Fusjugama Park, 1956: 55 (as subgenus)

Caterino, Michael S. & Vasquez-Velez, Laura M., 2017, A revision of Prespelea Park (Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae), ZooKeys 685, pp. 105-130 : 107-109

Fusjugama Park, 1956: 55 (as subgenus) syn. n.

Type species.

Prespelea quirsfeldi Park (1953: 251), original combination.

Diagnosis.

Speleobamini can be easily separated from other North American Pselaphinae by the cervical region of head, which is deeply and narrowly constricted, the constriction obscured by dense fringes of opposing setae. Prespelea can be separated from Speleobama , the tribe’s only other genus, by the presence of eyes, and by the maxillary palp, in which the fourth palpomere is tuberculate and bearing a long apical ‘cone’; pros ternal disk with median setose patch; mesoventrite with well-developed submedian and lateral foveae behind anterior margin; metaventrite with lateral mesocoxal fovea present, small; abdominal ventrite 3 of both sexes with densely setose transverse basal impression; femora obliquely articulated on trochanter so that femur and coxa are relatively close to each other; tarsi of three tarsomeres, the first tarsomere short, the last two very long, the last bearing a single claw; prosternum elongate, without median carina; mesoventrite bisected by strong median carina; procoxae contiguous in confluent cavities; mesocoxae subcontiguous in separate cavities; metacoxae contiguous; males frequently with median metaventral processes and modified metatrochanters; aedeagus large, median lobe elongate, with a long, free style (paramere) on each side that bears four distal setae, and is inserted on the ventral face of the basal capsule.

Description.

Size range: TL 1.54-2.09mm; Max. width (EW) 0.57-0.71mm; Body. Integument rufescent, elongate, tapered with prothorax and head narrow; cuticle shining, sparsely setose, most surfaces with moderately long subdecumbent setae, intermixed with longer, finer ‘flying’ setae (these generally appressed in dry specimens). Head.HL 0.31-0.41mm; antennal insertions elevated with shallow median depression between them, broadly open laterally and anteriorly; antennae conspicuously setose, with 11 antennomeres: scape cylindrical, about as long as antennomeres 2 and 3 together; antennomere 2 generally about 1.5 × length and width of antennomere 3; antennomeres 3-8 generally similar to each other, variable in length among species; antennomeres 9-11 forming weakly distinct club, with length of antennomere 9 about twice that of 8th, length of antennomere 10 1.25 × that of 9th, and apical antennomere about twice as long as 10th, with its sides rounded, tapering to subacute apex; eyes present, situated somewhat ventrolaterally, either of 2-4 facets or>30 (no intermediates known); epistoma broad, somewhat produced, finely elevated along apical margin; labrum rounded laterally and apically, subcircular; mandibles (Fig. 11) apically acute, with row of 5-7 serrate denticles along apical half of inner margin; cardo large, weakly projecting, glabrous; stipes triangular, with single small seta near basolateral corner; lacinia short, with few medially directed apical spines; galea long, digitiform, strongly fimbriate on inner margin; maxillary palp with four palpomeres, all appearing smooth and glabrous, with only few inconspicuous setae, the basalmost palpomere short and elbowed, the second the longest, strongly clavate, the third and fourth slightly shorter than second, subequal, more gradually clavate, the fourth bearing an apical digitiform process; submentum indistinct; mentum subquadrate, slightly elongate, with one or two pairs subapical setae; labial palpifer projecting, bearing three palpomeres, the basalmost palpomere very short, second palpomere about half as long as mentum width, weakly expanded apically, apical palpomere thin and short, bearing pair of apical setae. Thorax.PnL 0.31-0.37mm, PnW 0.29-0.33mm; pronotum narrow, sides rounded, widest near middle, slightly narrowed to base and apex, with five deep impressions along basal margin, setae of disk converging anteromedially; pronotosternal sutures absent; prosternum with or without vestigial lateral foveae, disk bearing median cluster of setae; prosternal cavities contiguous, broadly open behind; mesoventrite with well-developed submedian and lateral foveae behind anterior margin; metaventrite with lateral mesocoxal fovea present, small; male metaventrite with variably developed process; episterna and epimera concealed. EL 0.39-0.61mm; EW 0.57-0.71mm; elytra strongly narrowed to base (more strongly in wingless forms, including females of all species), each with or without weak pair of basal foveae; sutural stria present; metathoracic wings present (some males) or absent (some males and all females). Legs. Femora obliquely articulated on trochanter so that femur and coxa are relatively close to each other; tarsi of three tarsomeres, first short, last two very long, last tarsomere bearing a single claw; males frequently with modified metatrochanters. Abdomen.T3L 0.25-0.49; tergite 3 half to two-thirds elytral length (relatively longer in wingless forms), with deep transverse basal impression, densely lined with setae, sides with strong submarginal carina, curving mediad basally; other tergites short, without distinct lateral carinae, only tergites 4 and 5 with distinct paratergites; tergite 7 small and weakly depressed in males, wider and often medially carinate in females; abdominal ventrite 3 of both sexes with densely setose transverse basal impression; ventrites 2 and 3 developed into prominent intercoxal process. Aedeagus. Symmetrical, median lobe simple, sides parallel to sinuate to convergent, apex truncate to emarginate, often laterally expanded; apical foramen simple or delimited laterally to subapically by weakly elevated ridges; internal sac simple or bearing spines; parameres elongate, bearing four distal setae, articulated on the ventral face of the basal capsule.

Distribution.

The genus is only known from the southern Appalachian Mountains.

Remarks.

Little to nothing is known about the natural history of Prespelea species. Although their morphology and relationships to true troglobites seem to suggest deep soil or ‘subcave’ preferences, our own group’s recent collections have been from more typical litter samples, principally mixed hardwood litters, frequently under evergreen ericaceous shrubs.

We here synonymize the subgenus Fusjugama Park since the major phylogenetic divisions in the genus do not support the gross large-eye/small eye division on which that name was based.