Revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Pseudohesperus, with taxonomic notes on other Afrotropical species of the subtribe Philonthina (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)
Hromádka Lubomír
Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 50(2): 495-516, 2010
Views: 1236
Abstract: Afrotropical species of the genus Pseudohesperus Hayashi, 2008 are revised. The
genus contains nine Afrotropical species, four of which are described as new: P.
apsilus sp. nov. (Uganda, Gabon), P. tauraco sp. nov. (Democratic Republic of
the Congo), P. tyto sp. nov. (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and P. varanus
sp. nov. (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Three species are transferred to
Pseudohesperus from the genus Philonthus Stephens, 1829: P. conradti (Bernhauer,
1912) comb. nov., P. eccoptomus (Tottenham, 1962) comb. nov. And P. proselytus
(Bernhauer, 1912) comb. nov. Two species are transferred to Pseudohesperus from
the genus Hesperus Stephens, 1829: Pseudohesperus bafutensis (Levasseur, 1967)
comb. nov. and Pseudohesperus natalensis (Scheerpeltz, 1956) comb. nov. Hesperus
longicornis Cameron, 1950 syn. nov. is synonymized with Pseudohesperus
conradti. All Afrotropical species of the genus Pseudohesperus are keyed and
their aedeagi and relevant morphological characters are figured. In addition,
new synonyms and new combinations are proposed for some other representatives of
the Afrotropical Philonthina based on the study of type specimens. Five species
of Philonthus are synonymized: Philonthus captivus Levasseur, 1966 syn. nov. =
P. wittei Bernhauer, 1932; P. parasanguineus Levasseur, 1962 syn. nov. = P.
ichor Tottenham, 1961; P. rubrovittatus Tottenham, 1979 syn. nov. = P.
nimeaglius Tottenham, 1962; P. discoideisimillis Scheerpeltz, 1974 syn. nov. =
P. taterae Scheerpeltz, 1951; and P. flandrianus Cameron, 1952 syn. nov. = P.
ventralis Gravenhorst, 1802. Eight species of Philonthus are transferred to the
genus Gabrius Stephens, 1829: G. definitus (Cameron, 1950) comb. nov., G.
dubiosus (Bernhauer, 1936) comb. nov., G. elypticus (Bernhauer, 1932) comb.
nov., G. gerardi (Bernhauer, 1928) comb. nov., G. gongulus (Tottenham, 1949)
comb. nov., G. rudiventris (Bernhauer, 1937) comb. nov., and G. separatus
(Cameron, 1950) comb. nov. Philonthus meridioafricanus Scheerpeltz, 1974 syn.
nov. is synonymized with Gabronthus maritimus (Motschulsky, 1858). Two species
of Gabrius are transferred to the genus Gabronthus Tottenham, 1955: Gabronthus
heterocerus (Cameron, 1950) comb. nov. and Gabronthus kamatembeanus (Cameron,
1950) comb. nov.
Key words: Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Philonthina, Pseudohesperus, Philonthus, Gabrius, Gabronthus, taxonomy, new species, new synonyms, new combinations, distribution, Afrotropical Region