Cephennium anophthalmicum Brendel, 1889

Hopp, Katie & Caterino, Michael, 2009, Seven new species of Cephennium Müller & Kunze (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae, Cephenniini) from California with a key to native North American species, ZooKeys 24 (24), pp. 31-54 : 34-38

Cephennium anophthalmicum Brendel, 1889

Figs 1A, 2A, 3A, 5A, 6

Type Material. Not seen. A holotype was not designated for this species. However, it was described from a single specimen from Alameda County that was sifted from vegetable debris together with a large number of Pinodytes cryptophagoides (currently Catopocerus cryptophagoides ) by Marie Fuchs ( Brendel 1889). We attempted to track down this specimen but were not able to locate it at either the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, the original repository of the Brendel collection, or the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, the current repository for the Brendel collection. However, we did see a specimen from the MCZC that was determined as C. anophthalmicum from Alameda County. Because the label data do not exactly match the information presented by Brendel (1889) we believe this is only a topotype, and not a primary type. We choose not to designate a neotype here as it is possible that the original type specimen is still in existence somewhere.

Material Examined. “ Alameda; Co. CAL.”/ “ Laundry ; Farm ”/ “H. C. FALL; COLLECTION”/ “ Cephennium ; anophthalmicum ; Brend.” (1 MCZC) ; “ Mill Valley ; Marin Co. Cal.; 30.V.1952 ”/ “By sifting; forest duff”/ “ H.B. Leech; Collector”/ red square label/ “ Cephennium ; sp. ♀; Cl. Besuchet; det. V 1961 ”/ “Collection of the; CALIFORNIA ACADEMY; of SCIENCES, San; Francisco, Calif.” (1 CASC) ; “ Loma Mar ; SanMateo Co. Calif; IV-29-1970 ”/ “ex. Redwood; Litter”/ “Collector; T.R.Haig ” (1 FMNH [female, disarticulated]) .

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from its California congeners by the character combination of the absence of eyes, humeral angle of elytron bluntly angulate (Fig. 1A), and the absence of a basal elytral sutural ridge. Cephennium anophthalmicum most closely resembles C. urbanum , but can be separated from it by the presence of a basal elytral sutural ridge (Fig. 1G), and the apex of the mesosternal keel divergent and crescent-shaped in C. urbanum ( Fig. 2G ). It can be easily distinguished from C. aridum , C. celsifrons , and C. mariposae by the presence of eyes in these species ( Fig. 4A , C-D), and can be separated from C. grandarboreum , C. canestroi and C. gilberti by the humeral angle of the elytron, which is raised, dorsally flattened and apically rounded in these three species ( Fig. 3 D-F).

Figure |. A–H Dorsal habitus SEMs, all to same scale A Cephennium anophthalmicum Brendel B Cephennium celsifrons Hopp & Caterino C Cephennium mariposae Hopp & Caterino D Cephennium grandarboreum Hopp & Caterino E Cephennium canestroi Hopp & Caterino F Cephennium gilberti Hopp & Caterino G Cephennium urbanum Hopp & Caterino H Cephennium aridum Hopp & Caterino.

Redescription. Male. Length: 0.874 mm; pronotal width: 0.418 mm; elytral width: 0.475 mm. Body elongate, slender, weakly convex; testaceous; evenly and moderately pubescent; pubescence golden, slender, moderately long, weakly decumbent (Fig. 1A). Dorsal surface of head smooth, weakly pubescent, narrowing anteriorly from antennal insertions. Eyes absent. Antenna setose, antennomere I and II longer than broad, antennomeres III-VI quadrate and smaller than antennomeres II and VII, an- tennomere VIII smaller than antennomeres VII and IX, antennomeres IX-XI gradually clavate forming a loose club. Pronotum moderately pubescent, broadest between middle and anterior third, very convex in disc and moderately flattened near each posterior angle; anterior margin not visible from above; anterior and posterior margin lacking marginal bead; lateral marginal bead complete, gradually widening towards base; lateral edge broadly rounded to posterior third, then weakly sinuate to base (Fig. 1A). Hypomeron smooth, sparsely setose towards anterior quarter and along outside (lateral) edge. Prosternum lacking protuberant nodules anterolaterad procoxal cavities ( Fig. 2A ). Elytra smooth, as pubescent as pronotum, covering all abdominal segments; elytral suture flat; basomedial fovea present on each elytron; fovea moderate in size, moderately pubescent (Figs. 1A, 3A). Humeral angle of elytron projecting laterally to blunt point, dorsally raised and flattened ( Fig. 3A ). Scutellum weakly triangular, lacking setae ( Fig. 3A ). Mesosternal keel sparsely setose, lacking scale-like microsculp- ture, posterior quarter impunctate, apex weakly bifid (divergent), divergent projections short, triangulate ( Fig. 2A ). Metathoracic wings vestigial. Femora strongly clavate in distal half, tibiae expanded and becoming more densely setose towards distal half. Five visible abdominal sternites, ventrites V and VI partially fused. Aedeagus strongly sclerotized, with median lobe basally rounded, pill-shaped; parameres thin, sinuate, bisetose apically, extending to apex of rather narrow, bluntly triangular median dorsal process; apical digiform process curving ventrad at apex, extending just beyond apical collar; membranous apical collar with sclerotized clasper-like processes extending from apex; membranous lateral flaps present at base of apical collar ( Fig. 5A ).

Female. Identical to male.

Biology. This species was first described from a single specimen that was sifted from vegetable debris. An additional specimen was sifted from forest duff. Beyond this, there is little known about the biology of this species.

Distribution. This species has been collected around the San Francisco Bay Area in central coastal California (Fig. 6).

Figures

Figure 2. A–H Mesosternal keel SEMs A Cephennium anophthalmicum Brendel B Cephennium celsifrons Hopp & Caterino C Cephennium mariposae Hopp & Caterino D Cephennium grandarboreum Hopp & Caterino E Cephennium canestroi Hopp & Caterino F Cephennium gilberti Hopp & Caterino G Cephennium urbanum Hopp & Caterino H Cephennium aridum Hopp & Caterino.

Figure 3. A–H Base of left elytron A Cephennium anophthalmicum Brendel B Cephennium celsifrons Hopp & Caterino C Cephennium mariposae Hopp & Caterino D Cephennium grandarboreum Hopp & Caterino E Cephennium canestroi Hopp & Caterino F Cephennium gilberti Hopp & Caterino G Cephennium urbanum Hopp & Caterino H Cephennium aridum Hopp & Caterino.

Figure 4. A–D Characters on the head, including number of ommatidia and male frons A–B Cephennium celsifrons Hopp & Caterino C Cephennium mariposae Hopp & Caterino D Cephennium aridum Hopp & Caterino.

Figure 5. A–F Dorsal and lateral view of the aedeagus A Cephennium anophthalmicum Brendel B Cephennium celsifrons Hopp & Caterino C Cephennium grandarboreum Hopp & Caterino D Cephennium canestroi Hopp & Caterino E Cephennium urbanum Hopp & Caterino F Cephennium aridum Hopp & Caterino.