Tychobythinus escalerai Besuchet, 1962

Sabella, Giorgio, Viglianisi, Fabio Massimo, D’Urso, Vera & Nouira, Said, 2014, A review of the Tychobythinus algiricus species group from North Africa (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Zootaxa 3893 (4), pp. 579-586 : 584-585

Tychobythinus escalerai Besuchet, 1962

( Figs 1E , 2A , 3 )

Tychobythinus escalerai Besuchet 1962: 347 , fig. 16 (aedeagus); Kocher 1969: 5; Löbl & Besuchet 2004: 314.

Material examined. NORTHERN MOROCCO: Tanger-Tétouan region: Tangeri, 2 males (Paratypes) (Martinez de la Escalera M.) ( MHNG).

Comparative notes. Tychobythinus escalerai is very similar to T. atlanticus , and these two species share many common features (narrow frontal lobe, occipital region with median longitudinal sulcus, pleural carina of pronotum lacking, profemora with some tubercles) by which they considerably differ from T. algiricus . However, T. escalerai is easily distinguished from T. atlanticus by the posterior region of frontal lobe which is slightly punctate (strongly punctate in T. atlanticus ), the male head lacking a median tooth on the lateral margins (with median tooth in T.

atlanticus ), ventral side of male antennomere 2 prolonged into a distinct rounded tubercle (not modified in T. atlanticus ), antennomeres 6 and 7 slightly wider than 5 and 8 (as wide as 5 and 8 in T. atlanticus ), and protrochanters without tubercles (with two tubercles in T. atlanticus ).

Distribution ( Fig. 3 ). This species is known only from the type locality ( Morocco, Tangier) where 2 males were collected.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Distribution map of Tychobythinus algiricus species group. • = Tychobythinus algiricus. ★ = Tychobythinus escalerai. ˔ = Tychobythinus atlanticus.

FIGURES 1 A – F. Head of Tychobythinus. Scale: 0, 1 mm. A— Tychobythinus algiricus male, head dorsal view, schematic drawing. B— Tychobythinus algiricus male, head lateral view. C— Tychobythinus algiricus male, head ventral view, schematic drawing. D— Tychobythinus algiricus female, head dorsal view, schematic drawing. E— Tychobythinus escalerai male, head dorsal view, schematic drawing. F— Tychobythinus atlanticus male, head dorsal view, schematic drawing.

FIGURES 2 A – E. Scale: 0, 1 mm. A— Tychobythinus escalerai, paratype male, right antenna. B— Tychobythinus atlanticus, holotype male, right antenna. C— Tychobythinus algiricus male, right antenna. D— Tychobythinus algiricus male, right maxillary palpus. E— Tychobythinus algiricus male, aedeagus, dorsal view.