Oedichirus cauvini, Rougemont, 2018

Rougemont, Guillaume de, 2018, New species and records of African and Lemurian Oedichirus ERICHSON (Staphylinidae, Paederinae, Procirrina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 447-460 : 453

Oedichirus cauvini nov.sp. (Fig. 7)

♀ Holotype: NW Madagascar, Marovasa, sifted litter, 7-8.IV.2006, G. de Rougemont leg. ♀ HOLOTYPE Oedichirus cauvini des. 2016 G. de Rougemont ; 1♀ paratype: [Ibid.], PARATYPE Oedichirus cauvini des. 2016 G. de Rougemont [both in CRO] .

D e s c r i p t i o n: length: 8.8 mm; length of fore-body: 3.2; length of head: 0.85; breadth of head: 0.85; length of antenna: 2; length of pronotum: 1.2; breadth of pronotum: 0.9; length of elytron: 0.85; breadth of elytra: 1. Dorsal surfaces devoid of microsculpture except on abdominal tergite IX. Pubescence medium-short, very sparse, erect, pale. Body rufo-testaceous except abdominal segments VII-VIII black; posterior half of tergite IX rufo-testaceous. Dorsal surfaces devoid of microsculpture. Pubescence of abdomen sparse, short, pale, semi-erect or decumbent. Habitus: Fig. 7.

Head scarcely transverse, elongate when not including eyes; post-ocular border strong, consisting of a punctate groove and carina, the latter forming a tooth at some distance from posterior margin of eye; puncturation of disc sparse, consisting of a few minute setiferous punctures on frons, another on antennal tubercle, a couple of minute ocular punctures, a transverse ellipse of six large punctures on vertex, and a transverse row of small punctures at base of head in addition to the punctures of post-ocular groove. Antennae moderately long, segments II and III sub-equal. Pronotum broader than head, not very long; lateral margins bordered in anterior half; puncturation of disc consisting of a pair of discal series of four punctures each preceded by a transverse row of four punctures, a row of six smaller punctures behind anterior margin, a pair of arcuate lateral series of four punctures, and a transverse row of small punctures before posterior margin. Micropterous, elytra smaller than pronotum, humeral angles completely obsolete; punctures a little finer than those of pronotal discal series, interstices greater than diameter of punctures except in sutural area. Puncturation of abdomen arranged in discrete transverse rows, the first row confused with longitudinal keels and grooves of anterior margins of tergites.

Female: vulvar plate: Fig. 7vp

O. cauvini nov.sp. runs to O. nodieri in LECOQ’ s key to the Malagasy species, from which it differs at first sight by the black 7 th and 8 th abdominal segments.

Derivation of specific epithet: after Jacky Cauvin, who flew my wife and me to and from the remote type locality in his private aircraft.