Faronus agadiriensis, Hlaváč & Kocian, 2025

Hlaváč, Peter & Kocian, Matúš, 2025, A new species of Faronus Aubé, 1844 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from western Morocco, Zootaxa 5717 (4), pp. 589-592 : 590-592

Faronus agadiriensis sp. nov.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: MOROCCO: ♂, one label “ MOROCCO, Agadir env. / mountains above Imouzzer / sifting in forest, 1280 m / 30.662076N, - 9.486151W / 7.IV.2019 M. Kocian lgt.“ [white, printed] ( PCPH) . PARATYPES: MOROCCO: ( 11 ♂♂, 23 ♀♀) : 3 ♂♂, 12 ♀♀: same data as for holotype ; 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀: “ MOROCCO, Agadir env. / mountains above Tamzargot / sifting in valley, 700 m / 30.528973N, - 9.550122W / 6.IV.2019 M. Kocian lgt.“ [white, printed] ; 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀: one label “ MOROCCO, Agadir env. / mountains above Imouzzer / sifting in forest, 1240 m / 30.663317N, - 9.485303W / 9.IV.2019 M. Kocian lgt.“ [white, printed] ; ♂♂, 5 ♀♀: one label “ MOROCCO, Agadir env. / mountains above Imouzzer / sifting in forest, 1260 m / 30.662636N, - 9.485537W / 11.IV.2019 M. Kocian lgt.“ [white, printed] (all paratypes deposited in PCPH) .

Diagnosis. Head capsule with rostrum having deep longitudinal sulcus reaching frontal fovea and bifurcates towards base of occipital region; temples with pointed, protuberant posterior corners; antennae with cylindrical scape and globular pedicel, antennomere 3 small, twice smaller than pedicel; antennal club trimerous, weakly delimited; elytra clearly shorter than head capsule and pronotum together; abdomen posteriorly pointed, distinctly longer than pronotum and elytra together; all visible sternites simple, lacking any kind of modification; aedeagus with distal part wide, subrectangular, asymmetric parameres lacking setae.

Description. Body ( Fig. 1 ) smooth and shiny, entirely reddish brown with yellowish palpi and legs, with dense pubescence of golden setae. Length 1.65–1.75 mm, maximum width 0.55–0.56 mm in posterior half of abdomen.

Head capsule triangular, 1.2–1.3 times as wide as long; rostrum convergent, its lateral margin as long as well-developed, slightly protuberant eyes, anterior margin convex, rostrum with deep longitudinal sulcus reaching frontal fovea and bifurcates towards the base of the occipital region; temples shorter than eyes, convergent posteriorly, with sharp, protuberant posterior corners; posterior margin of head capsule slightly convex; neck region almost completely inserted into pronotum.

Antennae with cylindrical scape about 1.4 times as long as wide and about 1.6 times as long as pedicel; pedicel globular, larger and longer than antennomeres 3–10; antennomere 3 smallest, about half of length of pedicel; 4–10 subequal in size, twice as long as 3; antennal club decently defined, trimerous, antennomeres 9 and 10 wider than 8; terminal antennomere 1.75 times longer than 10.

Pronotum 1.15–1.25 times as wide as long, 1.10–1.20 times as long as head capsule, disc flat, widest in middle, convergent posteriorly; with three discal foveae, with median antebasal fovea located in deep median impression and with lateral antebasal foveae.

Elytra short, about 1.5 times as wide as long, clearly shorter than head capsule and pronotum together, about as long as pronotum, evenly expanding posteriad; each elytron with two antebasal and two discal foveae; sutural stria born in inner discal fovea, almost reaching posterior margin of elytron; discal stria very short; humeri not protruding; hind wings absent.

Abdomen posteriorly triangular, pointed, distinctly longer than pronotum and elytra together, first, second and third (IV–VI) visible tergites equal in length, visible tergite 4 (VII) about 1.2 times as long as 3 (VI). All visible sternites simple, lacking any kind of modification.

Legs with protibia evenly expanded, widest at apex; metatibia with distal third curved.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 2 ) 0.39 mm long, about 1.95 as long as wide, its distal part subrectangular, with well-developed large and differently modified parameres, left paramere with left oriented hook, right paramere shorter, both lacking setae.

Sexual dimorphism. Females similar to males, differences not apparent except the posterior part of abdomen which is not pointed in females, but weakly rounded.

Distribution. Morocco (Souss-Massa Region) ( Fig. 3 ).

Etymology. Locotypic, named after Agadir, the capital of Souss-Massa Region.

Remarks. Faronus agadiriensis sp. nov. belongs to a group of species with simple, unmodified sternites. It can be readily distinguished from all species of this group by the shape of the aedeagus which has its distal part wide, subrectangular with strongly asymmetric parameres that lack apical setae.

Figures

FIGURES 1–3. Faronus agadiriensis sp. nov. 1. Male habitus 2. Aedeagus, in dorsal view. 3. Distribution of Faronus inAfrica. Scale: 0.2 mm.