Anthobium cavicrus ( Champion, 1925 )

Shavrin, Alexey V. & Smetana, Aleš, 2018, A revision of Eastern Palaearctic Anthobium Leach, 1819 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae: Anthophagini). II. fusculum group, and two additional species of the nigrum group, Zootaxa 4508 (4), pp. 451-506 : 470-473

Anthobium cavicrus ( Champion, 1925)

( Figs. 5 , 60–61 , 64 )

Lathrimaeum cavicrus Champion, 1925: 102

Lathrimaeum cavicrus: Cameron, 1930: 153 ; Scheerpeltz, 1933: 1055

Lathrimaeum (Lathrimaeum) cavicrus: Scheerpeltz, 1961: 79

Anthobium cavicrus: Herman, 2001: 230

Anthobium (Anthobium) cavicrus: Smetana, 2004: 238 ; Schülke & Smetana, 2015: 306

Type material examined: Lectotype of Lathrimaeum cavicrus Champion, 1925 ♂ [beetle is glued on rectangular plate]: ‘SYN- | TYPE’ <round label with blue margin, printed>, ‘Type | H. T.’ <round label with red margin, printed>, ‘ ♂ ’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘2465’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘W. Almora Divn | Kumaon U. P. | Oct. 1918. HGC.’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘ Lathrimaeum | cavicrus Ch. | type ♂ ’ <rectangular label, handwritten in black Indian ink>, ‘ Lathrimaeum | championi Bern.’ <rectangular label, handwritten in black Indian ink>, ‘ Lathrimaeum | cavicrus, | Champ.’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘ LECTOTYPE | Lathrimaeum | cavicrus Champion, 1925 | Shavrin A.V. des. 2016’ <red rectangular label, printed>, ‘ Anthobium | cavicrus ( Champion, 1925) | Shavrin A.V. det. 2016’ <rectangular label, printed> (BMNH)

Paralectotype of Lathrimaeum cavicrus Champion, 1925 ♀ [beetle is glued on rectangular plate]: ‘SYN- | TYPE’ <round label with blue margin, printed>, ‘ ♂ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘Kumaon U. P. | Oct. [handwritten] 1918. HGC. | W. Almora Divn <rectangular label, printed>, ‘2465’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘ Lathrimaeum | cavicrus Ch. ’ <rectangular label, handwritten in black Indian ink>, ‘G.C.Champion | Brit. Mus. | 1925-42.’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘ PARALECTOTYPE | Lathrimaeum | cavicrus Champion, 1925 | Shavrin A.V. des. 2016’ <red rectangular label, printed>, ‘ Anthobium | cavicrus ( Champion, 1925) | Shavrin A.V. det. 2016’ <rectangular label, printed> (BMNH); 1 ♀: ‘SYN- | TYPE’ <round label with blue frame, printed>, ‘ ♀ ’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘W. Almora | Kumaon, | India. H.G.C.’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘ Lathrimaeum | cavicrus Ch. ’ <rectangular label, handwritten>, ‘ Lathrimaeum | championi Ch. | n.sp.’ <rectangular label, handwritten>, ‘ Lathrimaeum | cavicrus, | Champ.’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘E.M.M. 1925. | det. G.C.C.’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘G.C. Champion. | Brit. Mus. | 1925-42.’ <rectangular label, printed> (BMNH).

Additional material. INDIA: PUNJAB PROVINCE: 1 ♀: ‘Jalori Pass, Seraj Punjab. 10,800ft. H.G.C.’, ‘ Lathrimaeum ? n. sp.’, ‘H.G. Champion Coll. B.M. 1953-156’, ‘ Lathrimaeum ? cavicrus Champ. P.M. Hammond det. 1969’ (BMNH); UTTAR PRADESH PROVINCE: 1 ♀: Garhwal, 4 km au Sud de Bhatwari. 1400 m a.s.l. 23.10.1979. I. Löbl leg. (MHNG); 1 ♀: Garhwal, au-dessus Pauri. 1900 m a.s.l. 28.10.1979. I. Löbl leg. (MHNG); WEST BENGAL PROVINCE: 1 ♀: Darjeeling dist. Tigerhill. 18,10.1978. 2500-2600 m a.s.l. Besuchet & Löbl leg. (MHNG); NEPAL: 1 ♂, 1 ♀: Kosi, Goru Dzure Dara, 0 9.04.1984. 3600 m a.s.l. I. Löbl & A. Smetana leg. (MHNG); 1 ♀: Mere Dara. 3100-3300 m a.s.l. 0 7.04.1981. I. Löbl & A. Smetana leg. [northern slope of a pass with solitary Abies and Rhododendron growth, still remnants of snow. Under rocks] (NSMT); 1 ♀: same data. 3200 m a.s.l. 0 8.04.1981. I. Löbl & A. Smetana leg. 14A [mixed Abies and Rhododendron forest. Sifting of of wet Rhododendron leaf litter, moss and various debris on a seepage] (NSMT); 1 ♀: near Mere Dara. 3000 m a.s.l. 0 7.04.1981. I. Löbl & A. Smetana leg. [Old Rhododendron forest, shady and cool, sifting of leaf litter and various debris] (MHNG); 1 ♂, 1 ♀: below Thare Pati. 3500 m a.s.l. 12.04.1981. I. Löbl & A. Smetana leg. [ Acer enclave in a Rhododendron forest on a northern slope, still with snow around, sifting of maple leaf litter mixed with moss] (CS); 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀: Ridge between Mere Dara and Thare Pati. 3500 m a.s.l. 0 9.04.1981. I. Löbl & A. Smetana leg. [mountain pasture, under rocks] (MHNG).

Redescription. Measurements (n=17): HW: 0.60–0.67, HL: 0.37–0.42; AL(lectotype): 1.03; OL: 0.15–0.19; PL: 0.41–0.57; PW: 0.87–1.02; ESL: 1.15–1.35; EW: 1.15–1.30; AW: 1.05–1.30; MTbL(lectotype): 0.65; MTrL(lectotype): 0.35 (MTrL 1–4: 0.23; MTrL 5: 0.12); AedL: 0.45–0.46; TL: 2.26–3.25(lectotype).

Body moderately elongate, subconvex. Body reddish brown to brown; lateral portions and basal margin of pronotum and some specimens with shoulders of elytra yellow-brown; antennomeres 9–11 brown; mouthparts, antennomeres 1–8 and legs yellow. Middle of vertex of head with distinct transverse microsculpture (some specimens), posterior portions of infraorbital ridges with slightly rugose sculpture; abdomen with fine isodiametric microsculpture. Head with irregular, large and deep punctation, markedly denser on middle elevation and coarser on posterior parts of infraorbital ridges; middle part of neck with dense punctation, as that on middle of head; pronotum with irregular dense punctation, as that on posterior part of head, sparser on lateral portion, smaller on medioapical and mediobasal margins; scutellum with several small punctures or without them; punctation of elytra larger and markedly denser than that on pronotum, smaller on parascutellar area, not forming longitudinal rows of punctures, interspaces between punctures in middle as long as about diameter of two nearest punctures; abdominal tergites with very indistinct smooth punctation. Habitus as in Fig. 5 .

Head 1.5–1.6 times as wide as long; middle portion of head slightly elevated, middle with indistinct to distinct transverse impression between eyes at posterior third, with indistinct or distinct and moderately deep (specimens with more elevated middle portion of head) small grooves in front of ocelli, reaching level of posterior third of eye; postocular ridges smooth; anterior portions between antennal insertion and anterior margin of eye with wide superficial notch. Ocelli large, situated at level of postocular ridges; distance between ocelli one and a half times as long as distance between ocellus and posterior margin of eye. Apical segment of maxillary palp two and half times as long as preceding segment, widest in basal third, gradually narrowed toward acute apex. Antenna slightly exceeding shoulders of elytra when reclined; length × width of antennomeres (lectotype): 1: 0.13 × 0.06; 2: 0.10 × 0.05; 3: 0.12 × 0.03; 4: 0.07 × 0.04; 5–9: 0.08 × 0.05; 10: 0.08 × 0.06; 11: 0.13 × 0.07.

Pronotum about twice as wide as long, 1.4–1.5 times as wide as head, widest about middle, more or less evenly narrowed posteriad and anteriad; apical margin distinctly narrower than posterior margin; anterior angles widely rounded, not or indistinctly protruded anteriad; posterior angles widely rounded or obtuse; lateral edges of pronotum with regular and small, acute or smooth crenulation; pronotum with wide middle portion markedly elevated, with distinct deep longitudinal impression located on apical part of elevation, with pair of deep semioval impressions on mediobasal third.

Elytra about as long as wide, about two and half times as long as pronotum, slightly widened apicad, reaching apical margin of abdominal tergite IV or V, with widely rounded apical margins, some specimens with small parascutellar area of each elytron slightly convex.

Abdomen as wide as elytra or slighty narrower, with pair of small or moderately large, rounded tomentose wing-folding spots in middle of tergite V.

Male. Apical margin of abdominal tergite VIII and sternite VIII slightly sinuate. Aedeagus ( Fig. 60 ) long and moderately narrow, median lobe markedly narrowed at about apical fourth, with wide, vaguely angulate apex; parameres wide, significantly exceeding apex of median lobe, with two small apical and preapical setae; internal sac narrow and long. Aedeagus laterally as in Fig. 61 .

Female. Apical margin of abdominal tergite VIII straight or slightly sinuate. Apical margin of abdominal sternite VIII rounded.

Comparative notes. Based on the irregularly arranged punctation of elytra, not forming longitudinal rows, A. cavicrus is most similar to the Chinese A. liliputense sp.n., from which it differs by darker coloration, larger body, narrower pronotum, elytra and aedeagus with significantly shorter internal sac.

Distribution. The species is known from Punjab, Uttarakhand and West Bengal provices of northern India and from central and eastern Nepal ( Fig. 64 ).

Bionomics. Specimens were collected at elevations from 1400 to 3600 m a.s.l. Specimens from Mere Dara were collected under rocks or taken by the sifting of leaf litter, moss and various debris in mixed Abies and/or Rhododendron forest. Two specimens from Goru Dzure Dara ( Nepal) were collected together with A. besucheti Shavrin & Smetana , sp.n. (see above).

Remarks. The species was compared by Champion with A. rugosum , A. monticola and Eudeliphrum gracilipalpe Champion, 1920 . Anthobium cavicrus is here recorded for the first time from Nepal.

Figures

FIGURE 64. Distribution of Anthobium cavicrus (black circles), A. cuccodoroi (black square) and A. sociale (black triangles) in the Himalayan Region.

FIGURES 1–5. Habitus of Anthobium fusculum group: 1—A. fusculum (KAZAKHSTAN: Tian Shan), 2—A. altivagans (NEPAL: Telbrung Danda), 3—A. besucheti (paratype: Ghoropani Pass), 4—A. capitale (holotype), 5—A. cavicrus (NEPAL: Thare Pati). Scale bar: 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 60–63. Aedeagus of Anthobium cavicrus (60–61: NEPAL, Thare Pati) and A. confucii (62–63: CHINA: Sichuan, Gongga Shan): 60, 62–parameral view, 61, 63–lateral view. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.