Hesperus anas, Hromádka, 2012

Hromádka, L., 2012, Revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Hesperus FAUVEL (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 44 (1), pp. 551-589 : 555-556

Hesperus anas HROMÁDKA 2009 (Figs 6-10)

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: Democratic Republic of the Congo, [#Congo Belge’] Massif Ruwenzori , Kalonge, 2.100 m, Riv. Nyamwamba, aff. Butahu: P.N.A., 25.-27.-viii.-1952, P. Vanschuytbroeck & J. Kekenbosch 902-03 // HOLOTYPUS Hesperus anas sp. n. Hromádka det. 2009 [red oblong printed label] ( MRAT) . PARATYPES: 1 spec., same data as in holotype (cHPC) ; 2 spec., Massif Ruwenzori , Kalonge , 2180 m, Riv. Katauleko, aff. Butahu, Congo Belge: P.N.A. 2.-x.-1952, P. Vanschuytbroeck & J. Kekenbosch 1126 ( MRAT) ; 3 spec., Massif Ruwenzori Kalonge , 2060 m, Katauleko, aff. Butahu, Congo Belge: P. N. A., 28.-29.-vii.-1952, P. Vanschuytbroeck & J. Kekenbosch 531-86 (cHPC, MRAT) (All paratypes with red oblong printed labels) .

R e d e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 14.5-16.6 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 7.1-8.5 mm.

C o l o u r a t i o n: Head and scutellum black, maxillary and labial palpi yellowish brown, antennae and mandibles black, pronotum black, with dark golden iridescence, elytra reddish brown, suture narrowly darker, abdomen black, posterior half of tergite 7 and whole tergite 8 dirty yellow, legs yellowish brown.

Head almost square, wider than long (ratio 67: 61), parallel-sided, posterior angles slightly rounded. Eyes flat, much shorter than temples (ratio 15: 32). Clypeus with wide and relatively shallow depression medially. Whole head rather conspicuously, irregularly, sparsely punctate, except for impunctate area on disc. Surface without microsculpture. Mandibles very long.

Antennae reaching posterior third of pronotum when reclined. Antennomeres 1-5 and 11 longer than wide, antennomeres 6-10 as long as wide. Antennomere 1 much longer than antennomere 11, antennomere 3 longer than antennomere 2.

Pronotum as long as wide, distinctly and sinuately narrowed posteriad. Anterior angles almost rectangular, with several variably long black bristles, posterior angles bluntly rounded. Base straight. Each dorsal row with 12-14 punctures. Pronotum with broad impunctate midline. Each side with many variably spaced punctures. Surface without microsculpture.

Entire scutellum very densely and coarsely punctate. Punctures much larger than eye facets, separated by much less than a puncture diameter in transverse direction.

Elytra slightly longer than wide (ratio: 88: 82), slightly widened posteriad. Punctation fine and dense, punctures smaller than those on scutellum, separated by one or one and

half puncture diameters in transverse direction. Surface between punctures without microsculpture; setation yellowish.

Legs. Metatibia longer than metatarsus (ratio 45: 40) metatarsomere 1 longer than metatarsomere 5.

Abdomen wide, parallel-sided, from visible tergite 3 very slightly narrowed posteriad. Fjrst three visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between lines punctuate. Punctation at base of all tergites much coarser than that on elytra, gradually becoming slightly sparser towards posterior margin of each tergite. Surface without microsculpture; setation similar to that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1-4 only slightly dilated and sub-bilobed, each covered with modified pale setae ventrally. Aedeagus (Figs 6-8).

Female. Protarsomeres 1-4 similar to those of male, but slightly less dilated. Tergite X (Fig. 9) gonocoxite of female genital segment (Fig. 10).

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s Hesperus anas differs from H. sparsior by the finer punctures in dorsal rows, golden iridescent pronotum, finer punctation of scutellum and elytra, coarser and denser punctation of abdomen, from H. nobilis by the shorter antennae, different colouration of the abdomen and from both by the different shape of the aedeagus.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Democratic Republic of the Congo.