Achilia cosmoptera (Blanchard, 1851)

Kurbatov, Sergey A., Cuccodoro, Giulio & Sabella, Giorgio, 2021, A revision of the Chilean Brachyglutini - Part 7. Revision of Achilia Reitter, 1890: A. cosmoptera species group (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 128 (1), pp. 135-156 : 136-137

Achilia cosmoptera species group

Remarks: Jeannel (1962: 398, 425) characterized this group as follows: elytra with two basal foveae; basal striae of first abdominal tergite separated at most by a quarter of tergal width; frontal lobe of males modified, male’s antennomeres unmodified; aedeagal parameres with long setae.

Franz (1996: 118) proposed a new group of species – i.e. the A. angularis group – to accomodate Achilia species in which the internal sac of aedeagus bears a complex of ramified spines. In addition to A. angularis , previously attributed by Jeannel (1962: 426) to the A. cosmoptera group, he included in this new group A. pseudangularis Franz, 1996 , A. quinteroi Franz, 1996 , A. andina Franz, 1996 and A. maiopensis Franz, 1996 . However the delimitation of this A. angularis group overlaps that of the A. cosmoptera group of Jeannel, and moreover Franz placed in it species having little in common in our opinion. For convenience we treat here all the species included by Franz in his A. angularis group as members of the A. cosmoptera group, which would thus consist of: A. andina Franz, 1996 , A. angularis Jeannel, 1962 , A. bifrons Jeannel, 1962 , A blanchardi Raffray, 1904 , A. cosmoptera ( Blanchard, 1851) , A. elfridae Raffray, 1904 , A. maiopensis Franz, 1996 , A. melanocephala Jeannel, 1963 , A. picea Raffray, 1904 , A. pseudoangularis Franz, 1996 , A. quinteroi Franz, 1996 , and A. temporalis Jeannel, 1962 .

However, after examination of the types we concluded that A. andina Franz, 1996 and A. maiopensis Franz, 1996 resemble members of Pseudachillia Jeannel, 1964 , while A. pseudangularis Franz 1996 and A. quinteroi Franz, 1996 resemble members of Achillidia Jeannel, 1962 ; we will deal in more depth with these four species as well as assess the opportunity of their transfer in our forthcoming reviews of these genera. Also, one name is placed in synonymy – Achilia picea Raffray, 1904 = Achilia elfridae Raffray, 1904 (syn. nov.). As a result, the A. cosmoptera group is reduced to A. cosmoptera ( Blanchard, 1851) , A. blanchardi Raffray, 1904 , A. elfridae Raffray, 1904 , A. bifrons Jeannel, 1962 , A. temporalis Jeannel, 1962 , A. angularis Jeannel, 1962 , and A. melanocephala Jeannel, 1963 , to which we add three new species described below – i. e. A. covidia n. sp., A. pandemica n. sp. and A. quarantena n. sp. – for a total of ten species.

The species of the A. cosmoptera group possess the following common features: pubescence decumbent, consisting of long setae sparse over the body, and very sparse on the elytra (except in A. bifrons , A. temporalis , and A. angularis ); head distinctly wider than long (only slightly wider than long in A. angularis and A. quarantena n. sp.) with two big vertexal foveae, eyes fairly protruding and longer than temples; antennae with antennomeres III-VIII about the same width; pronotum wider than long, slightly wider than head, and with slightly convex disc, its surface smooth and shiny with some punctures; median antebasal fovea slightly smaller than lateral foveae; anterior portion of lateral margins of pronotum distinctly convergent and sinuate anteriorly; posterior portion of lateral margins of pronotum slightly convergent; basal margin of pronotum bordered with row of contiguous shallow impressions; elytra together wider than long with protruding humeri; elytral disc smooth, shiny, with very few punctures (except in A. angularis for which they are more densely punctate); elytra with two big basal foveae, sometimes with two small more medial foveae (as for example in the holotype of A. melanocephala ); sutural stria entire; elytral discal stria extended to about elytral mid-length; abdomen smooth, with some minute punctures; first abdominal tergite with diverging basal striae extending to about one-fourth of paratergal length (except in A. angularis in which they are longer than one-fourth of paratergal length), and separated at base by about one-fourth of tergal width (except in A. angularis , A. pandemica n. sp. and A. melanocephala , in which they are wider than one-fourth of tergal width); short and sparse setal brush between basal striae. Many specimens of both sexes of A. cosmoptera , A. elfridae , A. pandemica n. sp. and A. angularis bear also a bundle of long setae on lateral side of first visible abdominal sternite (see Figs 49-50 : arrows).

In order to keep the text more concise, these features are not repeated in their respective descriptions.

Figures

Figs 49-50. Achilia elfridae. Left elytra and basal abdominal segment head in semilateral view (49) and left portion of basal abdominal sternites in ventral view (50). Arrows indicate bundle of long setae on lateral side of first visible abdominal sternite. Scale bar = 200 μm.