Tachyusa elegans Cameron, 1939

Pa ṡnik, Grzegorz, 2006, A revision of the World species of the genus Tachyusa Erichson, 1837 (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Zootaxa 1146, pp. 1-152 : 68-69

Tachyusa elegans Cameron, 1939 ( Figs. 58–60)

Tachyusa elegans Cameron, 1939: 266 .

Tachyusa (Caliusa) singalorum Pace, 1987: 322 , syn. n.

Type material. Tachyusa elegans Cameron. Lectotype: ♂: India, Dehra Dun., 12.II.1928, Dr. Cameron ( BMNH) ; Paralectotypes: ♀: India, Dehra Dun., 26.VII.1921, Dr Cameron ( BMNH) ; ♂: India, Pusa , Bihar, II.1921, Dr. Cameron ( BMNH) .

Tachyusa singalorum Pace. Holotype: ♂: Sri Lanka, Sigiriya , 26.III.1973, Tronquet ( MSNV).

Redescription. Body. Length 2.6–3.0 mm, convex, parallel­sided, glossy; head brownish red to pitchy brown, pronotum reddish brown, elytra red, abdomen black with two basal tergites red, legs yellow, antennae brown with antennomeres 1–3 red.

Head transverse; convex, eyes large, strongly protruding from lateral contours of head, length of each seen from above longer than postocular region; surface of head without microsculpture; puncturation very fine, pinprick­like and moderately dense. Antennae short, moderately increasing in width apically, antennomeres 2 and 3 subequal in length, antennomeres 4–10 longer than wide, antennomere 11 nearly conical.

Pronotum quadrate, lateral sides clearly concavely narrowed to obtuse hind angles; before base with deep transverse impression; surface without microsculpture; puncturation fine pinprick­like, moderately dense and weakly asperate; pubescence at midline directed posteriorly in apical half and anteriorly in basal half.

Elytra subquadrate, at suture as long as pronotal length at midline; surface lacking microsculpture; puncturation very fine, pinprick­like and relatively sparse; postero­lateral angles broadly rounded.

Abdomen dilated posteriorly, bases of tergites 3–5 each with deep transverse impression, impressions with 4–5 short longitudinal ridges, tergal puncturation very fine

and scattered, punctures very small and scarcely visible, surface without microsculpture.

Male. Aedeagus as in Figs. 58–59.

Female. Spermatheca as in Fig. 60.

Taxonomic notes. My comparison of the types, particularly the male genitalia, showed that Tachyusa singalorum is conspecific with Tachyusa elegans and consequently a junior synonym of the latter.

Remarks. See under T. cordicollis .

Distribution. Tachyusa elegans is known so far only from India and Sri Lanka.