Goniusa alperti Kistner, 1976

Gusarov, Vladimir I., 2003, A revision of the genus Goniusa Casey, 1906 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Zootaxa 164, pp. 1-20 : 14-17

2. Goniusa alperti Kistner, 1976 ( Figs. 39­56)

Goniusa montana Fenyes , in litteris (manuscript name). Goniusa alperti Kistner, 1976: 89 .

Type material. Holotype of G. alperti :, UNITED STATES: Washington: Whatcom Co.: Blaine, ant nest (G.Alpert), 10.v. 1971 ( DHKC).

Paratypes of G. alperti : UNITED STATES: Washington: Clallam Co.:, 10 mi. E Coville, ant nest (G.Alpert), 11.iv. 1971; Whatcom Co.:, Bellingham, ant nest (G.Alpert), 11.v. 1971 (all ­ DHKC).

Additional material. UNITED STATES: California: San Bernardino Co.: 2 ,, San Bernardino Mts., 2 mi. NW Fawnskin, host: Formica haemorrhoidalis (B. & E.MacKay) (all ­ DHKC); Placer Co.:, Tahoe City; Colorado: Ouray Co.:, Ouray, 9000 ' (mounted with a Formica specimen) (Wickham), vii (all ­ CASC); Grand Co.:, 16 km NW Granby, Arapaho National Forest, Hwy. 125, 40º 12 'N 106 º03'W, 2600m, Formica nest (mounted with a Formica specimen) (V.I.Gusarov), 23.viii. 2000 ( KSEM); Nebraska: Cuming Co.:,, West Point ( FMNH).

Diagnosis. Goniusa alperti can be distinguished from G. caseyi by having pronotum with lateral sides converging anteriad, reaching maximum width behind the middle ( Figs. 39­41); antennal segments 5­10 slightly transverse; smaller body and short apical process of median lobe ( Figs. 49, 51).

Description. Length 3.2 ­4.0 mm. Head brownish black, pronotum and abdomen dark brown, often with lighter segments 3­4, elytra reddish brown, legs and antennae brownish red, mouthparts yellow to brownish red.

In females head surface glossy, with weak isodiametric microsculpture, with fine punctation, distance between punctures equals 2 times their diameter. In males head surface matte, with strong isodiametric microsculpture, with weak, sparse and poorly visible punctation. Temple length to eye length ratio 0.6­0.9. Antennal article 4 slightly elongate, articles 5­10 slightly transverse.

Pronotum strongly transverse, 1.6 times as wide as head, width 0.84­1.01 mm, length 0.51­0.66 mm, width to length ratio 1.6; in females surface glossy, with weak isodiametric microsculpture; punctation as fine as on head, slightly asperate, distance between punctures equal to 2 times their diameter; in males surface matte, with strong isodiametric microsculpture, with fine and poorly visible punctation. Elytra slightly wider (0.99­1.17 mm) and longer (0.64­0.79 mm, measured from humeral angle) than pronotum (pronotal length to elytral length ratio 0.8), 1.5 times as wide as long, surface glossy, with weak isodiametric microsculpture and punctation as on pronotum.

Abdominal terga glossy, with fine and often poorly visible transverse microsculpture, with fine punctation, distance between punctures equals 1­2 times their diameter on terga 3­5 and 3­6 times on terga 6­7. Apical margin of tergum 7 with white palisade fringe.

In males head with broad medial impression; pronotum with broad median impression that is half as wide as pronotum, deeper in posterior half, postero­lateral portions of the impression with less dense microsculpture, without punctation and pubescence. Male sternum 8 with wide apical emargination ( Fig. 43). Male tergum 8 with slightly crenulate or straight posterior margin ( Figs. 42, 44­ 45).

Aedeagus as in Figs. 48 ­51, 55­ 56.

Spermatheca as in Figs. 52­54.

Distribution. Known from Washington, California, Colorado and Nebraska ( Fig. 57).

Natural History. Goniusa alperti is associated with ants of the genus Formica (e.g., Formica obscuripes (identified by Dr. D.R.Smith: Kistner, 1976) and F. haemorrhoidalis (label data)).