Photinopygus mirabilis
Creators: name: Chatzimanolis, Stylianos
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Photinopygus
Photinopygus mirabilis

description: Photinopygus mirabilis (Erichson, 1840)
(Figs. 5–6, 169–176)
Philonthus mirabilis Erichson, 1840: 494.
Xanthopygus mirabilis (Erichson); Bernhauer & Schubert 1914: 407.
Photinopygus mirabilis (Erichson); Chatzimanolis 2021: 91.
Type material. Lectotype, here designated, male, with labels: “Hist. -Coll. (Coleoptera) Nr. 6158. Philonthus mirabilis Dej. Er. Bogota [4.711°, -74.072°], Boquet, Zool. Mus. Berlin ” / “ mirabilis Dej. Er. Bogota Buq.” / “ Syntype Philonthus mirabilis Erichson, 1840 labelled by MFNB 2020” / “ Lectotype Philonthus mirabilis Erichson des. Chatzimanolis 2022 ”. In the collection of MFNB. Paralectotype, here designated, female with labels: “6158” / “Hist. -Coll. (Coleoptera) Nr. 6158. Philonthus mirabilis Dej. Er. Bogota, Boquet, Zool. Mus. Berlin ” / “ Syntype Philonthus mirabilis Erichson, 1840 labelled by MFNB 2020” / “ Paralectotype Philonthus mirabilis Erichson des. Chatzimanolis 2022 ”. In the collection of MFNB.
Additional Materials. BOLIVIA: Cochabamba: 105 km E Yungas nr. Rio Carmen Mayu (Cochabamba-Villa Tunari Rd) [-17.146°, -65.732°], 1750 m, 1–6.ii.1999, FIT, R. Hanley leg., SM0161844 (1 ♀ SEMC); BRAZIL: Amazonas: unknown locality (1 ♁ SDEI); unknown state: unknown locality, Cameron coll. (1 ♁ NHMUK);
COLOMBIA: Capital District: Bogotá [4.71°, -74.07°], Sharp coll. (2 ♁, 1 ♀ NHMUK); same locality (1 ♀ CNC); same locality, Bernhauer coll. FMNHINS3975387 (1 ♁ FMNH); Caquetá: PNN Cordillera de lose Picachos [2.73°, -74.88°], 2000 m, 1–7.xi.1997, Malaise trap, E. González leg., SM0645111 (1 ♁ SEMC); Huila: PNN Cueva de Los, Guácharos Cabaña Cedros [1.62°, -76.10°], 2100 m, 28.xi.–2.xii.2001, Malaise trap, D. Campos leg., SM0549107, SM0549098, SM0549102, SM0549100 (2 ♁, 1 ♀ SEMC; 1 ♁ UTCI); same locality, Alto el Mirador, 1980 m, 7–21.xii.2001, Malaise trap, R. Paramero leg., SM0549131, SM0549111 (2 ♁ SEMC); Risaralda: SFF Otún Quimbaya El Molinillo [4.717°, -75.567°], 2220 m, 8–24.v.2003, Malaise trap, G. López leg. (1 ♀ SEMC); Valle del Cauca: Cali [3.42°, -76.52°], Fassl leg., Bernhauer coll., FMNHINS3975388, FMNHINS3975389 (1 ♁, 1 ♀ FMNH); unknown department: unknown locality (1 ♁, 1 ♀ NHMUK; 1 ♁, 1 ♀ SDEI; 1 ♁ AMNH; 1 ♁, 1 ♀ MHNG); unknown locality, FMNHINS3975386 (1 ♀ FMNH); ECUADOR: Napo: Cosanga 1 km N on Baeza-Tena Rd then 1.5 km SW on road to Sierra Azul [-0.59°, -77.89°], 2150 m, 5–7.xi.1999, FIT, Z.H. Falin leg., SM0352301 (1 ♀ SEMC); Baeza [-0.464°, -77.893°], Tottenham coll. (1 ♀ NHMUK); MEXICO: Veracruz: Jalapilla [18.83°, -97.09°], Scheerpeltz coll. (1 ♀ NMW).
Diagnosis. Photinopygus mirabilis belongs in the mirabilis species group. Photinopygus mirabilis and P. thafmasios can be distinguished from all other species in Photinopygus by the presence of almost rainbow-like coloration on elytra (Figs. 169, 220). Photinopygus mirabilis differs from P. thafmasios in the following characters: pronotum color (Fig. 171) reddish-brown (black in P. thafmasios; Fig. 222), in lateral view, median lobe (Fig. 173) narrower apically than in P. thafmasios (Fig. 224), subapical tooth on medial lobe less pronounced than in P. thafmasios, and endophallus with a single lobe (Fig. 174) (two lobes in P. thafmasios; Fig. 225).
Description. Forebody (Fig. 169) length 6.3–6.6 mm. Color of head dark brown to black, pronotum and mesoscutellum reddish brown; antennomeres 1–5, reddish brown to brown; 6–11 yellow to orange; legs light to dark brown, except protarsi dark orange; elytra with diffraction gratings, almost rainbow-like coloration but color varies with angle of viewing; abdominal segments 3–5 reddish brown; abdominal segment 6 reddish brown or reddish brown with posterior half dark brown to black; abdominal segment 7 with anterior 2/3 half dark brown to black and posterior 1/3 orange; abdominal segment 8 orange. Antenna (Fig. 172) with antennomeres 3 without tomentose pubescence, antennomere 4 with faint tomentose pubescence; antennomeres 4–6 longer than wide; antennomeres 7 subquadrate; antennomeres 8–10 transverse. Head transverse; HW/HL ratio = 1.25–1.42. Posterior margin of head not extended posteriad on each side of neck. Head with sparse medium-sized punctures, distance between punctures as wide as 1–2 punctures but punctures denser posteriorly. Left mandible with bicuspid tooth. Pronotum (Fig. 171) subquadrate; PW/PL ratio = 0.95–1.00. Lateral margins of pronotum in dorsal view posteriad of midpoint concave; pronotum with 4–5 sparse rows of punctures on each half beside median impunctate line; distance between punctures as wide as 2–3 punctures but areas of pronotum without punctures. EL/PL ratio = 1.52–1.63. Elytra with sparse punctation; distance between punctures as wide as 1–2 punctures. Metepisternum with dorsal 1/3 without punctures throughout its length. Abdomen with tergites 3–4 glabrous (except line of punctures on posterior margin); tergites 3–5 with curved carina (arch-like). In males, sternite 7 without porose structure, sternite 7 with shallow and broad emargination posteriorly; sternite 8 with medium V-shaped emargination posteriorly (Fig. 170). Aedeagus as in Figs. 173–175; in dorsal view paramere narrow, converging to rounded apex; paramere subequal and slightly narrower (except apically) than median lobe; in lateral view paramere almost parallel-sided; paramere with peg setae in median rows as in Fig. 175. Median lobe in dorsal view converging to narrow pointed tip; in lateral view median lobe becoming narrower; median lobe with small subapical tooth. Endophallus with single lobe.
Distribution. Known from the Pacific, Boreal Brazilian and South Brazilian biogeographic dominions. Distributed in the department of Cochabamba in Bolivia, the state of Amazonas in Brazil, the Capital District and the departments of Caquetá, Huila, Risaralda and Valle del Cauca in Colombia, from the province of Napo in Ecuador, and the state of Veracruz in Mexico. The specimen from Mexico may be mislabeled; Navarrete-Heredia (2004) listed the records of P. mirabilis from Mexico as dubious but without examining the specimen listed above. Map is shown in Fig. 176.
Habitat. Collected at mid to high elevation (1750–2220 m) using flight intercept and malaise traps.
description: Published as part of Chatzimanolis, Stylianos, 2023, A revision of the genus Photinopygus Chatzimanolis (Staphylinidae: Xanthopygina), pp. 1-100 in Zootaxa 5292 (1) on pages 69-71, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5292.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7959518