Paraxenopygus opacipennis Bernhauer, 1927

Chatzimanolis, Stylianos, Brunke, Adam J. & Navarrete-Heredia, José L., 2024, A review of Paraxenopygus Bernhauer (Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), with description of two new species, Journal of Natural History 58 (37 - 40), pp. 1509-1528 : 1524-1525

Paraxenopygus opacipennis Bernhauer, 1927

( Figures 1E , 2E , 3E , 4E , 5M–O , 6)

Paraxenopygus opacipennis Bernhauer, 1927, p. 166 .

Type material

Holotype, female, with labels: ‘ Itatiaya, Est. do Rio [ Brazil: Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia, −22.50°, −44.56°], 100 m, 17.vi.1925, J.F. Zikan [leg.]’/‘ Paraxenopygus opacipennis Brnh Typus unic’./‘ Chicago NHMus M. Bernhauer Collection’ /‘ Bernhauer Brazil Types Photographed E. Caron 2017’/‘FMNHINS3048929’. Bernhauer (1927) mentioned that he had only one specimen, therefore this is the holotype. In the collection of FMNH.

Additional materials

BRAZIL: Goiás: Jatai [−17.88°, −51.83°], Fauvel leg . (1 female RISNB) ; Minas Gerais: Viçosa, Universidade Federal de Viçosa [−20.76°, −42.87°], 21 .vi .1999, F.Z. Vaz-de-Mello leg . (1 female CZUG) ; Paraná: Piraquara Mananciais da Sierra , −25.493°, −48.979°, 11 .xi .2011, Acromyrmex refuse, M . Caterino and A . Tishechkin leg . (1 male, 1 female UFPR) ; Rio de Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro [−22.91°, −43.20°], Fry coll ., Bernhauer coll . (1 female FMNH); Reprasa Guanabara [−22.951°, −43.211°], vi .1966, malaise, M . Alvarenga leg ., Scheepeltz coll . (1 female NMW) ; Santa Catarina: Nova Teutônia [Seara] [−27.25°, −50.33°], xi .[19]72, with Acromyrmex, F. Plaumann leg., Newton coll . (1 male, 1 female FMNH); same locality and collector, ix .1966, (1 female MZSP); same locality and collector, 7 .xii .1938, Bernhauer coll . (1 male FMNH); same locality and collector, 21 .v .1941 (1 female CNC); same locality and collector, 21 .vi .1941 (1 female CNC); same locality and collector, 300–500 m, x .1952 (1 female CNC); same locality and collector, x .1950 (1 male CNC); same locality and collector, xii .1942 (1 male CNC); unknown state: unknown locality, Brown coll ., Sharp coll . (1 female NHMUK) .

Diagnosis

Paraxenopygus opacipennis can be distinguished from all other species of Paraxenopygus by the metallic bronze colouration of the head and pronotum ( Figure 2E ), the colouration of the abdominal tergites, with large median, and smaller lateral dark spots ( Figure 1E ) and the distinct aedeagus ( Figure 5M–O ).

Description

Forebody length 7.4–7.9 mm. Colour of head and pronotum shining metallic bronze; mesoscutellum and depressed areas of elytra directly lateral of mesoscutellum dark brown to black; elytra, antennae and legs dark orange-brown. Abdomen with distinct colouration pattern (tergites each with large median, and smaller lateral dark spots) shown in Figure 1E ; segment 8 orange. Epicranium ( Figure 2E ) with small to medium-sized punctures, distance between punctures as wide as 1–1.5 punctures. Antennomere 1–4 without tomentose pubescence. Mandibles straight, except apically. Neck with dense, small punctures. Pronotum width/length ratio = 1; pronotum with dense medium-sized punctures; pronotum with confused rows of punctures ( Figure 2E ); superior marginal line of pronotal hypomeron joins inferior marginal line before neck. Elytra length/pronotal length ratio = 1.23–1.27; elytra with small punctures and many wrinkled irregularities between punctures. Metacoxal shield subquadrate but with emarginate posterior margin ( Figure 3E ); abdominal tergites 3–4 without faint curved line posterior to anterior transverse basal line. Sternite 7 in males with circular porose structure ( Figure 4E ); sternite 8 with U-shaped emargination ( Figure 4E ). Aedeagus as in Figures 5M–O ; in ventral view paramere wide, converging to pointed apex; paramere shorter and much narrower than median lobe; in lateral view paramere parallel-sided, with expanded apex; paramere with peg setae in two short rows medially as in Figure 5N. Median lobe in ventral view wide, converging to narrow pointed tip; in lateral view median lobe becoming narrower near apex; median lobe with apical tooth. Endophallus in ventral and lateral view converging to narrow apex.

Distribution

Known from the states of Goiás, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina in Brazil ( Figure 6 ).

Habitat

Collected in lowland tropical forests; a few specimen labels indicated that the specimen was collected with Acromyrmex sp. ants.

Figures

Figure 1. Habitus of: (A) Paraxenopygus tremolerasi Bernhauer; (B) P. maurocyanos sp. n.; (C) P. peruvianus Bernhauer; (D) P. newtoni sp. n.; (E) P. opacipennis Bernhauer.

Figure 2. Forebody of: (A) Paraxenopygus tremolerasi Bernhauer; (B) P. maurocyanos sp. n.; (C) P. peruvianus Bernhauer; (D) P. newtoni sp. n.; (E) P. opacipennis Bernhauer; (F) Glenus coxalis Sharp; (G) G. kraatzi Sharp; (H) G. jelskii Solsky.

Figure 3. (A–E) Metacoxal shield (arrow); (F–H) maxillary palpus with apical segment (arrow). (A) Paraxenopygus tremolerasi Bernhauer; (B) P. maurocyanos sp. n.; (C) P. peruvianus Bernhauer; (D) P. newtoni sp. n.; (E) P. opacipennis Bernhauer; (F) P. newtoni sp. n.; (G) G. condei Wendeler; (H) G. setosus Sharp.

Figure 4. (A–E) Terminal abdominal sternites, including porose structure (arrow); (F–G) antenna; (H) basal abdominal tergites with curved lines (arrow). (A) Paraxenopygus tremolerasi Bernhauer; (B) P. maurocyanos sp. n.; (C) P. peruvianus Bernhauer; (D) P. newtoni sp. n.; (E) P. opacipennis Bernhauer; (F) P. tremolerasi; (G) P. maurocyanos sp. n.; (H) P. tremolerasi.

Figure 5. (A, C, D, F, G,I, J, L, M, O) Aedeagus in ventral (A, D, G, J, M) and lateral view (C, F, I, L, O); (B, E, H, K, N) apex of paramere, ventral view. (A–C) Paraxenopygus tremolerasi Bernhauer; (D–F) P. maurocyanos sp. n.; (G–I) P. peruvianus Bernhauer; (J–L) P. newtoni sp. n.; (M–O) P. opacipennis Bernhauer. Scale bars = 1 mm (A, C, D, F, G, I, J, L, M, O); 0.5 mm (B, E, H, K, N).

Figure 6. Distribution map of Paraxenopygus Bernhauer; P. tremolerasi (black circles), P. maurocyanos sp. n. (white star), P. peruvianus (black squares), P. newtoni sp. n. (white circle) and P. opacipennis (white squares).