Apoderiger torticornis Jeannel 1960
Creators: name: Hlaváč, Peter
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Apoderiger
Apoderiger torticornis

description: Apoderiger torticornis Jeannel, 1960
Figs 1A, 2E, 4A–B, 5
Apoderiger cervinus torticornis Jeannel, 1960: 203. Type locality: Ambodivoangy, near Maroantsetra. Types: unknown number of syntypes (MNHN).
Apoderiger torticornis – Célis 1970: 249 (redescription, raised to species level status).
Diagnosis
Last antennomere slightly curved in distal portion; posterior metaventral process short, wide with straight margin; elytra lacking sutural and discal striae; composite tergite in posterior portion with pair of long, triangular, closely separated projections with rounded apex, which are clearly exceeding posterior margin of abdomen; mesotibia with median tooth; aedeagus 2.67 × as long as wide; endophallus lacking sclerites.
Type material
Lectotype (here designated)
MADAGASCAR • ♂; six labels “ R. Maroantsetra / Ambodivoangy / J. Vadon 15.X.55” [white, printed and handwritten], “♂ [white, printed] // “fourmilière /enterrée” [white, handwritten] // “HOLOTYPUS” [red, printed], “ Apoderiger / torticornis Jeann. / Det. Célis 1970 ” [white, handwritten] //“SYNTYPE/ APODERIGER / torticornis JEANNEL /P. Hlaváč des., 2020” [red, printed]; MNHN. The lectotype is accompanied with two, undetermined host ants.
Paralectotypes (2 ex.)
MADAGASCAR • 1 ♂; six labels “ Ambodivoangy / J. Vadon ” [white, printed] // “Fourmilière” [white, handwritten] // “♂” [white, printed] // “PARATYPUS [red, printed] // Apoderiger / torticornis Jeann. / Det. Célis 1970 ” [white, handwriten] // “PARALECTOTYPE/ APODERIGER / torticornis JEANNEL / P. Hlaváč des., 2020” [red, printed]; MNHN • 1 ♀; five labels “ Ambodivoangy / J. Vadon ” [white, printed] // “♀” [white, printed] // “PARATYPUS” [red, printed] // “ Apoderiger / torticornis Jeann. / Det. Célis 1970 ” [white, handwriten] // “PHOTO (P. Krásenský) / P. Hlaváč, Prague” [yellow, printed] //“PARALECTOTYPE / APODERIGER / torticornis JEANNEL / P. Hlaváč des., 2020” [red, printed]; MNHN.
Description
BODY. Yellowish-brown, more elongated, 2.35 × as long as wide; body 1.85–1.90 mm long and about 0.60 mm wide.
HEAD. Elongate, 2.00–2.10 × as long as wide, about 1.8× as long as pronotum.
ANTENNA. Trimerous, 0.70–0.75 mm long, terminal antennomere slightly curved in distal portion.
PRONOTUM. Transverse, 1.80–1.85 × as wide as long.
METAVENTRITE. With large, triangular median impression, posterior metaventral process short, wide with straight margin.
ELYTRA. 1.60–1.70 × as wide as long, 1.50–1.60× as long as pronotum; lacking sutural and discal striae; humeri strongly projecting; lateral margin with some stout setae; posterior elytral margin in lateral third with cutout between two, short teeth.
ABDOMEN. 1.85–1.90 × as long as elytra; composite tergite in posterior portion with pair of long, triangular, closely separated projections with rounded apex, which are clearly exceeding posterior margin of abdomen.
MESOTIBIA. With obtuse, short median tooth; last mesotarsomere simple.
AEDEAGUS (Fig. 4A–B). Elongate, 2.67 × as long as wide; basal bulb and distal lobe well-separated, ratio length of basal bulb/ length of distal lobe 2.40; endophallus lacking sclerites; dorsal diaphragm elliptical.
Sexual dimorphism
As for the genus.
Distribution
Madagascar (Antongila Bay).
Remarks
Apoderiger torticornis is related to A. banari sp. nov. and A. grandis sp. nov. sharing with both species a pair of long, triangular, short distant projections on the posterior portion of the composite tergite. It is separated from A. banari by having a pair of triangular, short distant projections longer, exceeding posterior margin of composite tergite (shorter, not exceeding posterior margin in A. banari) and having posterior metaventral process wide and short (subtriangular and long in A. banari). From A. grandis it is readily separated by body smaller than 2 mm (2.2 mm in A. grandis) and having elytra lacking discal and sutural striae which are well-defined in A. grandis.
Host ant
Paratrechina amblyops rubescens (Forel, 1892).
description: Published as part of Hlaváč, Peter, 2025, The Pselaphinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) of Madagascar. VIII. Revision of the myrmecophilous clavigerine genus Apoderiger Wasmann, 1897, pp. 76-95 in European Journal of Taxonomy 981 on pages 83-85, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2025.981.2811, http://zenodo.org/record/15120438