Aleochara (Xenochara) puberula Klug 1832
Creators: name: Buss, Bruna Caroline
name: Caron, Edilson
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Aleochara
Aleochara puberula

description: Aleochara (Xenochara) puberula Klug, 1832
(Figures 1, 15, 23, 26, 29, 32–38, 93)
Aleochara puberula Klug, 1833: 139 (original description). Ganglbauer 1895: 32 (as subgenus Xenochara). Klimaszewski 1984: 46 (lectotype designation). Park & Ahn 2010: 29 (redescription). Newton 2022 (as valid name).
Type locality “Madagaskar” = Madagascar (Klimaszewski 1984).
Aleochara deserta Erichson, 1839: 173 (original description). Bernhauer & Scheerpeltz 1926: 782 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833). Klimaszewski 1984: 47 (lectotype designation). Newton 2022 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833).
Type locality “Arabian desert” (Klimaszewski 1984).
Aleochara vaga Erichson, 1839: 172 (original description). Ganglbauer 1895: 32 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833). Klimaszewski 1984: 47 (lectotype designation). Newton 2022 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833).
Type locality “Promont. bon. Spei” (Klimaszewski 1984).
Aleochara decorata Aubé, 1850: 311 (original description). Ganglbauer 1895: 32 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833). Klimaszewski 1984: 46 (lectotype designation, type locality “ France, probably near Paris”). Newton 2022 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833).
Type locality “ France, probably near Paris ” (Klimaszewski 1984).
Aleochara armitagei Wollaston, 1854: 559 (original description). Ganglbauer 1895: 32 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833). Newton 2022 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833).
Type locality “Madeiram” = Madeira island (Wollaston 1854).
Oxypoda sanguinolenta Motschulsky, 1858: 241 (original description). Ganglbauer 1895: 32 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833). Newton 2022 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833).
Type locality “ Alexandrie en Egypte ” (Motschulsky 1858).
Oxypoda brunescens Motschulsky, 1858: 243 (original description with question mark “?”). Bernhauer & Scheerpeltz 1926: 782 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833, misspelling as “brunnescens”).
Type locality “Indes orientales” (Motschulsky 1858).
Aleochara badia Motschulsky, 1858: 237 (original description). Newton 2022 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833).
Type locality “Indes orientales” (Motschulsky 1858).
Aleochara dubia Fauvel, 1863: 428 (original description in Chevrolat & Fauvel 1863). Bernhauer 1901: 29 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833). Newton 2022 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833, and an ambiguous species). Note: Chevrolat & Fauvel (1863: 445) mentioned the name as a new species.
Type locality “ Cuba ” (Chevrolat & Fauvel 1863).
Oxypoda analis MacLeay, 1871: 135 (original description). Bernhauer & Scheerpeltz 1926: 782 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833). Newton 2022 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833).
Type locality “ Gayndah, a town on the Burnett River ”, in Australia (MacLeay 1871).
Baryodma bipartita Casey, 1894: 287 (original description). Klimaszewski 1984: 47 (lectotype designation, as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833). Newton 2022 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833).
Type locality “ USA, Texas, Galveston ” (Klimaszewski 1984).
Aleochara puberula major Eichelbaum, 1912: 176 (original description). Bernhauer & Scheerpeltz 1926: 782 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833). Newton 2022 (as junior synonym of A. puberula Klug, 1833, and an ambiguous species). Note: Eichelbaum, 1912 named as Aleochara puberula “forma” major, then major is determinated as a subspecific name (ICZN, art. 45.6.4). Furthermore, Eichelbaum (1912) reported that he was in doubt and preferred to maintain it as A. puberula.
Type locality “Parehberge, 1600 m.”, Africa (Eichelbaum 1912).
Type material. Not seen. The lectotype of the valid name is deposited in the Museum f̧r Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany (ZMHB) (Klimaszewski 1984).
Additional material. Thirteen specimens at the total. Three specimens, MZUSP, Brazil, S„o Paulo, “Ypiranga”, without information about date and collector; 10 specimens, CESP, Brazil, Paraná, Ipor „, dates: 23.IV.2017 and 06.V.2017, collected in pig droppings, B. Navarro, col.
Diagnosis. Aleochara (X.) puberula is similar to A. verberans and differs from it by antennomere 4 slightly longer than wide (Fig. 15), and elytra with each posterolateral margin deeply emarginate (Fig. 29).
Redescription. Male: maximum body length 4.0 mm, maximum elytral width 1.5 mm. Body dark brown with appendages (antenna: three basal antennomeres only), legs and elytra (except lateral, basal and sutural regions) lighter (Fig. 1). Body on dorsal surface glossy; pubescent, appearing yellowish-brown in artificial light; setigerous pores impressed. Head: circular. Pubescence directed anterad. Eyes large and slightly prominent, twice the length of temples. Ventral surface of head with a long carina on each side of midline, attaining the gular suture (Fig. 23). Neck absent. Antenna reaching base of elytra; antennomere 1 short, slightly longer than 2 and subequal in length to antennomere 3 (Fig. 15); antennomeres 4 and 5 slightly longer than wide; 6–10 wider than long, gradually increasing in width towards apex; antennomere 11 almost two times longer than wide, length almost equaling three preceding antennomeres combined; antennomeres 1–4 glossy with some long black setae dispersed; antennomeres 5–11 covered by very short white setae, with some long black setae on apex of each antennomere, particularly antennomere 11 with long black setae on a transverse circular line at the apex of basal one-third of the antennomere. Labrum transverse; anterior margin slightly emarginate, with a-sensilla long and b-sensilla short and sharp apically (Fig. 26). Mandibles symmetrical, without internal teeth. Maxillary palpomere 2 and 3 about the same length; palpomere 4 about half length of 3. Gular plate broad. Thorax: pronotum transverse; posterior margin broadly curved; densely pubescent, with pubescence directed posterad and laterad elsewhere. Elytra of the same length and width with pronotum; elytra wider than long, densely pubescent, pubescence directed posterad; each posterolateral margin deeply emarginate (Fig. 29). Hind wings developed. Mesoventrite completely carinate; mesoventrite process somewhat sharp and longer than metaventrite process, both joined. Abdomen: distinctly narrowed posteriorly; pubescence sparse directed posterad. Tergum VIII with posterior margin emarginate at the middle, not serrated (Fig. 32). Sternum VIII with posterior margin broadly rounded and truncate medially (Fig. 34). Aedeagus elongate (Figs. 35–37); median lobe of the aedeagus with ventral margin curved in apical one-third in lateral view, directed ventrad. Female: Similar to male. Spermatheca somewhat C-shaped, with coiled duct (two to three coils) (Fig. 38).
Geographical records. New records: Brazil: S„o Paulo (S„o Paulo) and Paraná (Ipor„). Literature records: Brazil: S„o Paulo (Bastos e Pirassununga) (Almeida & Prado 1999). The species is cosmopolite (Caron et al. 2008, Newton 2022) (Fig. 93).
Biological notes. Larvae and adults of A. (X.) puberula were collected from decaying organic matter, such as carcasses, feces (human, pig and cattle), or from decomposing plants (Peschke & Fuldner 1977, Klimaszewski 1984, Almeida & Prado 1999). According to Almeida & Prado (1999), larvae prefer drier sites around manure piles. This facilitates the larval behavior of spunning their cocoons in the soil after leaving the fly puparia.
Aleochara (X.) puberula has been recorded attacking three different families of flies: Muscidae, Musca domestica Linnaeus (house fly) and Stomoxys calcitrans (Linnaeus) (stable fly), Ulidiidae, Physiphora aenea (Fabricius), and Calliphoridae, Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy [cited as C. erythrocephala (Meigen)] (Peschke & Fuldner 1977, Almeida & Prado 1999). Finally, Klimaszewski (1984) and Almeida & Prado (1999) mentioned that A. (X.) puberula can be used for the biological control of house and stable flies.
description: Published as part of Buss, Bruna Caroline & Caron, Edilson, 2023, Revision of Brazilian species of Aleochara Gravenhorst of the subgenus Xenochara Mulsant & Rey (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), pp. 509-534 in Zootaxa 5330 (4) on pages 512-515, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5330.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/8255121