Lathrobium baishanzuense Peng & Li

Peng, Zhong, Li, Li-Zhen & Zhao, Mei-Jun, 2012, Five new apterous species of the genus Lathrobium Gravenhorst (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Paederinae) from the Baishanzu Natural Reserve, East China, ZooKeys 251, pp. 69-81 : 70-71

Lathrobium baishanzuense Peng & Li sp. n. Figs 1A3

Type material

(2 ♂♂). Holotype: ♂, labeled 'CHINA: Zhejiang Prov. / Qingyuan County / Baishanzu N. R. / 27°45'N, 119°13'E / 22-23.ix.2008, alt. 1,500 m / Tang & Zhang leg.'. Paratypes: 1 ♂, same label data as holotype, but ' 27°45'N, 119°12'E / 6.v.2004, alt. 1,400-1,700 m / Hu, Tang & Zhu leg.'.

Description.

Measurements and ratios:BL 8.50-9.30, FL 3.00-3.63, HL 1.13-1.15, HW 1.26-1.31, PL 1.48-1.54, PW 1.30-1.35, EL 0.98-1.00, HL/HW 0.88-0.90, HW/PW 0.97, HL/PL 0.75-0.76, PL/PW 1.14, EL/PL 0.65-0.66.

Habitus as in Fig. 1A. Body brown with paler apex, legs light brown, antennae brown to light brown.

Head subquadrate (HL/HW 0.88-0.90); punctation coarse and sparse; interstices with very shallow microreticulation; eyes small, approximately 1/4-1/3 the length of postocular region in dorsal view.

Pronotum nearly parallel-sided; punctation sparser than that of head; impunctate midline broad; interstices without microsculpture.

Elytra with punctation denser than that of pronotum and well defined; hind wings completely reduced.

Abdomen with dense punctation; interstices with very shallow, transversely striate microsculpture.

Male. Sternite V (Fig. 3A) with dark setae in postero-median impression and posterior margin with several point-like setae; sternite VI (Fig. 3B) with sparse, short setae in postero-median impression and posterior margin with 7-8 peg-like setae; posterior margin of sternite VII (Fig. 3C) weakly concave, pubescence unmodified; sternite VIII (Fig. 3D) with deep asymmetric emargination and blackish setae along both sides of this emargination; sternite IX (Fig. 3E) asymmetric; aedeagus (Fig. 3F, 3G) with asymmetric, apically truncate ventral process, short and moderately sclerotized dorsal plate, and without sclerotized spines in internal sac.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution.

East China: Donggong mountain range.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is derived from the type locality “Baishanzu”.

Comparative notes and comments.

Two distinct species groups occur in Baishanzu. One of these groups includes Lathrobium baishanzuense , the three following species from Baishanzu, and additionally Lathrobium daicongchaoi Peng & Li, 2012 from Guadun, Lathrobium fujianense Peng & Li, 2012 from Junzifeng Shan, Lathrobium longwangshanense Peng, Li & Zhao, 2012 from the Longwangshan, Lathrobium tianmushanense Watanabe, 1999 from the Tianmushan and the Longwangshan, Lathrobium zhaotiexiongi Peng & Li, 2012 from Jiulongshan Natural Reserve and Majian, and Lathrobium jiulongshanense Peng & Li, 2012 from Jiulongshan Natural Reserve. The species group is characterized by a male sternite V with a postero-median impression with dense dark setae and male sternites III–IV with conspicuously modified setae in the posterior or postero-median impression in some species, evident synapomorphies constituting the monophyly of this species group. These characters appear to be unique among Chinese Lathrobium .

Among the species of this group, Lathrobium baishanzuense is characterized particularly by the conspicuous modifications of the male sternite VIII and the morphology of the aedeagus.