Gabrius istonyx, Hromádka, 2014

Hromádka, L., 2014, Five new species of the genus Gabrius from Afrotropical region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Philothina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 46 (1), pp. 695-702 : 698

Gabrius istonyx nov.sp. (Figs 7-9)

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Holotype:, Congo [ Congo Belge]Massif Ruwenzori, Mont Ngulingo prés Nyamgaleke. 2500 m, ex. P.N.A., 29.iv.1954, P. Vanschuytbroeck & H. Synave, // Holotypus Gabrius istonyx nov.sp. Hromádka det., 2014, [red oblong label printed], (MRAT).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 6.5 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 2.7 mm.

Cololouration: Head black, pronotum black-brown, scutellum brown-black, elytra redbrown, suture narrowly black, posterior margin narrowly yellow, abdomen black, whole epipleura and posterior margin of visible tergites 1-4 narrowly red-brown, posterior margin of tergites 5-6 wider red-brown. Maxillary and labial palpi, antennomere 1 and base of antennomere 2 yellow-brown, remaining antennomeres brown-black. Femora and tarsi yellow, tibiae black. Head and pronotum slightly golden iridescent.

Head slightly trapezoidal, wider than long (ratio 23:20), posterior angles obtusely rounded. Clypeus with a wide, deep and round depression medially. Between eyes four coarse punctures, medial punctures slightly shifted anteriad. Distance between medial punctures four times as large as distance between medial and lateral puncture. The interocular punctures consist of three punctures on each side arranged in a oblique row. Eyes twice shorter than temples, posterior margin with two coarse punctures, temporal area in posterior half with three coarse punctures, anterior half impunctate. Surface with fine microsculpture consisting of very fine waves.

Antennae long, reaching posterior margin of pronotum when reclined. Antennomeres 1-4 and 11 distinctly longer than wide, antennomeres 5 slightly longer than wide, antennomeres 6-8 as long as wide, antennomeres 9-10 slightly wider than long. Antennomere 1 twice longer than antennomere 11, antennomere 2 shorter than antennomere 3.

Pronotum as long as wide, parallel-sided, anterior angles obtusely, posterior angles markedly rounded. Each dorsal row with six approximately equidistant, coarse punctures, each sublateral row with two punctures, puncture two shifted to the posterior margin. Surface with microsculpture similar two that on head.

Scutellum finely and densely punctured, diameter of punctures slightly larger than eyefacets, separated by one puncture diameter or smaller. Surface with microsculpture.

Elytra wider than long (ratio 33: 29), distinctly widened posteriad. Punctation coarse and dense, diameter of punctures larger than that on scutellum, separated smaller than one puncture diameter. Surface without microsculpture; setation brown-yellow.

Legs. Metatibia longer than metatarsus (ratio 25: 21), metatarsomere 1 slightly shorter than metatarsomere 5, as long as metatarsomeres 2-3 combined.

Abdomen narrow, from visible tergite III very gradually narrowed posteriad. First three visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between lines impunctate. Punctation at base of all tergites finer and sparser than that on elytra, becoming sparser to the posterior margin of each tergite. Surface without microsculpture; setation similar to that on elytra.

D i f f e r e n t i a l d i a g n o s i s Gabrius istonyx nov.sp. is similar to G. serinus nov.sp., but differs by its paler antennomere 1, darker head and pronotum golden iridescent, shorter pronotum, paler elytra and abdomen and by the different shape of the aedeagus.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Democratic Republic of the Congo.

E t y m o l o g y: The name of this species, a noun in apposition, is the generic Latin name of the African Striped polecat Ictonyx striatus PERRY 1810.