Acylophorus allardi Levasseur
Creators: name: Lott, Derek A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Acylophorus
Acylophorus allardi

description: Acylophorus allardi Levasseur
(Figs 13, 45, 63, 89, 121, 122)
Acylophorus allardi Levasseur, 1968: 1400; Herman, 2001: 3026.
Diagnostic characters. Levasseur’s description contains illustrations of the aedeagus and antenna in addition to a textual description of morphological features. The following section contains additional diagnostic features.
Length 7–8mm. Head large (pronotum 1.6x wider than head), 1.05x wider than long with rounded but evident temples behind somewhat large eyes (Fig. 13). Head produced in front of antennae insertion point. Covered with dense micro-punctures. Dense pale pubescence behind eyes. Two pairs of interocular setae. Four postocular setae visible on each side, additional seta on hind margin of eye absent. Right mandible with large medial tooth in front of flange, no teeth on left mandible (Fig. 45). Maxillary palpi with terminal segment densely pubescent, markedly asymmetric, longer than very short, triangular, glabrous penultimate segment (Fig. 63). First segment of antenna longer than next four (Fig. 89). Segments I to VIII elongate, X to XI transverse.
Pronotum weakly transverse (1.1x wider than long) with rounded sides and widest in basal half. Covered with dense micro-punctures. Marginal setae short. Elytra transverse (1.7x wider than long). Typical form with short, bright yellow pubescence, but in a series collected from South Africa, the yellow pubescence is much less shining. Fringe of bristles on hind margin longer than the hairs on the rest of the elytra. Pubescence on abdominal tergites also bright yellow in typical form and relatively short, arising from fine and dense asperate punctures, which are sparser toward apex. In the South African form, the pubescence is slightly longer and less shining.
Apex of sternite IX entire. Median lobe of aedeagus strongly flattened with a broadly incised apex (Figs 121, 122). Paramere bilobed, each lobe twisted round side margin of median lobe, pegs arranged in rows along each margin, basal lip absent.
Type material. Syntype 3: “ CONGO BELGE 8.54 D.V. ALLARD / H. KATANGA COLL. LEVASSEUR / LUENA HT LOMAMI / CROTTINS D’ELEPHANT / Acylophorus allardi sp. n. LEVASSEUR DET TYPE ” (MNHN).
Further material examined. SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal: Pietermaritzburg, Queen Elizabeth Park, 29 O 34.157 ’S 30 O 19.299 ’E, J Janák, 22.xi.2006, 333Ƥ (cJanák & cLott).
Distribution and bionomics. (Fig. 143). The two type specimens from Katanga were collected from elephant dung, an unusual habitat for Acylophorus. The South African specimens were collected from a stream bank, a more characteristic habitat.
Comparative notes. Distinguished from most other species in the A. densipennis group by the flattened aedeagus. A. congoensis also has a flattened aedeagus, but the median lobe in A. allardi is more elongate. From species with bright yellow pubescence it can be recognised by its large size, short marginal setae and short pubescence on the elytra and abdominal tergites.
Discussion. For this species material was available for study from only two localities and they differed in several respects. In South African specimens the pubescence on the elytra and abdomen was a much less brighter yellow and was also slightly shorter. The lobes of the paramere were less twisted around the sides of the median lobe and the shape of the median lobe was also subtly different. At this stage these differences are not considered significant enough to split off the South African series into a separate taxon, but further material is needed to resolve whether the observed variation is intraspecific or interspecific.
description: Published as part of Lott, Derek A., 2010, The species of Acylophorus Nordmann (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae) in continental sub-Saharan Africa, pp. 1-51 in Zootaxa 2402 on page 20, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.275907