Plesiochara Sawada 1989
Creators: name: Inoue, Shûgo
name: Maruyama, Munetoshi
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Plesiochara

description: Genus Plesiochara Sawada, 1989
Japanese common name: Kusabira-hanekakushi-zoku
Plesiochara Sawada, 1989: 304 [original description,
type species: Plesiochara fusca Sawada, 1989].
Diagnosis. This genus is distinguished from the other genera of Aleocharini by the combination of the following character states: body elongate; head, pronotum, mesoventrite, metaventrite, abdominal sternites, elytra, and legs covered with setae rather densely; labial palpus with segment II longer, with setae e, f located far remote from mp (Sawada 1989: Fig. 14C); pronotum almost hexagonal; hypomera visible in lateral view; elytra longer than pronotum; inner coxal process of mesoventrite narrow, elongate, reaching beyond the half of mesocoxal cavities; surface of fore and middle tibia not covered with spines; median lobe of aedeagus fusiform; apical lobe rather thin from lateral view, dilated at apical in ventral view; internal sac composed of multiple sclerites; one pair of sclerites 1 (sc1) located near apex of apical lobe; one pair of sclerites 2 (sc2) located dorsal side of sclerites 1, oval at anterior part and arm-shaped at posterior part; sclerite 3 (sc3) located basal side of sclerites 2; flagellum long, curved ventrally and bifurcated at base; spermatheca with capsule (ca) spherical or ovate: chamber (ch) short, simple.
Remarks. This genus is well characterized by the structure of aedeagus: shapes of sclerites 1–3 and flagellum as mentioned above though their polarities are unknown. Plesiochara is similar to Pseudocalea Luze in general appearance, but can be separated by the structure of aedeagus and short chamber of spermatheca.
Key to species of Plesiochara
1 Head, thorax and abdomen dark brown (Figs 1A, 4A, 6A); dorsal surface of head and pronotum with reticulation; basal impression of abdominal tergites III–VII with pores small to medium................................................. 2
- Head, thorax and abdomen reddish brown to light brown, darker in head and posterior part of abdomen (Fig. 9A); dorsal surface of head and pronotum without reticulation; basal impression of abdominal tergites III–VII with pores large; legs longer (HTL/ PL = 1.41–1.54)......................................................................... P. rufula sp. nov.
2 Hypomera with posterior part of carina directed posteriorly almost paralleled to lateral margin (Fig. 12A); legs shorter (HTL/PL 1.13–1.20); median lobe of aedeagus with apical lobe thick; sclerites 1 strongly convex and curved laterally at posterior margin (Fig. 1B–E); spermatheca with capsule spherical.......................................... P. japonica comb. nov.
- Hypomera with posterior part of carina directed to posterolateral corners obliquely (Fig. 12B, D–F); legs longer (HTL/PL 1.27–1.47); median lobe of aedeagus thin; sclerites 1 not as above (Fig. 4B–E, 6B–E); spermatheca with capsule ovate (Fig. 4F, 6F)................................................................................................. 3
3 Hypomera with carina not curved inward at posterior end (Fig. 12B); legs longer (HTL/PL = 1.35–1.47); median lobe of aedeagus with apical lobe weakly curved dorsally at apex, curved ventrally at base (Fig. 4B–E); spermatheca with capsule longer than chamber (Fig. 4F)........................................................................... P. nitida
- Hypomera with carina curved inward at posterior end in most cases (Fig. 12D–E); legs rather longer (HTL/PL = 1.27–1.40); median lobe of aedeagus with apical lobe entirely curved ventrally (Fig. 6B–E); spermatheca with capsule almost as long as chamber (Fig. 6F)........................................................................ P. inflexa sp. nov.
description: Published as part of Inoue, Shûgo & Maruyama, Munetoshi, 2022, Revision of the genus Plesiochara Sawada (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), pp. 501-519 in Zootaxa 5165 (4) on pages 502-517, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5165.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/6853869