Lithocharodes armata SHARP, 1885

Irmler, Ulrich, 2021, The Neotropical species of the genus Lithocharodes SHARP, 1876 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Xantholinini), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 71 (1), pp. 29-85 : 33

Lithocharodes armata SHARP, 1885

Figs 29 a-c, 43 C, 46 C

Lithocharodes armata SHARP, 1885: 491

Type material examined: male, holotype: Nicaragua ,

Granada, leg. Sallé ( BMNH).

Additional material examined: Mexico, Veracruz, Sontecomapan, (7 mi NNW), Jicacal (18°35'N, 95°03'W), at beach near rainforest, black light, female, 30.7.- 7.8.1970, leg. A. Newton ( FMNH) .

Diagnosis: Lithocharodes armata most closely resembles L. spinigera in the light colouration of the pronotum, the dense punctation on the anterior part of vertex. As SHARP (1885) already noted, L. armata can be distinguished from L. spinigera by the less dense, not coriaceous setiferous punctation of the anterior vertex. The spine of sternite VII of male is broader and the adjacent emargination is less deep. Furthermore, the endophallus has large lobes in its anterior half, whereas the endophallus of L. spinigera has only minute teeth or minute lobes.

Description: Length: 5.3 mm. Colouration: Brown, pronotum, legs and antennae lighter brown.

Head: 0.66 mm long, 0.49 mm wide; postocular sides slightly divergent; more than 2.5 times as long as eyes; eyes not prominent; interantennal furrows weak; not reaching mid of eyes; setiferous punctation deep and irregular; denser on anterior than on posterior vertex; punctation on anterior vertex partly coriaceous; midline impunctate; on anterior vertex, interstices between punctures as wide as diameter of punctures; on posterior vertex, nearly twice as wide as diameter of punctures; surface without microsculpture; shiny. Antennae with first antennomere reaching posterior edge of eye; second and third antennomere conical; longer than wide; subsequent antennomeres wider than long; second antennomere slightly wider than long; tenth antennomere twice as wide as long; fourth to eleven antennomeres pubescent; fourth to tenth antennomeres with apical crown of short setae. Pronotum: 0.74 mm long, 0.44 mm wide; widest in anterior third; anteriad, conically narrowed toward neck; slightly narrowed in middle third and approximately parallel in posterior third; at posterior margin 0.8 times as wide as at widest part; posterior angles shortly rounded; setiferous punctation moderately dense, with wide impunctate midline; adjacent to impunctate midline with irregular line of 13-14 punctures; surface without microsculpture; shiny. Elytra: 0.74 mm long, 0.56 mm wide; sides approximately parallel; humeral angles subrectangular; posterior angles rectangular; posterior margin nearly straight; setiferous punctation deep and dense; denser than on pronotum; on average, interstices between punctures 1.5 times as wide as diameter of punctures; surface without microsculpture; shiny. Abdomen densely covered by setiferous punctation; with weak microsculpture; less shiny than pronotum; sternite VII of male with broad and short central tooth; on both sides of tooth with short emargination. Meso and metatibia with 2 subapical ctenidia each. Aedeagus oval with anterior angles more distinct than posterior angles; endophallus with longitudinal torsions; anteriad with row of thick teeth; posteriad with broader sack covered by small teeth; paramere widened to anterior third; slightly curved in anterior third to rounded apex; covered with setae, in particular at inner edge.

Figures

Fig. 25–30: L.-??-group: Lithocharodes nigrita (25), L. aculeata (26), L. ecuadoriensis (27), L. lescheni (28), L. armata (29), L. ashei (30); aedeagus (a), paramere (b), sternite VII of male (c), tergite VII of male (d); scale bare: A–D: 0.2 mm; B: 0.1 mm.