Pseudolathra cylindrata, Li, Xiao-Yan, Solodovnikov, Alexey & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2013

Li, Xiao-Yan, Solodovnikov, Alexey & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2013, The genus Pseudolathra Casey in China: new species and new records (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Paederinae), ZooKeys 356, pp. 1-9 : 2-4

Pseudolathra cylindrata sp. n. Figure 1

Type material.

Holotype, ♂, Hubei, Zigui, Jiulingtou 110 m, 5.IX.1994, collected by Fasheng Li (IZCAS); paratypes, 1♀, same data as holotype (ZMUC); 1♀, Sichuan, Fengdu 200 m, 1.VI.1994, collected by Youwei Zhang (IZCAS).

Description.

Length: 6.5-6.9 mm; length of forebody: 3.4-3.8 mm. Body glossy, vividly colored with head capsule black, pronotum and abdomen brown, elytra black with the apical margins more or less blackish-brown; antennae and mouthparts dark reddish, legs brownish red.

Head glossy, approximately as broad as long, vertex slightly convex. Punctures on head coarse and sparse, in median dorsal portion very sparse; interstices without microsculpture, but with micropunctation. Eyes relatively small and slightly protruding laterally. HL/EyL = 2.8, eyes shorter than postocular region in dorsal view. Antennae slender, about 1.9-2.0 mm long; all antennomeres oblong.

Pronotum oblong, PL/PW = 1.2, widest at its anterior third and approximately 1.2 times as broad as head, lateral margins straight; on either side of the impunctate midline with series of 13-16 punctures, some of these punctures often accompanied by additional punctures; punctures of lateral portions sparse to moderately dense; interstices without microsculpture.

Elytra parallel-sided, EL/EW = 8.5, slightly longer than pronotum; punctures on surface arranged in 5 series in dorsal view; interstices without microsculpture. Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen approximately as broad as elytra, wider than head or pronotum; punctation very fine and dense; interstices with microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

Aedeagus (Fig. 1 D–F) about 1.25 mm long, length/width = 2.4. Dorsal plate fused with median lobe. Ventral process strongly sclerotized and curved (Fig. 1D, E). Internal sac with some strongly sclerotized structures.

Male sternite VII (Fig. 1C) with narrowly semicircular excision, margins of this excision slightly depressed; male sternite VIII (Fig. 1B) with posterior excision narrow and deep, not quite reaching middle of sternite.

Female sternites VII-VIII without any modifications.

Etymology.

The species name is the Latin adjective meaning cylindrical. It refers to the shape of the aedeagus of this new species.

Remarks.

Based on the relatively smaller body size, brownish coloration with darker head and elytra, as well as distinctly sclerotized aedeagus with an apically projecting dorsal plate, the new species belongs to the Pseudolathra unicolor group sensu Assing (2012). Within this group, the new species is externally very similar to Pseudolathra pulchella (Kraatz), but differs as follows: 1) the posterior excision of the male sternite VIII in the new species (Fig. 1B) is narrower and deeper ( Pseudolathra pulchella : figure 39 in Assing 2012); 2) the aedeagus in Pseudolathra cylindrata sp. n. is of a different shape, with its ventral process forming a distinct perforation in lateral view (Fig. 1 D–F; Pseudolathra pulchella : see figures 33-34 in Assing 2012).

Distribution.

Pseudolathra cylindrata sp. n. is known only from the type locality: Jiulingtou in Zigui County, Hubei. The type series was collected in the period from June to September, the altitudes ranging from 100 to 200 m.