Philonthus aonyx, Hromádka, 2009

Hromádka, Lubomír, 2009, Revision of the Afrotropical species of the Philonthus caffer species group (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (1), pp. 161-190 : 164-166

Philonthus aonyx sp. nov.

( Figs. 3–7 )

Type locality. Ethiopia, Bahr-Dar.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ Ethiopia, Bahr-Dar , 4.vi.1967, P. Štys leg., // HOLOTYPE, Philonthus aonyx sp. nov. Hromádka det.2008 [red oblong printed label]’ ( NMPC) . PARATYPES: 1 J 1 ♀, same label data as in holotype [both specimens with red oblong printed type-labels] ( LHPC).

Additional material examined. ETHIOPIA: 5 spec., Ethiopia, Arsi, Zasela, 7.xii.1988, 2400m, cow dung, leg. S. Persson ( LHPC, MZLU).

Description. Body length 9.9–10.2 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 4.6–5.0 mm.

Colouration. Head black, antennal sockets and clypeus along anterior margin narrowly yellow-brown, mandibles and pronotum black, maxillary and labial palpi brown-yellow, antennae dark brown, scutellum black, sides in anterior half very narrowly red, elytra black, each with red spot ( Fig. 7 ), abdomen black with violet-green reflex, femora yellow-brown, tibiae and tarsi black-brown.

Head rounded quadrangular, wider than long (ratio 35: 25), parallel-sided. Posterior angles obtusely rounded, each with several short bristles. Eyes flat, conspicuously shorter than temples (ratio 10: 13). Punctures between eyes arranged in straight line, distance between medial interocular punctures about 4 times as long as distance between medial and lateral interocular punctures. Temporal area and area along posterior margin of head with many punctures of variable size. Dorsal surface without microsculpture.

Antennae reaching posterior third of pronotum when reclined. Antennomere 1 somewhat shorter than antennomeres 2–3 combined, antennomere 11 as long as antennomere 2. Relative length of antennomeres: 1 = 9; 2 = 5; 3 = 6; 4–7 = 4.5; 8–10 = 4; 11 = 5.

Pronotum highly convex, slightly transverse (ratio 42: 40), distinctly narrowed anteriad. Anterior angles bluntly rounded, with several short bristles, posterior angles markedly rounded. Each dorsal row with 4 equidistant punctures. Each sublateral row with 2 punctures, puncture 2 distinctly shifted to lateral margin. Surface without microsculpture.

Entire scutellum finely and sparsely punctate, punctures smaller than eye-facets, separated by 2 puncture diameters in transverse direction. Setation longer, black.

Elytra combined ( Fig. 7 ) distinctly wider than long (ratio 50: 42), parallel-sided. Punctation very fine and sparse, punctures somewhat larger than those on scutellum, separated by 2 puncture diameters in transverse direction; setation brown-yellow.

Legs. Metatibia somewhat shorter than metatarsus (ratio 27: 30). Metatarsomere 1 as long as metatarsomeres 4–5 combined. Relative length of metatarsomeres: 1 = 10; 2 = 4.4; 3 = 4; 4 = 3.5; 5 = 6.5.

Abdomen wide, punctation of tergites finer and denser than that on elytra, becoming sparser and finer towards posterior margin of each tergite. Elevated area between two basal lines on first three visible tergites relatively densely punctate. Surface without microsculpture; setation similar to that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1–3 dilated and sub-bilobed, densely covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 distinctly narrower than preceding ones. Sternite VIII ( Fig.6 ), aedeagus ( Figs. 3–5 ).

Female. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. The new species is similar to P. iridicollis but it differs by the red spot on each elytron, by the yellow-brown femora and black- brown tibiae and tarsi. It differs from P. gabonensis by the red spot on each elytron, the wider head, the differently coloured antennomere 1 and by the coarser punctation of the abdomen. It differs from both above species by the shape of the aedeagus.

Etymology. The name of this species, a noun in apposition, is the Latin generic name of the African otter Aonyx capensis (Schinz, 1821) .

Bionomics. Unknown.

Distribution. Ethiopia.

Figures

Figs. 1–11. 1–2 – Philonthus aminius Tottenham, 1955; 3–7 – P. aonyx sp. nov.; 8–11 – P. biguttulus Fauvel, 1907 (8–9: Angola; 10–11: Ethiopia). 1, 3, 8, 10 – aedeagus, ventral view; 2 – male sternite VIII, ventral view; 4 – aedeagus, lateral view; 5 – apex of paramere with sensory peg setae, ventral view; 6 – apical portion of male sternite VIII, ventral view; 7 – elytra; 9, 11 – paramere with sensory peg setae, ventral view.