Chiridopsis tschoffeni (Spaeth, 1902)

(figs 6, 119)

Chirida Tschoffeni Spaeth, 1902: 460, 1914: 127.

Chiridopsis tschoffeni: Spaeth, 1924: 346; Borowiec, 1999: 304.

Description. Le: 4.55 mm, Wi: 3.70 mm, Lp: 1.80 mm, width of pronotum: 2.80 mm; Le/Wi: 1.23, Wp/Lp: 1.56. Pronotal disc black (fig. 119), explanate margin transparent yellow. Scutellum brownish-black. Elytral disc brownish-black except for yellow marginal interval and extreme apex. Explanate margin transparent yellow. Clypeus yellowish-brown, thorax black, abdomen on sides yellow, along middle blackish. Legs and antennae uniformly yellow.

Pronotum elliptical (fig. 119), with maximum width in middle, sides broadly rounded. Disc moderately convex, with extremely fine and sparse pricks, looks smooth and glabrous. Explanate margin smooth and glabrous.

Scutellum triangular, impunctate. Base of elytra distinctly wider than pronotum, humeri moderately protruding anterad, angulate, margin behind humeral angle not emarginate. Disc moderately, regularly convex. Punctation regular, extremely fine, in rows 2–4 barely visible, looks like pricks, in lateral rows gradually coarser from middle of elytra to submarginal row, on slope barely visible. Punctures in marginal row coarse, approximately four times coarser than in submarginal row, and many times coarser than in central rows. Intervals flat, many times wider than rows, their surface smooth and glabrous, but slightly less glabrous than surface of explanate margin. The margin broad, in the widest part approximately as wide as half width of elytron, moderately declivous, smooth and glabrous.

Clypeus narrow, approximately as wide as long, slightly convex with distinct clypeal lines, its surface microreticulate but glabrous, with few fine punctures. Antennal grooves deep and long. Antennae slim, segments 9 and 10 slightly longer than wide, segment 3 approximately 1.5 times as long as segment 2 and slightly longer than segment 4.

Ventrites with no diagnostic characters. The supposed basal tooth of claws moderate.

Distribution. Republic of Congo (Zaire) (fig. 6).

Remarks. It belongs to the group of African species with clypeus brown to black. It is well distinguished by almost uniformly dark brown to black pronotal and elytral disc. Only black forms of Ch. nigrosepta and Ch. subornata (figs 82, 92, 119) have pronotal and elytral disc black but differ in larger size with 6.0– 7.9 mm length. Dark form of Ch. subornata differs also in slimmer body with length/width ratio 1.61 versus 1.23 in Ch. tschoffeni, and dark form of Ch. nigrosepta differs in explanate margin of elytra partly black (completely yellow in Ch. tschoffeni).

Type specimen examined. Holotype: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ZAIRE): Boma, M. Tschoffen (IRSN).

Other specimens examined. No other specimens.