Lathrobium vitsiense ASSING 2004

Assing, V., 2006, New species and records of Staphylinidae from Greece, with two new synonymies (Insecta: Coleoptera), Linzer biologische Beiträge 38 (1), pp. 333-379 : 335-336

Lathrobium vitsiense ASSING 2004 ( Figs 1-7 )

The specimen listed in Tab. 1 was collected at the type locality. When I described this species based on a single female – despite the fact that most Lathrobium species can be separated only by the male sexual characters – I did so, because L. vitsiense can be distinguished from all other subanophthalmous congeners occurring in Greece by the completely reduced eyes alone and because I did not expect additional material to become available in the near future. In contrast to the female holotype, which was found under a stone in a beech forest, the male listed in Tab. 1 was collected by sifting grass roots and moss near rocks. The male primary and secondary sexual characters are as follows:

3: sternite VII with weakly concave posterior margin and with weakly delimited patches of dark modified setae ( Fig. 6 ); sternite VIII as in Fig. 7 ; median lobe of aedeagus highly distinctive, without large sclerotised spines in internal sac, apex of ventral process almost spear-shaped ( Figs 1-5 ).

For comparison, the – completely different – aedeagus of the holotype of Lathrobium

anophthalmum FAUVEL 1885 from Serbia, another Balkans species with completely reduced eyes, is illustrated in Figs 8-9 .

Figures

Figs 1-9: Lathrobium vitsiense ASSING (1-7) and L. anophthalmum FAUVEL, holotype (8-9). (1, 8) – aedeagus in lateral view; (2) aedeagus in ventral view; (3, 9) aedeagus in dorsal view; (4) internal structures of aedeagus (dorsal view); (5) apical part of ventral process of aedeagus; (6) 3 sternite VII; (7) 3 sternite VIII. Scale bars: 1-4, 6-9: 0.5 mm; 5: 0.2 mm.