Acylophorus bafutensis Levasseur

Lott, Derek A., 2010, The species of Acylophorus Nordmann (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae) in continental sub-Saharan Africa, Zootaxa 2402, pp. 1-51 : 32-33

Acylophorus bafutensis Levasseur

(Figs 25, 49, 74, 101, 137)

Acylophorus bafutensis Levasseur, 1968: 1401 ; Herman, 2001: 3026.

Diagnostic characters. Levasseur’s description contains illustrations of the aedeagus and antenna in addition to a textual description of morphological features. The following section contains additional diagnostic features.

Length 7mm. Body black. Abdomen and tibiae very weakly iridescent. Appendages dark brown with paler tarsi.

Head of average size (pronotum 1.7x wider than head), 1.1x wider than long, temples well developed (Fig. 25). Micro-punctures sparse. Short dense pubescence behind eyes. Three pairs of interocular punctures. Setae very short, postocular setae barely visible. Mandibles with one medial tooth on right and simply flanged on left ( Fig.49 ). Maxillary palpi with two terminal segments densely pubescent, terminal segment broad, slightly asymmetric, longer than penultimate segment ( Fig. 74 ). First segment of antenna nearly as long as next five ( Fig. 101 ). Segments I to V elongate, VIII to X transverse.

Pronotum transverse (1.15x wider than long) with rounded sides and widest at centre. Shining with no micro-punctures. One pair of dorsal punctures and one pair of lateral punctures. Marginal punctures present, but setae very short. Elytra transverse (1.6x wider than long) with sparse pubescence arising from fine, weakly asperate punctures. Apical fringe of bristles longer than hairs on rest of elytra. Scutellum markedly less strongly punctured than elytra. Abdominal tergites with sparse pubescence. Punctures on apical areas of tergites much sparser than on basal areas. Apical fringe of bristles on each tergite missing in centre (possibly deciduous or abraded as associated crenulations are present).

Aedeagus with bilobed paramere, each lobe with pegs confusedly arranged in distal half ( Fig. 137 ). Median lobe shorter than paramere, emarginate at apex.

Type material. Paratype Ƥ: “Ft de BAFUT NGUEMBA 16.VIII.65 / Muséum Paris CAMEROUN B. de Miré / Acylophorus bafutensis n. sp. LEVASSEUR DET 1967 PARATYPE ” ( MNHN).

Distribution and bionomics. Only known from three specimens collected in the Bafut Forest, Cameroon ( Fig. 147 ). There are no ecological data.

Comparative notes. Easily recognised within the species group by the short setae and pubescence.

Figures

FIGURE 147. Distribution of species in the Acylophorus trigonocephalus group = A. trigonocephalus Cameron, = A. setiger new species, = A. usambarae Bernhauer, = A. grandis Bernhauer; = A. bafutensis Levasseur).

FIGURES 42 – 50. Mandibles of Acylophorus species. 42, A. congoensis Cameron; 43, A. ziloensis Levasseur (Katanga); 44, A. ziloensis Levasseur (Kivu); 45, A. allardi Levasseur; 46, A. salifi new species; 47, A. lomaensis Levasseur; 48, A. mareei Bernhauer; 49, A. bafutensis Levasseur; 50, A. lualabaensis Levasseur.

FIGURES 51 – 76. Terminal segments of the maxilliary palpi of Acylophorus species. 51, A. orientalis Fauvel; 52, A. nitens new species; 53, A. rossii Bordoni, 54, A. bumbunae Bordoni; 55, A. capensis Cameron; 56, A. dankalensis Bordoni; 57, A. tshuapensis new species; 58, A. makhoreae new species; 59, A. densipennis Bernhauer; 60, A. antennalis Cameron; 61, A. collarti Cameron; 62. A. micans new species; 63, A. allardi Levasseur; 64, A. congoensis Cameron; 65, A. ziloensis Levasseur; 66, A. mareei Bernhauer; 67, A. salifi new species; 68, A. lomaensis Levasseur; 69. A. minor new species; 70, A. trigonocephalus Cameron; 71, A. setiger new species; 72, A. usambarae Bernhauer; 73, A. grandis Bernhauer; 74, A. bafutensis Levasseur; 75, A. kambuiensis Bordoni, 76. A. lualabaensis Levasseur.

FIGURES 97 – 103. Antennae of Acylophorus species. 97, A. trigonocephalus Cameron; 98, A. setiger new species; 99, A. usambarae Bernhauer; 100, A. grandis Bernhauer; 101, A. bafutensis Levasseur; 102, A. kambuiensis Bordoni, 103. A. lualabaensis Levasseur. FIGURES 104 – 107. Details of Acylophorus delphinus Fauvel. 104, forebody; 105, terminal segments of maxilliary palpi; 106, antenna; 107, aedeagus. FIGURE 108. Lateral view of head of Acylophorus salifi new species.

FIGURES 134 – 137. Aedeagi of species in the Acylophorus trigonocephalus group. 134, A. grandis Bernhauer; 135, A. trigonocephalus Cameron; 136, A. setiger new species; 137, A. bafutensis Levasseur (reproduced from Levasseur, 1968 and not drawn to scale). FIGURES 138 – 139. Aedeagi of species in the Acylophorus kambuiensis group. 138, A. kambuiensis Bordoni, 139. A. lualabaensis Levasseur.