Hesperus belonuchiformis BERNHAUER 1915

Hromádka, L., 2012, Revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Hesperus FAUVEL (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 44 (1), pp. 551-589 : 556-557

Hesperus belonuchiformis BERNHAUER 1915 (Figs 11-14)

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: Abessinien: Boroda, Kristensen lgt., Chicago NHMus M. Bernhauer collection // belonuchiformis Bernhauer TYPUS [ochre oblong label handwritten] ( FMNH).

R e d e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 7.9 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 4.7 mm.

C o l o u r a t i o n: Head black, scutellum and pronotum black-brown, distinctly golden iridescent, elytra red, suture narrowly dark, visible abdominal tergites 1-4 brownblack, posterior margin of tergites narrowly and all paratergites yellow-red, posterior half of tergite 5, whole tergites 6-7 and legs yellow-brown. Maxillary and labial palpi, and antennomeres 1-3 yellow-brown, remaining antennomeres brown, mandibles blackbrown.

Head transverse, wider than long (ratio 39: 31), parallel-sided, posterior angles obtusely rounded, bearing two long black bristles. Eyes flat, shorter than temples (ratio 10: 15). With wide impunctate midline, each side with many variably sized punctures. Temporal area with scattered punctures. Surface with fine microsculpture consisting of transverse waves.

Antennae stout, reaching posterior third of pronotum when reclined. Antennomere 1 longer than antennomere 11, antennomere 2 shorter than antennnomere 3, antennomeres 5-10 wider than long.

Pronotum longer than wide (ratio 39: 35), with lateral outline vaguely concave, distinctly narrowed posteriad, posterior angles markedly rounded. With wide impunctate midline, each dorsal row with ten coarse approximately equidistant punctures, each side irregularly, sparsely punctate. Surface with microsculpture similar to that on head.

Scutellum very coarsely and densely punctate, diameter of punctures almost as large as diameter of punctures in dorsal rows, interstices very small. Surface with distinct microsculpture.

Elytra longer than wide (ratio 50: 46), parallel-sided, sides with several variably long bristles. Punctation fine and dense, diameter of punctures smaller than those on scutellum, separated by a puncture diameter in transverse direction. Surface between punctures without microsculpture; setation dirty yellow.

Legs. Metatibia longer than metatarsus (ratio 26: 24), metatarsomere 1 shorter than metatarsomere 5.

Abdomen wide, parallel-sided, first three visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between basal lines coarsely punctate, punctation at base of all tergites coarser than that on elytra, becoming vaguely sparser towards posterior margin of each tergite, most of punctures raindrop-shaped. Surface without microsculpture; setation darker than that on elytra.

Male. Protarsomeres 1-3 slightly dilated and sub-bilobed, each covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 narrower than preceding ones. Sternite IX (Fig. 14), aedeagus (Figs 11-13).

Female. Unknown to the author.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Hesperus belonuchiformis may be distinguished from the similar H. uelensis by the shorter eyes, different colouration of the abdomen, from H. addisadebaensis by the paler antennae, shorter eyes, narrower pronotum and from both by the different shape of the aedeagus.

D i s t r i b u t i o n. Democratic Republic of the Congo ( HERMAN 2001).