Philonthus loxodonta Hromádka 2009, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Hromádka, Lubomír
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Philonthus
Philonthus loxodonta

description: Philonthus loxodonta sp. nov.   
(Figs. 13–19)  
 Type locality. Republic of South Africa, E. Transvaal, Pilgrims.   
 Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: E. Transvaal, Pilgrims rest, 19.–31. xii.1985, FMHD # 85– 860, relict nature, for., dung traps, S. Peck P # 85–293 // HOLOTYPE. Philonthus loxodonta sp. nov., Hromádka, det.2008 [red oblong printed label]’ (FMNH). PARATYPES: 25 spec., same label data as in holotype (FMNH, LHPC); 1 spec., ‘ Transvall, Pilgrims Rest. 1400m, 11.–31. 1985, FMHD # 85–842, FIT in relict native forest, S. Peck, P # 85–275’ (FMNH); 5 spec., ‘ E. Transvall, 11km, SE Pilgrims rest, 21.–30. xii.1985, FMHD # 85–865, relict for., carrion trap, S. Peck P # 85–298’(FMNH, LHPC) [all paratypes with red oblong printed type labels].   
 Description. Body length 8.1–10.1 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 4.2–4.8 mm.   
Colouration. Head and pronotum black, elytra and abdomen black-brown, locally slightly blue iridescent, maxillary and labial palpi and antennae black, base of antennomere 2 and femora brown-yellow, tibiae and tarsi uniformly black.  
Head with rounded outline, as wide as long, eyes longer than temples (ratio 12: 10), with four coarse punctures between eyes, distance between medial interocular punctures about four times as large as distance between medial and lateral interocular puncture, posterior angles indistinct, with several coarse punctures and several bristles of unequal length, surface with exceedingly irregular, indistinct microsculpture.  
Antennae very long, exceeding posterior margin of pronotum by about the length of terminal antennomere when reclined, all antennomeres longer than wide, relative lengths of antennomeres: 1–11: 10-5-6-4.5-4.5-4.5-4.5-4.5-4.5-4.5-6.5.  
Pronotum as wide as long, distinctly narrowed anteriad, anterior angles with several short bristles, posterior angles conspicuously rounded, each dorsal row with five punctures, punctures 2–4 equidistant, distance between punctures 1–2 and 4–5 slightly larger than interval between punctures 2–4, each sublateral row with two fine punctures. Microsculpture similar to that on head, sides with several longer bristles.  
Scutellum finely and sparsely punctate, punctures as large as eye facets, separated by 1.5–2 puncture diameters in transverse direction; setation black.  
Elytra wider than long (ratio 50: 45), very slightly widened posteriad, punctation coarse and dense, punctures slightly larger than eye facets, transverse distance between punctures mostly smaller than their diameter. Surface between punctures without microsculpture, lateral margins with several long black bristles, posterior margin of elytra with many black bristles of unequal length; setation brownish grey.  
Legs. Metatibia slightly shorter than metatarsus (ratio 28: 30), relative length of metatarsomeres: 1–5: 9.5-5-4.5-4-7.  
Abdomen wide, slightly narrowed posteriad from tergite V, first three tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between basal lines densely and finely punctate, punctation of tergites conspicuously fine and dense, covering almost whole tergites, diameter of punctures smaller than eye facets, surface between punctures without microsculpture; setation similar to that on elytra.  
Male. Protarsomeres 1–3 strongly dilated and sub-bilobed, sparsely covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 distinctly narrower than preceding ones. Sternite VIII (Fig. 16), sternite IX (Fig. 17), aedeagus (Figs. 13–15).  
Female. Protarsomeres 1–3 moderately dilated, scarcely sub-bilobed, covered with numerous modified pale setae ventrally. Tergite X (Fig. 18); gonocoxite of female genital segment (Fig. 19).  
 Differential diagnosis. Philonthus loxodonta sp. nov. may be distinguished from the most similar species P. tragelaphus sp. nov. by a narrower pronotum, different colouration of inner side of the tibiae and different shape of the aedeagus.   
 Etymology. The name of this species, a noun in apposition, is the Latin generic name of the African Elephant Loxodonta africana (Blumenbach, 1779).   
 Bionomics. In undisturbed forest, in dung and carrion traps.   
 Distribution. Known from the Gauteng Province (= Transvaal) of the Republic of South Africa.
description: Published as part of Hromádka, Lubomír, 2009, Five new Philonthus species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina) from the Afrotropical region, pp. 671-682 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (2) on pages 675-677, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5323171