Espeson titschacki BERNHAUER, 1941: 278

Irmler, U., 2012, The Neotropical species of the genera Pseudespeson L, 1994 and Espeson S, 1882 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Osoriinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 62 (2), pp. 331-360 : 348-350

Espeson titschacki BERNHAUER, 1941: 278 ( Figs 7 a-e, 16B)

Type material examined:

Peru: Ayacucho, Sivia (73°51.09'W, 12°30.45'S) (male holotype FMNH); 3 females with same data as holotype (paratypes, FMNH, NHMW) ; from the same location, leaf litter; female 22.5.1936, leg. Titschack (paratypes, FMNH) .

Further material examined:

Mexico: Nayarit (104°50.42'W, 21°45.07'S), junction San Blas and Tepec roads 300 m elevation, 64 specimens, 4.8.1960, without information of the collector ( AMNH, UIC) ; Venezuela: Bolivar, Carabobo (61.24'W, 6.18'N), Via Palmichal , 750-850 m elevation, 3 males, 9 females, Nov. 2005, leg. Brachat ( UIC, VAC) , 900 m elevation; 2 females, 22.11.2005, leg. Brachat ( UIC, VAC) ; Ecuador: Pichincha, Santo Domingo de los Colorados (79°10'W, 0°14'S), 17 km SE, Tinalandia, 900 m elevation, 1 male, 1 female, 16.- 21.10.1988, 1 female 19.- 20.5.1998, leg. L. Herman ( AMNH) ; Pastaza, 2.6 km S of Santa Clara , (01°17'20"S, 77°53'20"W), 790 m elevation, secondary lowland forest with sparse understory vegetation, shaded, sifting leaf litter between tabular roots, 2 females, 15.- 16.11.2006, leg. Fikacek & Skuhrovec ( NMPC) ; Alluriquin, 43 km N, Las Palmeras, old Qto-Sto. Dgo. rd. km 59, litter, 23.10.1988, leg. L. Herman ( AMNH) ; Limoncocha , 40 km E Puerto Francisco Orellana, Rio Napo, 2 females, 21.- 27.9.1979, leg. Balogh ( HNMB) ; Napo, 35.5 km NE El Chaco, Cascadas San Rafael (00°06'00"S, 77°34'51"W), 1200 m elevation, low primary forest on summit of river gorge, sparse understory vegetation, lot of leaf litter, sifting leaf litter, 2 males, 1 female, 29.11.2006, leg. Fikacek & Skuhrovec ( NMPC) ; Peru: Cuzco, Madre de Dios, Cuzco Amazonica , secondary forest (69°02'06W, 12°36'48S), 300 m elevation, 5 males, 16 females; 17.5.1995, leg. D. Agosti ( AMNH, UIC) ; Junin, San Ramón de Pangoa (75°19'60W, 11°07'60S), 40 km SE Satipo, 750 m elevation, male, 25.3.1972, leg. R. T. Schuh ( UIC) ; Huanuco, Panguana (74°56'W, 9°37'S), Chocha, female, 15.3.1976, leg. W. Hanagarth ( UIC) ; Brazil: Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia , Aug. 1953, female, leg. F. Plaumann ( AMNH) ; Mato Grosso, Nossa Sinhora de Livramento (56°36.24'W, 16°15.24'S), Pirizal, Faz. Retiro Novo , from V. divergens tree collected by fogging, female, 22.02.2000, leg. M. Marques ( UFMT) . Paraguay: Puerto Presidente Stroessner (Ciudad del Este: 54°61.67'W, 25°51.67S) Hungarian Soil-Zoology Exp. , 1 females, 5.1.1966, leg. Balogh et Mahunka ( HNMB) ; Puerto Presidente Stroessner (Ciudad del Este: 54°61.67'W, 25°51.67'S) Hungarian Soil-Zoology Exp. , Acaray waterfall, 1 female, 2.1.1966, leg. Loksa ( HNMB) ; Argentina: Salta, Aguas Blancas-Yaculica (64°22.25'W, 22°43.44'S), 460 m elevation, yungas forest, leaf litter, female, 25.10.1994, leg. J. Carpenter & D. Agosa ( AMNH) .

Diagnosis:

The species is very similar to E. pecki , E. adisi and E. moratus in size and colouration. It differs from E. adisi in the presence of the two pronotal impressions. Females are very similar to E. pecki , because both species have similar pronotal impressions in the midline. It is distinguished from E. pecki by the longer antennae and in the male by the different shape of tergite VIII that is elongate and semicircular at apex in E. titschacki , but short and emarginate in E. pecki .

Description:

Length: 1.6 mm. Colour: yellow.

Head: 0.20 mm long, 0.25 mm wide; eyes as long as temples, with more than 12 ocellae and distinctly visible in dorsal aspect; temples more or less parallel; fore-head straightly narrowed to more or less acute front edge of clypeus; setiferous punctation laterad denser than on disc; setae pointing to middle; with impunctate midline on vertex; surface laterad with remains of microsculpture; on disc without microsculpture; surface polished and shiny.

Antennae as long as head and pronotum combined; 1 st antennomere thick; 2 nd globular and as thick as conical 3 rd antennomere; following four antennomeres more or less quadrate; 8 th antennomere only slightly narrower and smaller than 7 th and 9 th antennomere; 9 th and 10 th antennomere slightly wider than long.

Pronotum: 0.25 mm long, 0.30 mm wide; with fine lateral margin visible in its total length in dorsal aspect; deeply emarginate in posterior half; anterior edge approximately 1.5 times as wide as posterior edge; densely and deeply punctate; distance between setiferous punctures on average half as wide as diameter of punctures; in midline with impressions in both anterior and posterior half; surface with remains of microsculpture, but mostly polished and shiny.

Elytra: 0.30 mm long, 0.35 mm wide; with similar deep and dense setiferous punctation as pronotum; surface with remains of microsculpture, but moderately polished and shiny.

Abdomen on tergites III to VI more weakly, but as densely punctate as elytra; density of punctation decreasing posteriad; microsculpture more distinct than on fore-body; surface less shiny; tergite VIII of male straightly narrowed to rounded apex; sparsely punctate.

Aedeagus slender with apical part nearly as long as basal part; paramera slightly longer than central lobe and with small apical transparent plate.

Remarks:

No differences could be found between the Mexican specimens and the South American specimens, which let suppose that the species might also occur in other Central American countries.

Figures

Figs 6-8: Espeson adisi (6), E. titschacki (7); E. subtilis (8); a: fore body, b: antenna, c: aedeagus, d: apex of paramera, e: abdominal tergite VIII of male (scale bar: a:, b: 0.5 mm, c–e: 0.1 mm).