Paraethus seyidiensis ( JEANNEL, 1913), nov. comb., 2014

Paraethus seyidiensis ( JEANNEL, 1913), nov. comb.

Aethus seyidiensis JEANNEL, 1913: 14

Aethus seydiensis (sic): LINNAVUORI (1993: 65) Aethus seydiensis (sic): LIS (1999: 188)

Type material: Holotype, Ƌ, Côte d’Afrique orientale anglaise ( Kenya), Shimoni, 11.1911, ALLUAUD & JEANNEL ( MNHN). Remark: The type is labelled: ‘Aethus sehidiensis n. sp. ’

Other material examined: 1 ♀, Sierra Leone, Firawa savane – Mt Loma , 1.6.1963, Mission ENS-IFAN leg .; 4 ƋƋ, 4 ♀♀, Sénégal, Parc national Casamance D. PLUOT-SIGWALT leg .; 1 ♀, Guinée, Mont Nimba , 7.-8.1957, LAMOTTE & ROY ; 1 Ƌ, 11.1942 Guinée, Tabouna ; 3 ♀♀, Côte d’Ivoire, Lamto , 20.8.1962, D. GILLON leg .; 1 ♀, Côte d’Ivoire, Man ; 1 ♀, Nigeria, Abboekuta , P. FRANçOIS leg .; 6 ♀♀, Cameroun, Nkoenvnoe, prov. Ebolowa , 12.1964, B. DE MIRé leg .; 1 Ƌ, Cameroun (littoral), région de Kribi , 1925, Dr. GROMIER leg .; 5 ƋƋ, 4 ♀♀, République du Congo, Odzala Brazzaville , 10.-11.1963 DESCARPENTRIES & VILLIERS leg .; 1 Ƌ, 2 ♀, Comores, Grande Comore, 3.-4.1980, P. VIETTE leg. All specimens preserved in MNHN .

Remarks

The description of this species by JEANNEL (1913) was based on a single male from Shimoni (Kenya), and has been completed by LINNAVUORI (1993), giving drawings of both male and female genitalia. It is not necessary to reproduce it here, there are only two comments which seem necessary. First, in his original description, JEANNEL indicated that the male specimen is 5 mm long and 2.2 mm wide. The measurements of the holotype are in fact 4.7 mm long by 2.4 mm wide. Secondly, LINNAVUORI’ s drawing of the spermatheca shows a very light inflation of the intermediate part, which is not representative of the general case. The spermatheca within the species seems somewhat variable ( figs. 29-30).

Discussion

P. seyidiensis presents all the characters of Paraethus . The antennae are 5-segmented and the head bears both peg-like and hair likes setae in a submarginal row. The anterior margin of the pronotum is angularly insinuated in the middle and the pronotum umbones not swollen. The apex of the vestibulum ( fig. 10) of the metathoracic gland is fitted with a short claw-like spur pointing laterally; the posterior tibiae are conpicuously flattened. Furthermore, the mat fields of the evaporatoria ( fig. 11) are interrupted by a polished band on the merapleuron.

Regarding the genitalia, the intermediate part of the spermatheca is inflated with a receptacle ovoid, the sclerified fold of the dorsal wall of the vagina is present. The penis is straight, with vesica and processi surpassing only very lightly the phallobase (see LINNAVUORI 1993).

The presence of the apical claw of the vestibulum, the shape of the posterior femora and of the spermatheca forbid the placement of this species in the genus Aethus .

Distribution: This species is widespread in equatorial Africa: Cameroun, Comoros, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone. Cameroun, Comoros, Sierra Leone are new localities for this species.