Andasibe sahondrae Hlavac & Banar 2012
Creators: name: Baňař, Petr
name: Hlaváč, Peter
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Andasibe
Andasibe sahondrae

description: Andasibe sahondrae Hlaváč & Baňař 2012
(Figs. 1–22)
Andasibe sahondrae Hlaváč & Baňař 2012: 61, Figs. 1–5.
Material examined. 1 ♂: ‘VOH/ Aug.2012/17 MADAGASCAR // Réserv. Expérimentale de VOHIMANA // „Circuit 2, PK 06“; 25.viii.2012 // S18°55'18.2'' E48°30'09.3'' 899m // sifting litter; Winkler app. extr.; L.S. // Rahanitriniaina & E.M. Rabotoson lgt.’; 1 ♂: ‘ VOH/ Aug.2012/22 MADAGASCAR // Réserv. Expérimentale de VOHIMANA // „Circuit 1“; 27.viii.2012 / S18°55'30.3'' E48°30'18.2''; 871m // sifting litter; Winkler app. extr.; L.S. / / Rahanitriniaina & E.M. Rabotoson lgt.’ (MMBC) [both specimens gold-coated for SEM]; 1 ♂: ‘VOH/ June2012 / 0 2 MADAGASCAR // Beforona commune, VOHIDRAZANA // forest; 6.vi.2012, 1130m, sifting litter // S18°58'30.6'' E48°30'53.4'', Winkler // app. extraction; L.S.Rahanitriniaina // & E.M. Rabotoson lgt.’ (MMBC) [specimen dissected, preseved in glycerol]; 1 ♂ ‘VOH/ Aug.2012/01 MADAGASCAR // Réserv. Expérimentale de VOHIMANA // „Circuit 2, borne 18“; 18.viii.2012 // S18°55′03.2′′ E48°29′37.0′′; 965m // sifting litter; Winkler app. extr.; L.S. // Rahanitriniaina & E.M. Rabotoson lgt.’ (PHPC); 1 ♀: ‘ASB/05/2011 MADAGASCAR // ANDASIBE N.P., 11.iv.2011; 943m // S18°56'09.5'' E48°25'08.2'' forest // edge, sifting litter, Winkler app. extr. // P. Baňař & L.S.Rahanitriniaina lgt.’ (PHPC); 1 f*: ‘RNF/ Sept. 2012/11 MADAGASCAR // RANOMAFANA N.P., 8.x.2012 // S21°15'54.4'' E47°25' 01.8, 1003m // TALATAKELY, sifting litter, Winkler // app. extr. L.S.Rahanitriniaina lgt.’ (PHPC).
Additional description based on males. Measurements (in mm, three males measured). Total body length: 1.93–2.05; head length: 0.51–0.53; head maximum width: 0.31–0.32; third antennomere length: 0.24; pronotum median length: 0.51–0.52; pronotum maximum width: 0.42–0.43; maximum length of elytron: 0.67–0.68; maximum width across elytra: 0.84–0.86; maximum width of abdomen: 0.80–0.81.
Male (Figs. 1–2) very similar to female, with the same colour pattern and external features (except of sexual dimorphism mentioned below). Head robust and wide, widest behind eyes, ratio of head length to its maximum width 1.65; in lateral faces with antennal grooves (Figs. 5–6). Eyes (Figs. 3–6) almost completely separated into dorsal (18 ommatidia) and ventral (8 ommatidia) part, these parts meeting anteriorly. Mouth parts (Fig. 7) rudimentary, not visible from dorsal view, completely hidden in elliptical buccal cavity. Labrum (Fig. 7, lb) short, strip-like. Maxilla rudimentary, cardo (Fig. 7, cd) and basistipes (Fig. 7, bst) very small, maxillary palpi onesegmented, palpomere pedunculate (Fig. 7, plp) expanded in middle and pointed at apex, with several long apical setae; mentum (Fig. 7, mn) rectangular clearly wider than long, widened anteriorly, distal part without vestiture, proximal part margin with many long setae.
Prothorax. Pronotum (Fig. 3) pentagonal, longest in the middle, widest in the proximal third of its length, ratio of pronotal median length to its maximum width 1.21, its surface with shallow punctures, punctures of circular shape and large in posterior half, elliptical and small ones in anterior half. Prosternum (Fig. 9) broad, lateral parts prolonged posteriorly. Prothoracic hypomera deeply impressed, of conspicuously different microsculpture than the prosternum (Fig. 9).
Pterothorax. Mesonotum (Fig. 22) subtriangular in shape, mesoscutum (Fig. 22, msc) transverse, mesoscutellum (Fig. 22, msl) elongate with oval posterior margin. Meso- and metaventrite confluent; metaventrite in middle close to metaventral process with oval, hole-like depression (Figs. 10, 12). Elytra evenly widening distally (Fig. 8), shorter than distance across both elytra (ratio 0.80).
Legs. Forecoxae (Fig. 11) very close to each other, mesocoxae (Fig. 10) narrowly separated by fused meso- and metaventrite, metacoxae inserted laterally, reaching lateral margin of metaventrite. All trochanters very long (Figs. 9–12). All femora with conspicuous grooves on their ventral faces. Preapical spur on mesotibiae located very close to apex (Figs. 13–14), mesotarsi with tarsomere I slightly longer than II (Fig. 14), tarsomere III longer than I–II combined, tarsomeres I–II with long setae, III bare (Fig. 14).
Abdomen. Dorsum of abdomen (Figs. 15, 17–18) consists of anteriorly deeply concave composite tergal plate IV–VI with two deep antero-lateral foveae; tergites VII and VIII very narrow, but clearly visible in dorsal view. Paratergites IV–VII well developed and separated from each other, paratergites IV with large trichomes (Figs. 15, 17). Abdominal sternite IV very long, its lateralmost sides visible from dorsal view as a narrow strips (Fig. 18); with two foveae situated latero-mesally. Cuticular surface of sternite IV anterolaterad with paired wrinkled foveae in contrast with smooth rest of the sternite surface. Sternites V–VII short, sternite VIII broad, almost semicircular.
Aedeagus (Figs. 19–21) elongate, about twice as long as wide, parameres completely fused to median lobe, apex of median lobe curved and slender ventraly. Apical lobe lacking setae, not separated from basal bulb, dorsal diaphragm present, elliptical and large, about twice as long as wide.
Sexual dimorphism. Males differ from females by presence of strong preapical spur on mesotibiae and the oval median depresion in posterior part of metaventrite.
Special remarks. We have found difference between number of basielytral foveae in males (three foveae) and females (four foveae) of Andasibe sahondrae. Although we examined three males and three females of this species, we are still not sure if is this difference sexual dimorphism or represents intraspecific variability of the species.
Wrinkled faces on antero-lateral parts of sternite IV could represent some type of evaporatorial function.
Distribution. Central-east Madagascar.
description: Published as part of Baňař, Petr & Hlaváč, Peter, 2014, The Pselaphinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) of Madagascar. III. Additional description of Andasibe sahondrae Hlaváč & Baňař, 2012 based on males, pp. 170-176 in Zootaxa 3861 (2) on pages 171-175, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3861.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/224807