Philonthus kenyanus Bernhauer, 1939

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 : 179-180

Philonthus kenyanus Bernhauer, 1939

( Figs 45–48 )

Philonthus kenyanus Bernhauer, 1939: 86 .

Type locality. Kenya, Lokitang, Turkana Nord, 750 m a.s.l..

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ Kenya, Lokitang TURKANA Nord, 750 m, C.Arambourg, P.A. Chappuis & R. Jeannel, 1932 – 33. Muséum de Paris , Mission de l’OMO, Chicago NHMus., M. Bernhauer, Collection. // Type Philonthus kenyanus M. Bernhauer [ochre oblong label, handwritten]’ ( FMNH) . PARATYPE: J, same label data as in holotype, second label as follows: ‘Cotype Philonthus kenyanus M. Bernhauer [ochre oblong label, handwtitten]’ ( FMNH).

Redescription. Body length 6.2–6.4 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 3.1– – 3.2 mm.

Colouration. Head black, antennal sockets and clypeus along anterior margin narrowly dirty yellow, maxillary and labial palpi, antennomeres 1–2 and base of antennomere 3 yellow-brown, remaining antennomeres black-brown, mandibles brown, pronotum and scutellum black, elytra red, abdomen black, posterior half of visible tergite VII red-brown, legs yellow-brown.

Head of rounded shape, as long as wide, slightly narrowed toward neck behind posterior margin of eyes. Posterior angles entirely obliterated, each with one long and several short bristles. Eyes vaguely longer than temples (ratio 9: 8). Four coarse punctures between eyes, distance between medial interocular punctures about 5 times as large as distance between medial and lateral interocular punctures. Temporal area each with many punctures of variable size. Dorsal surface with remnants of very irregular, fine microsculpture.

Antennae long, reaching posterior fifth of pronotum when reclined, antennomeres 1–7 and 11 longer than wide, antennomeres 8–10 as long as wide. Relative length of antennomeres: 1 = 6; 2 = 4; 3 = 5; 4–8 = 3; 9–10 = 2.5; 11 = 5.

Pronotum convex, vaguely longer than wide (ratio 26: 25). Lateral margins narrowed anteriad in almost straight line. Each dorsal row with 5 punctures, punctures 1–4 equidistant, distance between punctures 4 and 5 hardly larger than interval between punctures 1 and 2. Each sublateral row with 2 punctures, puncture 1 situated behind level of puncture 3 of dorsal row. Surface with microsculpture similar to that on head.

Scutellum coarsely and very densely punctate, punctures inconspicuously larger than eyefacets, separated by distance much smaller than a puncture diameter.

Elytra hardly longer than wide (ratio 35: 34), inconspicuously widened posteriad. Punctation vaguely sparser than that on scutellum. Surface between punctures without microsculpture; setation brown-yellow.

Legs. Metatibia as long as metatarsus, metatarsomere 1 slightly longer than metatarsomere 5, metatarsomere 2 longer than metatarsomere 3. Relative length of metatarsomeres: 1 = 6; 2 = 3; 3–4 = 2.5; 5 = 5.

Abdomen wide and parallel-sided, elevated area between basal lines on first and second visible tergites with scattered punctures, elevated area on tergite III impunctate. Visible tergites densely, coarsely and uniformly punctate; setation similar to that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1–3 strongly dilated and sub-bilobed, densely covered with modified pale setae ventrally. Sternite IX ( Fig. 48 ), aedeagus ( Figs. 45–47 ).

Female. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Philonthus kenyanus is similar to P. cliens in most characters, but differs by the rounded head, shorter pronotum, finer elytral punctation and by the different shape of the aedeagus.

Bionomics. Unknown.

Distribution. Kenya (this paper); Chad (HERMAN 2001).

Figures

Figs. 38–53. 38–44 – Philonthus iridicollis Bernhauer, 1932; 45–48 – P. kenyanus Bernhauer, 1939; 49–53 – P. leptophilus Hromádka, 2006. 38, 45, 49 – aedeagus, ventral view; 39, 46, 50 – aedeagus, lateral view; 40, 51 – paramere with sensory peg setae, ventral view; 41, 52 – apical portion of male sternite VIII, ventral view; 42, 48, 53 – male sternite IX, ventral view; 43 – female tergite X, ventral view; 44 – gonocoxite of female genital segment; 47 – aedeagus without paramere, ventral view.