Tasgius (Tasgius) praetorius ( Bernhauer, 1915 )

Smetana, Aleš, 2010, Contributions to the knowledge of the ‘ Staphylinus-complex’ of China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini). Part 22. The genus Tasgius Stephens, 1829, Section 1, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 50 (1), pp. 145-155 : 146-150

Tasgius (Tasgius) praetorius ( Bernhauer, 1915)

( Figs. 1–9 )

praetorius Bernhauer, 1915: 73 ( Staphylinus , subg. Tasgius ); SCHEERPELTZ (1933): 1400 ( Staphylinus ; catalog); COIFFAIT (1964): 83 ( Tasgius ; subg. Paratasgius ); SMETANA (1975): 173 ( Ocypus ; subg. Tasgius ); SMETANA & DAVIES (2000): 46 ( Tasgius ; subg. Tasgius ); HERMAN (2001): 3550 ( Tasgius ); SMETANA (2004): 686 ( Tasgius ; subg. Tasgius ; catalog).

Type locality. China.

Type material. LECTOTYPE: J, “Singley China ” / “Bang-Haas” [Bernhauer’s handwriting] / “ praetorius Bernh. Typus” [Bernhauer’s handwriting] / “Chicago NHMus M. Bernhauer Collection ” / “ Lectotypus J Staphylinus praetorius Bh. K. Grebennikov des. 2001” [handwritten on red label] / “ Tasgius (s.str.) praetorius (Bh.) J K. A. Grebennikov det. 2001” / “ Lectotype Staphylinus praetor Bernhauer, 1915, designated by A. Smetana 2010”. PARALECTOTYPE: ♀, “Singley China ” / “Bang-Haas” [Bernhauer’s handwriting] / “ praetorius Bernh.Cotypus ” [Bernhauer’s handwriting] / “Chicago NHMus M. Bernhauer Collection” / “ Paralectotypus ♀ Staphylinus praetorius Bh. K. Grebennikov des. 2001” [handwritten on red label] / “ Tasgius (s.str.) praetorius (Bh.) ♀ K.A. Grebennikov det. 2001” / “ Paralectotype Staphylinus praetorius Bernhauer, 1915 , designated by A. Smetana 2010”.

BERNHAUER (1915: 73) described the species from an unknown number of specimens. The Bernhauer collection, housed in The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, contains 6 specimens under the name Staphylinus praetorius , but only the first two are part of the original series (see BERNHAUER 1915: 73). The two specimens of the original series were studied by K. A. Grebennikov, who designated them as a lectotype and paralectotype, respectively.However, these designations are not valid, since they were never published. Grebennikov also dissected the male specimen, unfortunately seriously damaging sternite 9 and tergite 10 of the genital segment. Only apical portion of sternite 9 is remaining and tergite 10 was split longitudinally in two halves. The parts were remounted in Canada balsam on a transparent plate and attached to the specimen. I cleaned, dissected and remounted the female specimen on a plate. The dissected sclerites of the genital segment were mounted in Canada balsam on transparent plate and attached to the specimen. The specimens are in fair shape, the male specimen is missing all but two basal left antennomeres; the female specimen is missing all but two basal right antennomeres, and all but four basal left antennomeres. As mentioned above, the lectotype and paralectotype designations by K. A. Grebennikov are not valid, therefore, in order to preserve the stability of nomenclature of the group, I designate the male specimen, bearing labels as above, as the lectotype of Staphylinus praetorius and the appropriate labels have been attached to both specimens.

Additional material studied. CHINA: BEIJING: “ CHINA: B.M. 1980– 491 P. M. Hammond / PEKING: Wofuci 5.IX.80”, 1 ♀ ( BMNH) . GANSU: “ China (Gansu) Umg. Xiahe 3000–3200 m 24. VI.–26. VI.1993 Heinz leg.”, 1 J ( ASC) ; “Lanchowfu Kansu ”, 1 J ( FMNH) . HEBEI: “ Tientsin. 15.6.06. F.M. Thomson. 1907–200.”, 1 J ( FMNH) . HUBEI: “Hupe Jchang”, 1♀ ( FMNH) . QINGHAI: “ CHINA: Qinghai province, DULANSI [lamasery], 37°00.7–02.0′N 098°37.4–37.5′E 3245–3730 m, 10.VII.2005, J. Hájek, D.Král & J. Růžička leg.”, 3JJ 1♀ ( ASC, NMPC) ; “ CHINA: Qinghai province, DULANSI [lamasery], 37°32.4– 33.0 N 100°05.3– 06.0 E 3505–3840 m, 11.–12.VII.2005, J. Hájek, D. Král & J. Růžička leg.”, 2JJ 1♀ ( ASC, NMPC) . SHANXI: “ China, centr. Shanxi, Chao Shan , 37.1N 112.4E 25km SE Pingyao 4.–5.VII. 2001 Jaroslav Turna leg.”, 1 J ( ASC) . NORTH KOREA: “Pingan Korea”, 1 J ( FMNH) .

Redescription. Black, head and pronotum shiny; pubescence of dorsal side of body piceousblack; maxillary and labial palpi piceous-black, with apices of segments more or less paler; antennae dark brunneous, first three segments black, following segments becoming paler, outer segments greyish-brown; legs piceous-black to black with paler tarsi. Head of rounded quadrangular shape, with entirely rounded posterior angles, wider than long (ratio 1.44), eyes moderately large, rather flat, tempora about as long as to slightly shorter than eyes from above (ratio 0.88); disc of head and front portion of head sparsely and rather finely punctate, with some extremely fine intermixed punctures, vertex with variably large and shaped impunctate area, punctation becoming gradually somewhat coarser and denser on posteriolateral portions of head, tempora rather densely punctate and pubescent; interspaces between punctures without any microsculpture, highly shiny, polished. Antenna rather long, segment three longer than segment two (ratio 1.28), segments four to eight markedly longer than wide, gradually becoming shorter, segments nine and ten slightly longer than wide, last segment shorter than two preceding segments combined. Pronotum longer than wide (ratio 1.22), usually vaguely narrowed posteriad, with moderately rounded base, narrow marginal groove disappearing downward at about posterior third of pronotal length; disc of pronotum with entire impunctate midline; punctation similar to that on head, but in general finer, variably irregularly spaced, large area in front of anterior angles quite densely punctate and pubescent, interspaces between punctures on disc without any microsculpture, highly shiny, polished. Scutellum entirely, finely and densely punctate and pubescent, interspaces between punctures without appreciable microsculpture. Elytra moderately long, at suture about as long as to vaguely longer (ratio 1.08), at sides slightly longer than pronotum at midline (ratio 1.14); punctation very fine, very dense, punctures slightly asperate, surface of elytra appearing rather dull; transverse interspaces between punctures mostly about as large as diameters of punctures, lacking any microsculpture, pubescence very dense. Wings markedly reduced, nonfunctional. Abdomen with fifth visible tergite lacking pale apical seam of palisade setae; tergite two (in front of first visible tergite) punctate and pubescent along apical margin and on each lateral portion; bases of first three visible tergites with punctation similar to that on elytra, punctation becoming distinctly finer and denser toward apical margin of each tergite, and in general toward apex of abdomen; interspaces between punctures with traces of extremely fine, rudimentary microsculpture.

Male. Sternite 8 with rather narrow, moderately deep, obtusely triangular medioapical emargination. Genital segment with tergite 10 as in Fig. 1 , with widely arcuate apex, with densely set, variably long setae at and near apical margin, otherwise with short, moderately dense setation. Sternite 9 with rather short, narrow basal portion, apex of apical portion arcuate, apical two thirds of sternite quite densely setose ( Fig. 2 ). Aedoeagus of characteristic shape, as in Figs. 3–5 ; median lobe in ventral view abruptly narrowed into narrow, complex apical portion with slightly bidentate apex, apical portion of median lobe in both lateral views of slightly irregular, triangular shape; paramere situated on median lobe asymmetrically, narrowly fusiform, with narrowly arcuate apex by far not reaching apex of median lobe; underside of paramere without pigmented sensory peg setae, with several variably long apical setae, situated as in Fig. 5 .

Female. Tergite 10 of genital segment broadly triangular, evenly narrowed toward broadly arcuate apex, with densely set, variably long setae at and near apical margin, otherwise with short, moderately dense setation ( Fig. 6 ).

Length 17.0–18.0 mm.

Bionomics. Nothing is known about the collection circumstances of the specimens studied, except for those collected in Qinghai province at Dulansi lamasery. They bear the following collecting data: “individually under stones, in excrements and on vegetation; spring; alpine meadows and pastures around the lamasery and in the nearby valley”.

Geographical distribution. Tasgius praetorius is at present known from Beijing municipality, Gansu, Hebei, Hubei, Qinghai and Shanxi provinces in mainland China, and from North Korea.

Recognition and comments. Tasgius praetorius is at present the largest species of the subgenus Tasgius in mainland China. It differs from the two similar species ( T. pugio sp. nov. and T. congener sp. nov.), in addition to the differently shaped aedoeagus ( Figs. 3 , 12 , 16 ), and the larger size, by the partially punctate and pubescent abdominal tergite two (in front of the first visible tergite), which is entirely punctate and pubescent in the two latter species.

Some of the specimens studied have the male genital segment with tergite 10 smaller and narrower ( Fig. 7 ) and less setose at and near apical margin, sternite 9 smaller, less elongate, with apex narrowly arcuate ( Fig. 8 ). The aedoeagus of these specimens is slightly smaller, and tergite 10 of female genital segment is narrower ( Fig. 9 ). There is a chance that two taxa are here combined under this name. However, more material is needed to resolve this matter properly.

The sternite 9 of the male genital segment of T. praetorius is unusual in that it is bearing a single large seta on apical portion, either on right or left side ( Fig. 8 ).

Figures

Figs. 1–6. Tasgius praetorius Bernhauer, 1915. 1 – tergite 10 of male genital segment; 2 – sternite 9 of male genital segment; 3 – aedoeagus, ventral view; 4 – aedoeagus, lateral view; 5 – apical portion of underside of paramere; 6 – tergite 10 of female genital segment.

Figs. 7–15. 7–9 – Tasgius praetorius Bernhauer, 1915. 7 – tergite 10 of male genital segment; 8 – sternite 9 of male genital segment (showing large apical seta); 9 – tergite 10 of female genital segment (setation in Figs. 7–9 not shown). 10–13 – Tasgius pugio sp. nov. 10 – tergite 10 of male genital segment; 11 – sternite 9 of male genital segment; 12 – aedoeagus, ventral view; 13 – apical portion of underside of paramere. 14, 15 – Tasgius congener sp. nov. 14 – tergite 10 of male genital segment; 15 – sternite 9 of male genital segment.

Figs. 16–22. 16–17 – Tasgius congener sp. nov. 16 – aedoeagus, ventral view; 17 – apical portion of underside of paramere.18–22 – Tasgius venustus sp. nov.18 – tergite 10 of male genital segment; 19 – sternite 9 of male genital segment; 20 – aedoeagus, ventral view; 21 – aedoeagus, lateral view; 22 – apical portion of underside of paramere.