Hesperus oriolus Hromádka 2012, nov.sp.
Creators: name: Hromádka, L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Hesperus
Hesperus oriolus

description: Hesperus oriolus nov.sp. (Figs 61-63)   
T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: Nigeria-Kamerun, Bamenda, 17.xii.1955, Bechyne 1955- 56 [red oblong printed label] (NHMW). Paratypes 2: same locality as holotype (cHPC, NHMW).  
D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 12.3 mm, length of fore body (to end of elytra) 5.7 mm.  
C o l o u r a t i o n: Head, pronotum and scutellum black, elytra red-yellow, in posterior half in places darker translucent, visible abdominal tergites 1-4 black, tergites 5-7 red-yellow. Maxillary and labial palpi, and base of antennomeres 2-3 brown-yellow, legs black, tarsi paler distally. Head and pronotum slightly golden iridescent.  
Head transverse, wider than long (ratio 49: 40) parallel-sided, posterior angles obtusely rounded, bearing one long and several short black bristles. Eyes shorter than temples (ratio 14: 19), inner margin in posterior half with three punctures, temporal area with scattered punctures. Surface with microsculpture consisting of transverse waves.  
Antennae almost reaching posterior margin of pronotum when reclined. Antennomeres 1- 3 and 11 distinctly longer than wide, antennomere 4 slightly longer than wide, antennomere 5 slightly wider than long, antennomeres 6-10 wider than long. Antennomere 1 three times as long as antennomere 11.  
Pronotum narrowed posteriad, anterior angles conspicuously deflexed, vaguely obtusely rounded, bearing several variably long black bristles, posterior angles markedly rounded, base straight. With wide impunctate midline, sides with scattered punctures, each dorsal row with ten coarse punctures, surface with microsculpture similar to that on head.  
Scutellum coarsely and very densely punctate. Punctures larger than those on elytra, separated by much less than puncure diameter.  
Elytra as long as wide, slightly widened posteriad. Punctation finer and sparser than that on scutellum. Diameter of punctures slightly larger than eye-facets, separated by a puncture diameter in transverse direction. Surface without microsculpture; setation brown-yellow.  
Legs. Metatarsus shorter than metatibia (ratio 28: 30), metatarsomere 1 shorter than metatarsomeres 2-3 combined.  
Abdomen wide, very gradually narrowed posteriad. First three visible tergites with two basal lines, elevated area between lines coarsely and densely punctate. Punctation at base of all tergites denser and coarser than that on elytra, becoming sparser and finer towards posterior margin of each tergite, some of punctures are of the drop-shaped. Surface without microsculptute; setation similar to that on elytra.  
Male. Protarsomeres 1-3 slightly dilated and sub-bilobed, each covered with modified pale setae ventrally, protarsomere 4 slightly narrower than preceding ones. Aedeagus (Figs 61-63).  
Female. Protarsomeres 1-3 less dilated than those in male, protarsomere 4 slightly narrower than preceding ones.  
 C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s Hesperus oriolus nov.sp. may be distinguished from the similar H. belonuchiformis by darker antennae and legs and longer antennae, from H. burgeoni by the smaller number of punctures in the dorsal rows of the pronotum, different colouration of the abdomen and from both by the different shape of the aedeagus.   
 E t y m o l o g y: The name of this species, a noun in apposition, is the Latin generic name of the African Golden Oriole Oriolus auratus VIEILLOT 1817   
D i s t r i b u t i o n: Nigeria, Cameroon.
description: Published as part of Hromádka, L., 2012, Revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Hesperus FAUVEL (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Philonthina), pp. 551-589 in Linzer biologische Beiträge 44 (1) on pages 569-570, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5328142