Achilia puncticeps
Creators: name: Sabella, Giorgio
name: Cuccodoro, Giulio
name: Kurbatov, Sergey A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Achilia
Achilia puncticeps

description: Achilia puncticeps (Reitter, 1883)
Figs 1, 13, 25, 29-30, 57
Bryaxis puncticeps Reitter, 1883: 51, pl. I fig. 10 (head and antennae).
Achilia puncticeps. – Jeannel, 1962: 414-415 (pro parte, description of female) fig. 167 (head and antennae).
Bryaxis approximans Reitter, 1885: 324, 326, pl. II fig. 4 (head and antennae) (syn. nov.).
Achilia approximans. – Jeannel, 1962: 437, figs 212 (head and antennae) and 213 (aedeagus).
Type material (2 ex.): MNHN (ex coll. Raffray); 1 ♂ (holotype of Achilia puncticeps); Chili; labels verbatim “Type / Chili / Muséum de Paris, 1917, coll. A. Raffray / A. puncticeps, A. Raffray det. / puncticeps Reitt. (handwritten by Jeannel) / female symbol”. – MNHN (ex coll. Raffray); 1 ♀ (holotype of Achilia approximans): CENTRAL CHILI: Región Los Ríos: Valdivia prov.: labels verbatim “Type / B. approximans m., Valdivia (handwritten by Reitter) / Muséum de Paris, 1917, coll. A. Raffray / A. approximans, A. Raffray det. / approximans Reitt. (handwritten by Jeannel)”.
Additional material examined (70 ex.): MNHN (coll. Raffray); 3 ♂; Chili. – SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL CHILI: Región Aysén: Aysén prov.: MHNG; 1 ♂; Rio Simpson National Park, 33 km E Puerto Aysén; 70 m; 26.I.1985; S. & J. Peck; forest, sifted moss on stumps. – MHNG; 1 ♂ and 1 ♀; 30 km N Puyuhuapi, station 107; 100 m; 29.I.1985; S. & J. Peck; sifted moss on logs. – MNHG; 8 ♂; 15 km S Las Juntas, 30 km N Puyuhuapi; 100 m; 30.XII.1984 / 29.I.1985; S. & J. Peck; FIT, Nothofagus forest. – Región Los Lagos: Palena prov.: FMNH (FMHD #85-991, # 85-108); 1 ♂; 4 km NW Chaiten; 10 m; 30.I.1985; S. & J. Peck; mixed forest litter, sooty fungus, Berlese. – Llanquihue prov.: MNHN (coll. Raffray, sub A. approximans); 1 ♂ and 2 ♀; Los Riscos; 41° 13’S; 11.IV.1954; G. Kuschel. – MNHS; 2 ♀; same data. – FMNH; 2 ♂; Lago Chapo, 13.5 km E Correntoso, site 656; 310 m; 16-27.XII.1982; A. Newton & M. Thayer; Valdivian rainforest, flight intercept (windows) trap. – UHNC; 3 ♂; same data. – FMNH; 1 ♂; same data, but Berlese, leaf & log litter, forest floor. – UHNC; 1 ♂; same data. – FMNH (FMHD #97-28); 2 ♂; Alerce Andino National Park, near Sargazo entrance, 11.4 km from Correntoso; 41° 30’S 72° 37’W; 350 m; 19.I.1997; A. Newton & M. Thayer 998; Valdivian rainforest, Berlese, leaf & log litter. – FMNH (FMHD #97-14); 3 ♂; Lago Chapo, near SE end, km 9.9 on road from Rollizo; 41° 30.63’S 72° 23.98’W; 385 m; 04-26.I.1997; A. Newton & M. Thayer 989; Valdivian rainforest on steep slope, flight intercept trap. – Chiloé prov.: MNSG; 2 ♂; Chiloé Island, Estero Llicaldad; TC-608; 19.I.2000; T. Cekalovic. – MHNG; 1 ♂; Chiloé National Park, near Cucao, 30 km SW Castro, station 34b; 42° 37’S 74° 08’W; 10-70 m; 28.XII.1992 / 01.I.1993; D. Burckhardt; sifting of moss on forest floor trees and dead trunks and vegetational debris. – FMNH (FMHD # 2002-72); 1 ♂; S side of Huillinco lake, road to Bellavista; 1.3 km S road of Cucao; 42° 41.81’S 73° 55.88’W; 45 m; 12-22. XII.2002; A. Newton & M. Thayer 1062; Valdivian rainforest w/emergent Saxegothea conspicua, flight intercept trap. – FMNH (FMHD #2002-066); 1 ♂; Quemchi, 11 km W of (11 km E Hwy 5); 42° 10.40’S 73° 35.73’W; 140 m; 10-21.XII.2002; A. Newton, M. Thayer & D. J. Clarke; Valdivian rainforest remnant w/thick bamboo understory; flight intercept trap. – FMNH (FMHD #97-24); 1 ♂; Colonia Yungay road to (3.6 km W Hwy 5); 42° 59’S 73° 41’W; 90 m; 17.I.1997; A. Newton & M. Thayer 995; grazed secondary Valdivian rainforest remnants, Berlese, leaf & log litter. – Osorno prov.: FMNH; 1 ♂; 7.7 km NE Termas de Puyehue, site 664; 200 m; 19-25.XII.1982; A. Newton & M. Thayer; Valdivian rainforest, Berlese, leaf & log litter, forest floor. – FMNH (FMHD # 97-5); 1 ♂; Puyehue National Park, 4 km E Anticura; 40° 39.73’S 72° 08.10’W; 460 m; 30.I.1997; A. Newton & M. Thayer 985-3; Valdivian rainforest w/large, Saxegothea, flight intercept trap. – FMNH; 4 ♀; Puyehue National Park, 4.1 km E Anticura, trap site 662; 430 m; 19-26.XII.1982; A. Newton & M. Thayer; Valdivian rainforest, screen sweeping at dusk. – MHNG; 4 ♂ and 14 ♀; Puyehue National Park, Antillanca Road; 500 -1000 m; 18-20.XII.1984; S. & J. Peck; car netting. – FMNH (FMHD #85-923, # 85- 38); 1 ♂; same data. – FMNH; 1 ♂; Chincay, 10 km E of Bahía Mansa; 50 m; 21.XII.1982; A. Newton & M. Thayer; 2nd Valdivian forest, Berlese, leaf & log litter, forest floor. – Región Los Ríos: Valdivia prov.: JEBC; 2 ♂; Valdivia, Chaihuin, Camino a Huaicolla; S 39° 59.926’ W 73° 38.976’; 107 m; 12.I.2007; J.E. Barriga-Tuñón; fogging Nothofagus dombeyi. – JEBC; 1 ♀; Valdivia, Parque Oncol, casa visitas; S 39° 42.303’ W 73°18.704’; 473 m; 07.I.2007; J.E. Barriga-Tuñón; fogging s/ Nothofagus pumilio. – FMNH; 1 ♂; 4.1 km W Anticura, site 663; 270 m; 19-25.XII.1982; A. Newton & M. Thayer; Valdivian rainforest, flight intercept (windows) trap. – UHNC; 1 ♂; same data. – MHNG; 1 ♂; Alerce Costiero National Park, near Chaihuin; 0 -100 m; 16.II.2018; S. Kurbatov; forest litter. – MHNG; 1 ♂; Alerce Costiero National Park, near Chaihuin; 500 m; 15.II.2018; G. Sabella & D. Mifsud; forest litter.
Description: Body 1.30-1.45 mm long, entirely dark
brown with reddish elytra darker at base and along sutural stria; antennae, palpi and legs reddish-brown. Head with vertexal sulcus deeply impressed; eyes moderately protruding, shorter than slightly convex temples. Pronotum as wide as head; median antebasal fovea as large as lateral ones. First abdominal tergite with basal striae extending to about one-quarter of paratergal length, and separated at base by about onequarter of tergal width.
Male: Head as in Figs 29-30; frons flattened, densely punctate and pubescent, disc with broad V-shaped impression with distinctly raised margins; frontal lobe short and raised. Antennae (Fig. 13) with scape and pedicel longer than wide; all funicular antennomeres wider than long, except antennomere V as long as wide; antennomeres IX and X strongly transverse with protruding mesal margins; antennomere XI very elongate and distinctly longer than VI-X combined, bearing long and thin subbasal seta inserted in deep impression, its surface with some tubercles. Metaventrite raised at middle, this area with some fine punctures, distally pubescent and divided by wide median longitudinal sulcus. Legs with trochanters very elongate; surface of protrochanters and mesotrochanters bearing numerous long bristles; ventral margin of mesotrochanters projecting posteriorly in a spine (Fig. 25); profemora and mesofemora slightly thickened; distal half of mesotibiae slightly sinuate and with long and thick bristles; distal half of metatibiae slightly sinuate. Abdominal tergites and ventrites unmodified. Aedeagus (Fig. 1, dorsal longitudinal struts not shown) 0.26-0.29 mm long, medial sclerites apically pointed, and associated on each side with three pointed sclerites, the proximal trifid.
Female: Similar to male except: head with frons slightly convex (not flattened) without punctures, and with large vertexal fovea beside each eye; antennae shorter and thinner than male; metaventrite and legs unmodified.
Collecting data: Collected from December to April, mainly in Valdivian rainforests, but also in Saxegothaea forests, where it was found in remnants and in boundary forests at elevations ranging from sea level to 1000 m. Most specimens came from flight intercept traps but also by sifted samples of leaf and log litter, moss, dead trunks, vegetable debris and mushrooms, and by car netting.
Distribution: Achilia puncticeps is known from Southern and Central Chile (Fig. 57: red circles), ranging from Aysén to Valdivia provinces.
Comments: Our study of the types of A. puncticeps and A. approximans, as well as those specimens identified as such by Reitter (1883, 1885) and Jeannel (1962), revealed that the “female” holotype of A. puncticeps is indeed a male conspecific with the female holotype of A. approximans. Consequently A. approximans (Reitter, 1885) is here placed as a junior synonym of A. puncticeps (Reitter, 1883) (syn. nov.). It also appeared that the males identified and illustrated as pertaining to A. puncticeps by Reitter (1885: 324, 326, pl. II, fig. 5) and Jeannel (1962: 414, figs 166-168) belong indeed to a quite different species, which is described as new at the end of this paper (i.e. A. zaurda n. sp.). See also the previous section dedicated to the definition of the A. puncticeps species group.
Achilia puncticeps can be distinguished from the other members of the genus by the morphology of the male head (Figs 29-30), features of the antennae (Fig. 13), and the copulatory pieces of the aedeagus (Fig. 1).
description: Published as part of Sabella, Giorgio, Cuccodoro, Giulio & Kurbatov, Sergey A., 2019, A revision of the Chilean Brachyglutini - Part 4. Revision of Achilia Reitter, 1890: A. puncticeps and A. approximans species groups, with description of seven new species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), pp. 127-145 in Revue suisse de Zoologie 126 (1) on pages 129-131, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.2619528