “D.C.” ( CMNH, 4; AMNH, holotype; MCZC, Horn Collection, 1; MCZC, LeConte Collection, 1); IX-23-1927, Quirsfeld ( CNCI, 1); X-20-1878 ( USNM, 1). Eastern Branch, I-5-1921, H.S. Barber ( USNM, 5); no date ( CMNH, 5). Wash.(ington), Hubbard & Schwarz ( USNM, 1). Florida: Leon Co.: 1.1 mi S Woodville, I-22-2003, C.W. O'Brien & M. Haseeb, berlese sifted longleaf pine-wiregrass ( DSCC, 1). Maryland: Worcester Co.: Snow Hill, IX-14-1976, E.J. Ford, Jr. ( DSCC, 1). South Carolina: Charleston Co.: Santee Coastal National Wildlife Refuge, X-8-2006, Paiero & Marshall ( DEBU, 2). Virginia: Henrico Co.: Wilson Farm, 3.5 up from Bottoms Bridge, Chickahominy River, VII-17-1999, I.T. Wilson, UV trap ( DSCC, 1). Norfolk City: Norfolk, IX-7/14 -2008, C.A. Springer, UV light ( EIUC, 1). Spotsylvania Co.: Fredricksburg, V-2-1900, W.D. Richardson ( LSAM, 1). York Co.: Neck of Land, Colonial Nat. Historic Parkway, VIII-30-2000, A.C. Chazal, ultraviolet light trap ( VMNH, 1).

Description. BODY: Length 2.32–2.44 mm; orange-brown to brown with elytra orange-brown; setae short, decumbent. Head: surface smooth, shining, punctures indistinct. Setose area of middle vertexal fovea smaller than those of lateral vertexal foveae. Antennae elongate when compared with other species, antennomeres III–VII clearly longer than wide, VIII–IX about as wide as long, X longer than wide, VIII about two-thirds width of IX ( Fig. 12 D). Pronotum: surface smooth, shining, scattered punctures minute but visible. Setose are of median antebasal fovea about two-thirds width of those of lateral antebasal foveae. Elytra: Surface lightly punctate, microreticulation faint, discal stria extending to about four-fifths of elytral length. Abdomen: tergite 1 with surface lightly microreticulate, punctures distinct, densest in apical half; basal striae of tergite 1 distinct, two-thirds to nearly as long as paratergites, striae separated by about two-fifths tergite width, with short sparse setal brush between bases of striae.

MALE: Antennae and trochanters lacking modifications. Metaventrite with setae denser in middle portion from between metacoxae to near mesocoxae. Only tergites 1–2 clearly seen in dorsal view ( Fig. 12 B), portion of 2 extending beyond apex of 1 less than half length of 1; tergite 1 with disc broadly convex, apex narrowly and deeply emarginate between two acutely pointed spines, emargination about as deep as distance between apices of spines, margins lateral to spines curving ventrally, apical margin with blunt tooth lateral to each apical spine; tergite 2 visible dorsally as truncate extension from beneath spines, with two close, acute, erect spines projecting dorsally from area slightly medial to spines of tergite 1, apex of tergite 2 at middle with portions ventral to 1 impressed to form large space, lateral margins curving ventrally and shallowly concave, apical portion with broad sulcus longitudinally divided by raised lamina, lamina convexly rounded in lateral view; tergite 3 with apex broadly rounded, protruding but covered in dorsal view by tergite 2; tergites 4–5 shallowly convex ( Fig. 12 C); in lateral view tergite 1 protruding over II, distance between them close ( Fig. 12 A). Abdominal ventrites broadly convex. Metatibiae narrow at base, gradually widening near base and then width even to apex, with inner brush in apical fourth, metatibiae only slightly curved near apex ( Fig. 12 E). Aedeagus 0.38 mm long, dorsal plate triangular, with apex acute; parameres with preapical constriction present, three thickened setae on lateral margin at point of constriction, broader preapical hyaline seta on mesal margin just distal to constriction, seta pointed at apex; internal sac with three thick spines, one spine nearly straight ( Fig. 12 F).

FEMALE: Not examined. Brendel (1866b: 194) states that “the supposed form of the ♀ favors most B. dentata .” The basal striae of abdominal segment I should be fairly long, as they are in the male.

Collecting data. This species has been taken sifting longleaf pine and wiregrass litter in Florida, and several specimens were collected at ultraviolet lights. It has been sparingly collected throughout the seasons, with the majority of records being from late summer into autumn.

Distribution ( Fig. 36 D). An Atlantic Coast species that occurs from Maryland to Florida, and is found in estuarine areas.

Comments. The general pattern of male modifications is shared with B. belfragei and B. shawnee : tergites 1-2 are visible in dorsal view, tergite 1 is convex and has an apical emargination, tergite 2 has a deep transverse emargination, and the basal discal carinae of tergite 1 are half the paratergite length or longer. This species is readily separated by the apical emargination of tergite 1 being deep and bordered by acute prominent spines.

Chandler (1994) noted that this species was based on a single specimen, the holotype, and that the lectotype designation for this specimen by Moxey (1962) was incorrect.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Brachygluta ulkei (Brendel) (District of Columbia). A: Abdomen, lateral view. B: Abdomen, dorsal view. C: Abdomen, dorsocaudal view. D: Right antenna. E: Left metatibia, anterior view. F: Aedeagus.

FIGURE 36. Distribution map of Brachygluta abdominalis species-group. A: Brachygluta abdominalis (Aubé). B: Brachygluta floridana (Brendel). C: Brachygluta intermedia (Brendel). D: Brachygluta ulkei (Brendel). (Red dot: material examined, green dot: only state on label and / or literature records).