Hesperus nobilis BERNHAUER 1928

Hromádka, L., 2012, Revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Hesperus FAUVEL (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 44 (1), pp. 551-589 : 567-568

Hesperus nobilis BERNHAUER 1928 (Figs 53-56)

T y p e m a t e r i a l Holotype: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bas – Uélé , VII.- VIII.1930, L. Burgeon, // Hesperus nobilis Bernhauer TYPUS [ochre oblong label handwritten) Chicago NHMus M. Bernhauer collection’ ( FMNH).

R e d e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 17.3 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 8.2 mm.

C o l o u r a t i o n: Head and pronotum black, golden iridescent, scutellum brownblack, elytra red-brown, visible abdominal tergites 1-5 blackish, entire tergites 6-7 yel-

low, posterior margin of all tergites yellow-brown, mandibles black-brown, maxillary and labial palpi, and legs yellow-brown, antennae black.

Head wider than long (ratio 75: 60), very slightly widened posteriad, clypeus with a small depression medially, posterior angles rounded, bearing one long black bristle. Eyes flat, small, much shorter than temples (ratio 12: 21), with wide impunctate midline, each side with several coarse punctures, temporal area with numerous punctures of variable size. Surface with microsculpture of transverse striae.

Antennae slender and long, reaching posterior margin of pronotum when reclined, Antennomeres 1-7 and 11 longer than wide, antennomeres 8-10 as long as wide.

Pronotum wider than long (ratio 61: 55), distinctly and sinuately narrowed posteriad. Anterior angles conspicuously deflexed, vaguely obtusely rounded, posterior angles slightly rounded, base straight. Left dorsal row with 10 punctures, right row with 12 punctures. With wide impunctate midline, each side with many fine punctures near lateral margin. Surface with microsculpture similar to that on head.

Scutellum very densely and coarsely punctate, diameter of punctures much larger than eye-facets, separated by less than a puncture diameter in transverse direction.

Elytra wider than long (ratio 89: 81), distinctly widened posteriad. Punctation very fine and dense, punctures only slightly larger than eye-facets, separated by two puncture diameters in transverse direction. Surface without microsculpture; setation yellowish.

Legs. Metatibia longer than metatarsus (ratio 55: 51), metatarsomere 1 shorter than metatarsomere 5.

Abdomen wide, from visible tergite II very gradually narrowed posteriad. First three visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between lines impunctate. Punctation similar to that on elytra. Surface between punctures without microsculpture; setation of the same colour as that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1-3 relatively slightly dilated and sub-bilobed, each covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 narrower than preceding ones. Sternite IX (Fig. 56), aedeagus (Figs 53-55).

Female. Unknown to the author.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s Hesperus nobilis may be distinguished from the similar H. anas by the longer antennae, different colouration of the abdomen and by the different shape of the aedeagus.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Democratic Republic of the Congo ( HERMAN 2001).