Diplopleurus perfidus, Pace, 2012

Pace, R., 2012, New data and new species of Aleocharinae from Tropical Africa in the Natural History Museum of the Humboldt University, Berlin (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 44 (2), pp. 1331-1362 : 1341

Diplopleurus perfidus nov.sp. ( Figs 41-44 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype, Kamerun, Bosum, bei Termiten, leg. Tessmann (MNHUB). Paratype: 1, same origin (MNHUB).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Length 4.6 mm. Body shiny and yellowish-red, head and elytra reddish-brown, free abdominal tergites two to four reddish-brown, antennae reddish with the two basal antennomeres and apex of the eleventh yellowish-red, legs reddish. Body devoid of reticulation. Puncturation of the fore-body clear and deep, on the longitudinal median band of the head absent. Abdomen with very fine puncturation. Pronotum with wide and deep lateral depression and with a strong basal median fossa. Aedeagus Figs 43-44 , spermatheca Fig. 42.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: In the form of the aedeagus, the new species is similar to D. varius PACE 1999 from Namibia. It is distinguished by the pronotum not being sinuate in front of the posterior angles, by the presence of a posterior median fossa on the pronotum, absent in D. varius , and by the weaker granulation of the pronotum. The apical portion of the aedeagus, in ventral view has sides strongly convergent toward the apex in the new species, parallel in D. varius .

E t y m o l o g y: The name of the new species alludes to the likelihood of confusing it with other species if superficially observed.

Figures

Figs 37-42: Habitus, aedeagus in lateral and ventral views, spermatheca. (37-40) Diplopleurus antepolitus nov.sp.; (41-42) Diplopleurus perfidus nov.sp. Habitus scale bar Fig. 37: 3.7 mm; Fig. 41: 3.7 mm, other scale bars: 0.1 mm.

Figs 43-48: Aedeagus in lateral and ventral views, habitus. (43-44) Diplopleurus perfidus nov.sp.; (45-48) Diplopleurus anterugosus nov.sp. Habitus scale bar Fig. 45: 4.6 mm, other scale bars: 0.1 mm.