Tomoxelia problematica, Pace, 2012

Pace, R., 2012, New data and new species of Aleocharinae from Tropical Africa in the Natural History Museum of the Humboldt University, Berlin (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 44 (2), pp. 1331-1362 : 1334-1335

Tomoxelia problematica nov.sp. ( Figs 6-10 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype, O. Afrika, Derema, XII.1891 , leg. Conradt (MNHUB). Paratypes: 1 and 1, same origin (MNHUB).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Length 3.7 mm. Fore-body opaque, abdomen shiny. Body reddishbrown, elytra brown with femora reddish, abdomen reddish with fourth free abdominal tergite brown, antennae reddish-brown with the three basal antennomeres yellow, legs yellow. Reticulation of head and elytra strong, that of the pronotum very strong, that of the abdomen missing. Puncturation of head and pronotum indistinct, that of the elytra evident, that of the three basal free abdominal tergites strong, that of the free tergites four and five superficial. Aedeagus Figs 7-8 , spermatheca Fig. 9 , sixth free abdominal tergite of the male Fig. 10.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: In the form of the spermatheca and the colour of the elytra, the new species is comparable to T. kisumuensis PACE 1994 from Kenya, known from a single female. The spermatheca of the new species is clearly less developed of that of T. kisumuensis . The head and the pronotum of the new species are reddish-brown, those of T. kisumuensis yellowish-red. The puncturation of the pronotum of the new species is indistinct, that of T. kisumuensis evident on the external sides. The eleventh antennomere is reddish-brown in the new species, that of T. kisumuensis brown with apical half yellowish-red.

E t y m o l o g y: The name of the new species derives from the difficulty of its recognition respect other species.

Figures

Figs 6-12: Habitus, aedeagus in lateral and ventral views, spermatheca, sixth visible tergite of male. (6-10) Tomoxelia problematica nov.sp.; (11-12) Brachida luciphila nov.sp. Habitus scale bar Fig. 6: 3.7 mm; Fig. 11: 1.8 mm, other scale bars: 0.1 mm.