Micrillus aethiopicus Assing 2013, nov.comb.
Creators: name: Assing, V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Micrillus
Micrillus aethiopicus

description: Micrillus aethiopicus (CAMERON 1947), nov.comb.
(Figs 9-13, Map 2)
Scimbalium (Schatzmayria) aethiopicum CAMERON 1947: 54.
Type material examined: Paratypes:1: "Nargi, 13-8.1939 / Miss. E. Zavattari, Sagan-Omo A.O.I. / M. Cameron. Bequest. B.M. 1955-147. / Paratypus Scymbalium aethiopicum Cameron, rev. V. Assing 2013 / Micrillus aethiopicus (Cameron), det. V. Assing 2013" (BMNH); 1: " Cotype / Gondaraba, Lago Stefania, 18 Giugno 1939 / Miss. E. Zavattari, Sagan-Omo A.O.I. / Scimbalium aethiopicum Cam. Cotype / M. Cameron. Bequest. B.M. 1955-147. / Paratypus Scymbalium aethiopicum Cameron, rev. V. Assing 2013 / Micrillus aethiopicus (Cameron), det. V. Assing 2013" (BMNH).
Comment: The original description is based on a holotype and an unspecified number of paratypes from "Gondaraba [type locality]...; Murle...; Elolo Lago Rodolfo...; Nargi" (CAMERON 1947). Two paratypes, a male and a female, are deposited in the Cameron collection at the BMNH.
Redescription: Body length 5.8-6.5 mm; length of forebody 3.0- 3.1 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 9. Coloration: head reddish to blackish-brown; remainder of body, including appendages, reddish.
Head (Fig. 10) approximately 1.08 times as long as broad, broadest across eyes, narrowed behind eyes; posterior angles rather weakly marked, rounded; punctation sparse and fine; integument with extremely shallow microsculpture. Eyes nearly as long as postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna long and slender, approximately 2.6 mm long; antennomere X approximately twice as long as broad.
Pronotum (Fig. 10) approximately 1.15 times as long as broad and 1.05-1.10 times as broad as head; punctation very fine and very dense; interstices without distinct microsculpture.
Elytra (Fig. 10) approximately as long as pronotum; punctation very fine and very dense; surface nearly matt. Hind wings fully developed. Protarsomeres I-IV not dilated. Metatarsomere I approximately as long as the combined length of II and III.
Abdomen distinctly narrower than elytra; punctation fine and very dense; interstices with microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.
: sternite VIII (Fig. 11) strongly oblong, posterior excision narrowly V-shaped; aedeagus (Figs 12-13) approximately 0.7 mm long, strongly asymmetric, and of highly distinctive morphology; ventral process strongly inflected dorsad; internal sac with long, slender, and curved sclerotized spines, one of them apically extending beyond apex of ventral process.
Comparative notes: As can be inferred from the similar external characters and from the morphology of the male sexual characters, M. aethiopicus is closely allied to M. aegyptiacus (BERNHAUER 1910) and M. sudanicus ASSING 2008. It is distinguished from both of them particularly by the morphology of the aedeagus and additionally as follows:
from M. aegyptiacus by larger eyes, the relatively smaller and narrower head, the much denser and more distinct punctation of the pronotum, and the narrower posterior excision of the male sternite VIII;
from M. sudanicus by the relatively smaller head, the smaller eyes, and the less deep posterior excision of the male sternite VIII.
Distribution and natural history: This species is currently known only from several localities in southern Ethiopia (Map 2).
description: Published as part of Assing, V., 2013, On the Palaearctic and Oriental species of Scymbalium and Micrillus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), pp. 1479-1520 in Linzer biologische Beiträge 45 (2) on page 1494, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5301289