Pseudohesperus natalensis ( Scheerpeltz, 1956 ) Hromádka, 2010

Hromádka, Lubomír, 2010, Revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Pseudohesperus, with taxonomic notes on other Afrotropical species of the subtribe Philonthina (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 50 (2), pp. 495-516 : 505-506

Pseudohesperus natalensis ( Scheerpeltz, 1956) comb. nov.

( Figs. 37–40 )

Hesperus natalensis Scheerpeltz, 1956: 22 .

Type locality. Natal.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘Natal, 1914, // TYPUS Hesperus natalensis O. Scheerpeltz [red oblong label, handwritten], E. Ross – Berlin donarit 1934,’ ( NHMW).

Redescription. Body length 9.4 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 3.9 mm.

Colouration. Head and pronotum black, with very feeble bluish tinge, scutellum and elytra dark black-violet, abdomen black, very strongly golden-violet-greenish iridescent, maxillary, labial palpi and mandibles yellow-brown, antennae dark brown, legs brown yellow, tarsi paler distally.

Head wider than long (ratio 31: 25), parallel-sided, posterior angles obtusely rounded, midline wide impunctate, each side with many varying large punctures. Temporal area with many punctures. Four coarse punctures present between eyes, distance between medial punctures three times as large as distance between medial and lateral puncture, medial punctures markedly shifted anteriad. Eyes large, longer than temples (ratio 12: 10). Surface without microsculpture.

Antennae incomplete in the holotype: left antenna with only six antennomeres, right antennae with only two antennomeres. Antennnomere 1 as long as antennomeres 5 and 6 combined.

Pronotum almost as long as wide, parallel-sided, anterior angles rounded, with several small punctures, posterior angles markedly rounded. Midline with wide impunctate area, punctures near midline coarse and dense, finer and sparser towards sides, diameter of smaller punctures mostly slightly larger than eye-facets, separated by 1–2 puncture diameters. Surface without microsculpture.

Scutellum densely and finely punctate, punctures as large as those on pronotum, separated by one puncture diameter in transverse direction.

Elytra wider than long (ratio 49: 42), widened posteriad. Punctation very fine and dense. Diameter of punctures as large as smaller punctures on elytra, separated by one puncture diameter in transverse direction. Surface without microsculpture; setation brown.

Legs. Metatibia as long as metatarsus, metatarsomere 1 longer than metatarsomere 5, almost as long as metatarsomeres 2–4 combined.

Abdomen wide, very gradually narrowed posteriad, first three visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between lines punctate. Punctation at base of all tergites dense, most punctures droplet-shaped, sparser towards posterior margin of each tergite. Surface without microsculpture, setation similar to that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1–3 not dilated, protarsomere 1 almost as long as protarsomeres 2–4 combined, longer than protarsomere 5. Sternite IX ( Fig. 40 ), aedeagus ( Figs. 37–39 ).

Female. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Pseudohesperus natalensis may be distinguished from the similar P. bafutensis by a different colouration of the pronotum and abdomen, wider elytra, paler legs and a different shape of the aedeagus.

Distribution. Republic of South Africa.

Figures

Figs.37–40.Pseudohesperus natalensis (Scheerpeltz, 1956). 37 – aedagus, ventral view; 38 – aedeagus; lateral view; 39 – apex of paramere with sensory peg setae, ventral view; 40 – male sternite IX, ventral view.