Creophilus albertisi, (FAUVEL)

Clarke, Dave J., 2011, Testing the phylogenetic utility of morphological character systems, with a revision of Creophilus Leach (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 163 (3), pp. 723-812 : 787-789

9. CREOPHILUS ALBERTISI (FAUVEL)

( FIGS 1E, 4K , 7E , 28 , 31 )

Emus Albertisi Fauvel, 1879: 95 , 94 (in key). Type locality: ‘Nouvelle-Guinée, Fly River’; Macleay, 1886: 142.

Creophilus Albertisi ; Bernhauer & Schubert, 1914: 398; Scheerpeltz, 1971: 202.

Creophilus albertisi ; Gressitt & Hornabrook, 1977: 26, pl. 5h; Herman, 2001b: 3315.

Type material: Emus Albertisi. Lectotype (here designated). ♂, ‘Nuova Guinea | Fly River| L.M.D’Albertis 1876–77/ Co Typus/ Museo Civico| di Genova/ FMNH-INS 0000 016 766/ [red] LECTO- TYPE | Emus | albertisi Fauvel, 1879 | designated by| D.J. Clarke 2008’ (in MCSN). Paralectotypes (15). All with same collecting data as lectotype and with label ‘[yellow] PARALECTOTYPE | Emus | albertisi Fauvel, 1879 | designated by| D.J. Clarke 2008’. Five specimens with label ‘Museo Civico| di Genova’: 2♂, ‘Co Typus/ FMNH-INS 0000 016 767’; ‘Co Typus/ FMNH-INS 0000 016 768’; 3♀, ‘Co Typus/ FMNH-INS 0000 016 769’; ‘Co Typus/ FMNH-INS 0000 016 770’; ‘Typus/ Albertisi| Fauvel./ C. Albertisi | FvL./ FMNH-INS 0000 016 765’ (in MCSN); five specimens with label ‘Ex-Typis’: 3♂, ‘albertisi| FvL./ R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479| Coll. et det. A. Fauvel/ FMNH- INS 0000 016 760’; ‘Coll. et det. A. Fauvel| Creophilus | albertisi| Fauv.| R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479/ FMNH-INS 0000 016 761’; ‘Coll. et det. A. Fauvel| Creophilus | Albertisi| Fauv./ R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479/ FMNH-INS 0000 016 763’; 2♀, ‘Coll. et det. A. Fauvel| Creophilus | albertisi| Fauv.| R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479/ FMNH-INS 0000 016 762’; ‘Coll. et det. A. Fauvel| Creophilus | Albertisi| Fauv./ R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479/ FMNH-INS 0000 016 764’ (in IRSNB); ♀, ‘ Emus | albertisi| Fauvel/ coll. L.W.| Schaufauss/[red] SYNTYPUS | Emus | albertisi Fauvel, 1879 | labeled by MNHUB 2004/ FMNH-INS 0000 016 759’ (in ZMHB); 3 specimens on card: 2♂, FMNH-INS 0000 019 622; FMNH- INS 0000 019 623; 1♀, ‘[ Creophilus | albertisi| Fauvel/ FMNH-INS 0000 019 622’ (in MNHN); 1♂,

aedeagus on card, ‘ ♂ / Albertisi| Fauv./[blue] ex coll.| Klima/[blue] ex coll.| Scheerpeltz/ Albertisi| Fauv./ FMNH-INS 0000 012 299’ (in NMW). Fauvel’s description was based on numerous specimens collected by D’Albertis: ‘Nouvelle-Guinée, Fly River ; en nombre (L.M. D’Albertis).’ These were deposited in ‘ Collection de Musee Civique de Genes et la mienne’ ( MCSN and Fauvel’s collection) .

Other material examined: 59 specimens. See supporting information, Appendix S1.

Diagnosis: With characters of the erythrocephalus - group; head orange-red with subtriangular black spot on frons ( Fig. 7E ), with distinct denticle at hind angles ( Fig. 31A, B , vl); antennomeres 7–11 variably orange-brown to white; right mandible with two distinct teeth ( Fig. 31C ); elytra metallic blue-green or violet; abdominal segments VIII –X orange; tergal chaetotaxic formula = 4-6-6-2-4-4.

Description: Measurements (N = 10♂, 10♀). Forebody length: ♂ 6.3–9.7 mm, ♀ 6.8–8.4 mm. See supporting Table S5 for comparison of ranges of male and female ratios. Head ( Fig. 27A, B ) orange-red, narrowly black around mouthparts and antennal fossae, frons with subtriangular black spot usually extending to frontoclypeal margin, and concealing dorsal tentorial pits on vertex or not; very slightly trapezoidal to subquadrate in large males, suborbicular in females and smaller males; HW/HL = 1.14–1.55; hind angles sharply delimited ( Fig. 31A ); surface dull, with distinctive micropunctate microsculpture and very shallow indistinct and moderately dense impressions (as in Fig. 9A, B); ventrolateral carina present in both sexes ( Fig. 31B , vl), also visible dorsally ( Fig. 31A ), developed into distinct anteriorly projecting denticle; postgenal ridge obsolete medially ( Fig. 31B , pgr); eyes large, protruding ( EYL /HL = 0.47–0.68), lateral to dorsolateral in large males; lateral margins of head usually obscured by eye in dorsal view; HL1/HL2 greater in females than males (♂ = 1.46–2.88, ♀ = 2.29–3.40); antennae as in Figure 31G , antennomeres 1–6 black, 7–11 yellowish-white to mottled orange-brown ( Fig. 1E), 11 elongate, as long or longer than 9–10 together; mandibles as in Figure 31C , moderately longer than head in large males, shorter than head in females ( ML /HL ♂ = 0.78–1.27, ♀ = 0.74– 0.92), right mandible with two teeth, T 1 absent, T 3 largest. Thorax and abdomen. Pronotum ( Fig. 31F ) slightly transverse ( PW / PL = 1.03–1.26); PL 1.09– 1.29 ¥ ESL; with basolateral margins slightly emarginate; hind angles distinct; with sparse peripheral setae, longer sparse vestiture on lower anterolateral declivities, and long medially directed basal setae; small transverse basolateral impressions present, smooth and asetose, with transverse line of tiny punctules; elytra distinctly widened posteriorly, brightly coloured metallic blue-green or violet ( Fig. 1E), sparsely and finely setose, without sculpture; humeri sparsely punctate, narrowly glabrous laterally, not callused; disc shallowly impressed in middle; wings fully developed, clear yellowish-brown, without black spot in medial field between MP 3 and MP 4 veins; abdomen with segments III – VII shining black, VIII –X orange ( Fig. 1E); vestiture fine, moderately dense; microsculpture extremely fine, producing weak iridescent reflection, particularly on ventral side; tergite VII with well-developed palisade fringe. Male genitalia and secondary sexual characters. Sternite IV with densely setose posteromedial emargination of transverse fold (most obvious in larger specimens), and sternites V – VII with sparsely distributed micropores near middle of sternites. Aedeagus as in Figure 31E ; median lobe distinctly yellowish, not produced apically, with minute projection dorsoapically ( Fig. 31E , arrow), without lateral recurved teeth, with paired apicolateral sclerites (as) separated from sclerotized median lobe by membranous strip. Paramere nearly as wide as median lobe, with very long apicolateral setae ( Fig. 31J ). Internal sac inverted as in Figure 31E , everted as in Figure 31D ; with ventromedian spiculose strip (vr) reduced, shorter than ventral sclerite (vs), flanked by very large paired basoventral spiculose regions ( Fig. 31D , sr), with additional lateral spiculose regions ( Fig. 31D , lr); ventral sclerite expanded distally ( Fig. 31H ); copulatory piece (cp) completely surrounded by distinctly spiculose membranous sheath (sh). Female internal genitalia. Internal female genitalia as in Figure 31I ; vaginal plate (vp) small, paired lateral sclerites fused posteriorly to form narrowly sclerotized ring; vaginal fold with medial sclerotized strip proximally ( Fig. 31I , vf, arrow), and with diffuse patch of minute teeth distally. Chaetotaxy. Basiantennal, parasutural 1, and posterior epipleural macrosetae absent; elytral discal series with three macrosetae; metaventrital macroseta absent or undetected; tergal chaetotaxic formula = 4-6-6-2-4-4, inner lateral macrosetae absent on tergites VI – VIII, medial macrosetae absent on tergites III and VI.

Distribution ( Fig. 28 , circles): Papua New Guinea, Indonesia: Irian Jaya. Scheerpeltz (1971) notes it is common throughout New Guinea and in (unspecified) neighbouring islands, but I have not seen any specimens from outside mainland New Guinea.

Biology and ecology: Rare in collections; most specimens without habitat or collection data. Fifteen collections are from light traps (mercury vapour, black light), two from carrion. Habitat: unknown, but probably intact forest. Altitude: 60–1700 m. Phenology: throughout the year. Gressitt & Hornabrook (1977: 26) gave the only known published biological observations, noting that C. albertisi ‘occasionally comes to light’ and ‘can discharge a peculiar pungent scent when frightened’. Other biology and life-history characteristics are unknown. Larvae and pupae are unknown.

Remarks: Last (1987) recorded Creophilus from New Guinea, but did not list the species, nor did he provide any records.

Figures

Figure 4. Male copulatory pieces of selected species in the Creophilus-complex, dorsal view. In each figure the large paired dark structures are the sclerotized arms of the copulatory piece. A, C. variegatus; B, C. maxillosus maxillosus; C, C. m. villosus; D, C. galapagensis; E, C. flavipennis; F, C. incanus; G, C. oculatus; H, C. erythrocephalus; I, C. imitator; J, C. lanio; K, C. albertisi; L, Hadrotes crassus; M, Thinopinus pictus; N, Hadropinus fossor; O, Liusus hilleri. Abbreviations: iedg, apical inner edge of arms of copulatory piece; por, parallel oblique ridges of copulatory piece (see also Fig. 10); xbar, ‘cross-bar’ of appendix. Additional abbreviations as in Figure 3. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figure 7. Heads of some species of the Creophilus erythrocephalus species-group (antennal flagella omitted). A, C. erythrocephalus; B, C. lanio; C, C. oculatus; D, C. imitator; E, C. albertisi. A–D, large males; E, small female. Scale bars = 5 mm.

Figure 27. Creophilus imitator, details of morphology (setae of mandibles, antenna, and pronotum omitted). A, mandibles, dorsal (bases omitted); B, right antenna, dorsal (only apical setae shown); C, median lobe apex, ventral; D, aedeagus with details of inverted internal sac, right lateral (parameral setae omitted); E, pronotum (female); F, female internal genitalia, ventral – arrow indicates small sclerotic ridges of vaginal fold; G, paramere, dorsal; H, ventral sclerite of internal sac, ventral (lower) and apical (upper). Abbreviations: T2, T3, mandibular teeth. Additional abbreviations as in Figure 3 (male) and Figure 5 (female). Scale bars: H = 0.1 mm; rest = 1 mm.

Figure 28. Distribution of all georeferenced specimens of C. albertisi (circles), C. erythrocephalus (square) and C. imitator (triangles) in New Guinea.

Figure 31. Creophilus albertisi, details of morphology (setae of head, mandibles, antenna, and pronotum omitted). A, head (large male), dorsal; B, same, ventral; C, mandibles, dorsal (bases omitted); D, apex of median lobe with fully everted internal sac, right lateral; E, aedeagus with details of inverted internal sac, right lateral (parameral setae omitted) – arrow indicates dorsoapical projection of median lobe; F, pronotum (large male); G, right antenna, dorsal (only apical setae shown); H, ventral sclerite of internal sac, ventral; I, female internal genitalia, ventral – arrow indicates thin medial sclerite of vaginal fold; J, paramere, dorsal. Abbreviations: T2, T3, mandibular teeth; lr, lateral spiculose region; pgr, postgenal ridge; vl, ventrolateral carina. Additional abbreviations as in Figure 3 (male) and Figure 5 (female). Scale bars: H = 0.1 mm; rest = 1 mm.