Pseudohesperus varanus, Hromádka, 2010

Hromádka, Lubomír, 2010, Revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Pseudohesperus, with taxonomic notes on other Afrotropical species of the subtribe Philonthina (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 50 (2), pp. 495-516 : 511-512

Pseudohesperus varanus sp. nov.

( Figs. 28–32 )

Type locality. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kibali-Ituri, Blukwa 1820-2100 m a.s.l.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kibali-Ituri 1820-2100m, (Dans humus en forêt) i.1954, N. Leleup // HOLOTYPE, Pseudohesperus varanus sp. nov., Hromádka det.2009 [red oblong label, printed]’ ( IRSB) . PARATYPES: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: 1J 1♀, Kibali-Ituri: Terr.Djugu, Mt. Aboro, 2200 m, 1.1954, H. Leleup ( IRSB, LHPC).

Description. Body length 7.5 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 3.3 mm.

Colouration. Head black, pronotum black-brown, elytra and abdomen chestnut brown, scutellum and suture of elytra brown-yellow, abdomen bluish iridescent, maxillary palpi, labial palpi, femora and tarsi yellow-brown, mandibles and tibiae darker.

Head vaguely wider than long (ratio 32: 30), distinctly narrowed posteriad, arching from posterior margin of eyes towards neck, posterior angles rounded, bearing one long black bristle each. Eyes flat, slightly shorter than temples (ratio 8: 9). Four coarse punctures present between eyes, distance between medial interocular punctures four times as large as distance between medial and lateral puncture. Posterior margin of eye with two coarse punctures, temporal area with several variably large punctures. Surface without microsculpture.

Antennae slender and long, exceeding posterior margin of pronotum by antennomere 11 when reclined, all antennomeres longer than wide, relative lengths of antennomeres 1–11: 1 = 9 units, 2 and 3 = 6 units, 4–7 = 5 units, 8 and 9 = 4 units, 10 = 3.5 units and 11 = 5 units.

Pronotum highly convex, almost as wide as long, parallel-sided, anterior angle with several variably large bristles, posterior angles markedly rounded. Sides bearing one long black bristle in anterior third. Each dorsal row with four coarse punctures and many small, but distinct punctures, each sublateral row with two coarse punctures, second puncture distinctly shifted laterad. Each side with several scattered punctures. Surface without microsculpture.

Scutellum finely and densely punctate, punctures as large as eye-facets, separated by one puncture diameter in transverse direction.

Elytra combined wider than long (ratio 40: 35), hardly wider posteriorly. Punctation slightly denser than that on scutellum. Surface between punctures without microsculpture; setation short and yellowish-brown.

Legs. Metatarsus as long as metatibia, relative lengths of metatarsomeres 1–5: 1 = 7 units, 2 = 4 units, 3 = 3.5 units, 4 = 3 units and 5 = 6 units.

Abdomen wide, very gradually narrowed towards apex. First three visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between basal lines with scattered punctures. Punctation of visible tergites coarser and much sparser than that on elytra. Surface without microsculpture, very shiny; setation longer, yellowish-brown.

Male. Protarsomeres 1–4 simple, each with few modified pale setae laterally. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 31 ), sternite IX ( Fig. 32 ), aedeagus ( Figs. 28–30 ).

Female. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Pseudohesperus varanus sp. nov. can be separated from P. proselytus by a wider head, longer eyes and antennae and different shape of the aedeagus, from P. bafutensis by a finer punctation of the elytra, sparser punctation of the abdomen and different shape of the aedeagus and from P. proselytus by a wider head and longer eyes and antennae.

Etymology. The name of this species, a noun in apposition, is the Latin generic name of the African rock monitor Varanus albigularis Daudin, 1802.

Distribution. Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Figures

Figs. 28–36. 28–32 – Pseudohesperus varanus sp. nov. (28 – aedeagus, ventral view; 29 – aedeagus, lateral view; 30 – apex of paramere with sensory peg setae, ventral view; 31 – apical portion of male sternite VIII, ventral view; 32 – male sternite IX, ventral view). 33–36 – Pseudohesperus eccoptomus (Tottenham, 1962) (33 – aedeagus, ventral view; 34 – aedeagus, lateral view; 35 – apex of paramere with sensory peg setae, ventral view; 36 – male sternite IX, ventral view).