Microlia meticola Casey 1911
Creators: name: Gusarov, Vladimir I.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2002
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy

description: 2. Microlia meticola (Casey, 1911) (Figs. 1­15, 34­44)
Nosora meticola Casey, 1911: 146.
Nosora meticola: Leng, 1920: 122.
Nosora meticola: Fenyes, 1920: 308.
Nosora meticola: Bernhauer & Scheerpeltz, 1926: 717. Nosora meticola: Moore & Legner, 1975: 456. Nosora meticola: Seevers, 1978: 143.
Type material. Lectotype:, UNITED STATES: Arizona: Nogales (Wickham) (NMNH). This reference to the lectotype is not to be considered as lectotype designation. The lectotype will be designated by Hanley (in press, c).
Additional material: UNITED STATES: Arizona: Cochise Co.: 23 specimens, Portal, Soutwest Research Station, dead Cucurbita flowers (H. & A. Howden), 22.vi.1956;, ditto but beating oak, 24.vi.1956;, ditto but 28.vi.1956 (all in CNC); 67 specimens, Southwest Research Station, Datura flowers (M.Weiser), 29.vii.1993 (KSEM); Texas:, 2 miles W of Fort Davis (H. & A. Howden), 14.vii.1956 (CNC).
Diagnosis: Microlia meticola can be distinguished from other species of Microlia by the shape of the aedeagus, particularly the apical process of median lobe (Figs. 38­41) and spermatheca with numerous irregular loops (Fig. 42­43).
Description: Length 1.9­2.1 mm. Head from brownish yellow to brown; pronotum from brownish yellow to brown, with lighter borders; elytra from yellowish brown with lighter humeral angles to brown; abdominal segments 3­4 yellow to brown, segments 5­7 brown, segment 8 brownish yellow to brown; 4 or 5 basal antennal articles brownish yellow, 6 or 7 apical articles brown; legs and mouthparts yellow; in most specimens pronotum and abdominal segments 3­4 and 8 lighter than head, elytra and abdominal segments 5­7.
Head surface glossy, on disk with weak isodiametric microsculpture, puncturation fine, distance between punctures 1­2 times their diameter. Eyes 2.5­3.5 times longer than temples.
Pronotum strongly transverse, 1.3 times wider than head, width 0.44­0.56 mm, length 0.29­0.39 mm, width to length ratio 1.5, surface glossy, with weak and poorly visible (at x70) transverse microsculpture; puncturation as on head or stronger, distance between punctures 1­2 times their diameter. Elytra wider (0.51­0.66 mm) and longer (0.46­0.54 mm, measured from humeral angle) than pronotum (pronotal length to elytral length ratio 0.68), 1.2 times wider than long, surface glossy, with weak transverse microsculpture, puncturation slightly asperate, distance between punctures 1­2 times their diameter. Mesotarsus with 4 segments.
Abdominal terga glossy, with fine and poorly visible (at x70) microsculpture consisting of meshes, with fine puncturation, distance between punctures 1­3 times their diameter.
Male tergum 7 in front of posterior margin and posterior half of male tergum 8 with numerous longitudinal tubercles, posterior margin of male tergum 8 straight (Fig. 35). Posterior margin of male sternum 8 with big triangular lobe (Fig. 34). Aedeagus as in Figs. 38­41, 44. Median lobe with long and narrow apical process (Figs. 41).
Female tergum 8 with concave posterior margin (Fig. 37), sternum 8 with convex posterior margin (Fig. 36). Spermatheca forming numerous irregular loops (Fig. 42­43). No female accessory sclerites.
Variability: Body coloration varies from yellowish brown (as in M. silacea) in light specimens to entirely brown in dark specimens. The strength of pronotal puncturation is variable.
Distribution: Known from Arizona and Texas (Fig. 80).
Natural History: Long series of M. meticola were collected in flowers of Cucurbita and Datura.
description: Published as part of Gusarov, Vladimir I., 2002, A revision of the genus Microlia Casey, 1910 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Hoplandriini), pp. 1-24 in Zootaxa 34 on pages 12-15, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.155781