Philonthus colius, Hromádka, 2008

Hromádka, Lubomír, 2008, Revision of Afrotropical species of the Philonthus peripateticus species group (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 48 (1), pp. 51-65 : 52-53

Philonthus colius sp. nov.

( Figs. 1-6 )

Type locality. North-west Zambia, 27 km north of Kasempa.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♁, ‘ ZAMBIA NW / 27 km N Kasempa / 10.12.2004, Snížek & Tichý lgt. [red oblong printed label]’ ( NMPC) . PARATYPES: 1 ♁, same label data as holotype ( JJRC) ; 1 ♁,‘ ZAMBIA C: 10 km NE of Kapiri Mposhi / ATB Loungeenu / 23.12.2004, Snížek & Tichý lgt.’ ( JJRC) ; 1 ♀, ‘ ZAMBIA NW / 190 km / SW of Solwezi to Kasempa / 9.12.2004, Snížek & Tichý lgt.’ ( LHPC) .

Description. Body length 10.5-11.3 mm (with stretched abdomen), length of fore body (to the end of elytra) 4.6-5.4 mm.

Colouration. Head and pronotum black, elytra and abdomen black-brown, clypeus along anterior margin and antennal sockets narrowly brown-yellow, maxillary and labial palpi brown-yellow, terminal palpomere yellow-brown, mandibles black, antennae brown-black, base of antennomere 2 yellow-brown, legs dark brown.

Head transverse (ratio 40: 32), sides behind eyes straight to posterior angles. Eyes slightly projecting, about as long as temples (ratio 13: 12). Four punctures between eyes, distance between medial interocular punctures about 4 times as large as distance between medial and lateral interocular punctures. Temporal area and area along base with many smaller punctures. Posterior angles of head marked. Surface here and there with very irregular, almost indistinct microsculpture and in places intermixed with numerous microscopic dots, shiny.

Antennae stout, reaching posterior fourth of pronotum when reclined. Antennomeres 1-3 and 11 longer than wide, antennomeres 4-7 as long as wide, antennomeres 8-10 wider than long.

Pronotum as long as wide, sides straight and subparallel, anterior angles almost rectangular, posterior angles very broadly rounded, base nearly straight medially. Each dorsal row with one puncture in anterior half; each sublateral row with one puncture, situated behind level of puncture in dorsal row. Surface without microsculpture.

Scutellum very densely and coarsely punctate, punctures somewhat larger than eye-facets, distances between punctures very short. Setation dense, black.

Elytra vaguely wider than long (ratio 62: 60), at base slightly wider than pronotum, widened posteriad. Punctation similar to that on scutellum, punctures around suture almost contiguous in transverse direction. Surface between punctures without microsculpture. Setation grey.

Legs. Metatibia about as long as metatarsus (ratio 38: 37), metatarsomere 1 as long as metatarsomeres 2-4 combined, metatarsomere 5 somewhat shorter than metatarsomeres 3-4 combined.

Abdomen wide, very slightly narrowed towards apex. First three visible abdominal tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between basal lines coarsely and densely punctate. Punctation of all tergites very dense and somewhat finer than those on elytra. Setation similar to that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1-3 conspicuously dilated and sub-bilobed, each covered with modified yellow setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 distinctly narrower than preceding ones, without modified yellow setae ventrally. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 5 ), sternite IX ( Fig. 6 ), aedeagus with branches of paramere exceeding apex of median lobe by length of antenomere 11. ( Figs. 1-4 ).

Female. Head less transverse. Protarsomeres 1-3 less dilated than those of male, each covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 small.

Differential diagnosis. Philonthus colius sp. nov. is habitually very similar to P. dendroaspis sp. nov., from which it may be distinguished by the transverse head, with straight and parallel sides, and by the different shape of the aedeagus.

Etymology. The name of this species, a noun in apposition, is the Latin generic name of the African bar-breasted mouse bird Colius striatus (Gmelin, 1789).

Bionomics. Unknown.

Distribution. North-west Zambia.

Figures

Figs. 1-10. 1-6 – Philonthus colius sp. nov.; 7-10 – P. dendroaspis sp. nov. 1-3, 7-9 − aedeagus: 1, 7 − ventral view, 2, 8 – lateral view, 3, 9 – dorsal view; 4, 10 – underside of paramere, with sensory peg setae; 5 – apical portion of sternite VIII, ventral view; 6 – sternite IX, ventral view.