Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 93. (Budapest 2001)

Kirejtshuk, A. G.: Notes on the systematics of the African Nitidulidae (Coleoptera)

Description of male (holotype) - Length 3.8, width 1.4, height 0.7 mm. Moderately convex dorsally and ventrally; dorsum and antennái club dark brown, underside and legs chestnut brown, mouth parts, antenna! flagelli and tarsi reddish to almost yellow; with an expressed shine; dorsum with barely conspicuous and very fine hairs, about as long as distance between their insertions; underside with denser and more conspicuous greyish hairs, slightly longer than distance between their insertions. Head and pronotum with distinct and shallow regular punctures, diameter of which about 3 times bigger than that of eye facets, interspaces between punctures about a puncture diameter, with very fine and smooth microreticulation, almost alutaceous. Elytra and metasternum with similar punctures and sculpture, but interspaces markedly narrower and smoother. Surface of uncovered tcrgitcs and hypopygidium with somewhat elliptic and very shallow punctures, somewhat smaller than those on other dorsal sclerites and with regularly microreticulated intervals subequal to a puncture diameter. Surface of prostemum with irregular oval, dense and very shallow punctures, about as large as those on head, pronotum and elytra, very narrow interspaces between punctures with contrasting microreticulation, but on process punctation almost obsolete and interspaces completely smooth, Mesosternum with coarse irregular punctation and microreticulated. Surface of ventrites 1-3 similar to that of metasternum, but with punctures denser and interspaces with more or less developed microrcticulation. Head 5/7 as long as distance between eyes, with a slight depression between antennái insertions and temples nearly reaching external level of eyes. Mandibles moderately exposed, with a well raised subapical tooth. Antennae about as long as head width, antennomere 2 slightly longer than antennomere 3 and somewhat shorter than scape, antennomere 8 somewhat wider than antennomere 7; antennomere 3 at least twice longer than thick, their subovoid club 1 and 1/3 as long as wide, with ultimate segment scarcely narrower than penultimate one. Pronotum evenly convex with a very narrow border along base and moderately bordered at sides, arcuately narrowed before slightly projecting posterior corners. Scutcllum subpcntagonal with rounded apex. Elytra about as long as wide combined, steeply sloping at extremely narrowly bordered sides, shoulders well raised, obliquely abrupt apices forming an extremely open suturai angle. Pygidium emarginatc at apex and anal sclcritc far projecting by its rounded apex. Last labial palpomcre widened to truncate apex, not longer than width of its apex. Mentum of usual shape, nearly 3 times as wide as long. Antennái grooves distinctly outlined. Prosternai process strongly widened before widely rounded apex, distinctly bordered along sides and apex, without median carina. Distance between mesocoxae and that between metacoxae about twice greater than that between procoxae. Metasternum flattened and with very shallowly and angularly emarginatc posterior edge between metacoxae. Submesocoxal line slightly deviating from posterior edge of cavity. Vcntrite 1 slightly longer than 4. Epiplcura somewhat narrower than antennái club, rather elevated laterally. Tibiae about as wide as antennái club, triangular, without outer subapical process, meso- and metatibiac with dense and thin pubescence at outer edge and slightly convex inner edge. Femora somewhat less than twice as wide as tibiae and of usual shape with gently convex anterior and posterior edges. Protarsus nearly 2/3 as wide as protibia, but meso- and metatarsi much narrower; claws small and simple. Tegmen well sclcrotizcd. Female- Differs from male in narrower protarsus (about half as wide as protibia), moderately projecting and simple last abdominal segment with pygidium convex in distal half and moderately rounded at apex. Ovipositor moderately sclcrotizcd.