Lathrobium fanjingense Peng and Li

Peng, Zhong, Li, Li-Zhen & Zhao, Mei-Jun, 2014, Seventeen new species and additional records of Lathrobium (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) from mainland China, Zootaxa 3780 (1), pp. 1-35 : 24-26

Lathrobium fanjingense Peng and Li , new species

( Figs 17 A, 18)

Type material. (2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀). HOLOTYPE: ♂, labelled ‘ CHINA: Guizhou Prov., Tongren City, Fanjing Shan, 27°53'N, 108°43'E, 23.vii.2003 alt. 1,000 m, Hu & Tang leg.’ ( SNUC). PARATYPES: 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀ [1♂, 1♀ teneral], same label data as holotype ( SNUC).

Description. Measurements (in mm) and ratios: BL 9.01–9.67, FL 4.56–4.73, HL 1.20–1.29, HW 1.33–1.41, AnL 2.50–2.59, PL 1.57–1.70, PW 1.30–1.42, EL 0.98–1.05, AL 1.57, HL/HW 0.90–0.92, HW/PW 0.99–1.02, HL/PL 0.75–0.76, PL/PW 1.19–1.21, EL/PL 0.61–0.62.

Habitus as in Fig. 17 A. Body brown with paler apex, legs and antennae brown to light brown.

Head weakly transverse; punctation dense and moderately coarse, much sparser in median dorsal portion; interstices with very shallow microreticulation. Eyes 0.28–0.33 times as long as postocular region in dorsal view and composed of approximately 60 ommatidia.

Pronotum stout and with weakly convex lateral margins in dorsal view; punctation somewhat sparser than that of head; impunctate midline narrow; interstices without microreticulation.

Elytra moderately short; punctation fine and shallow. Hind wings completely reduced. Protarsi with moderately pronounced sexual dimorphism.

Abdomen with fine and dense punctation, that of tergite VII somewhat sparser than that of anterior tergites; interstices with very shallow microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe; tergite VIII ( Fig. 18 A) without sexual dimorphism, Posterior margin truncate in both sexes.

Male. Sternites III–VI unmodified; sternite VII ( Fig. 18 D) strongly transverse, weakly depressed and without modified setae in posterior median portion, posterior margin nearly truncate; sternite VIII ( Fig. 18 E) symmetric and weakly tapering posteriorly, with very shallow median impression posteriorly, with pair of conspicuous clusters of extremely dense modified dark setae posteriorly, and with deep V-shaped posterior excision; aedeagus as in Figs 18 F, G, ventral process long, slender, somewhat asymmetric, and apically weakly hooked; dorsal plate thin and weakly sclerotized; internal sac without distinct sclerotized structures.

Female. Posterior margin of sternite VIII ( Fig. 18 B) nearly truncate; tergite IX ( Fig. 18 C) with short anteromedian portion and with slender postero-lateral processes, median portion without median suture; tergite X 3.2 times as long as antero-median portion of tergite IX ( Fig. 18 C).

Comparative notes. Lathrobium fanjingense resembles L. jinfoicum Assing, 2013 from Chongqing in having a similar shape and chaetotaxy of male sternite VII, similar shaped female sternite VIII and tergites IX–X. Lathrobium fanjingense is distinguished from L. jinfoicum by the symmetric male sternite VIII and the morphology of the aedeagus (slender ventral process; internal sac without distinct sclerotized structures). For illustrations of L. jinfoicum see Assing (2013b). Lathrobium fanjingense differs from the sympatric L. guizhouensis Chen, Li & Zhao, 2005 by larger size and the different morphology of the aedeagus (long and slender ventral process). For illustrations of L. guizhouensis see Chen et al. (2005b).

Distribution and biological notes. The type locality is situated in the Fanjing Shan to the northwest of Tongren, north-eastern Guizhou. The specimens were sifted from leaf litter and grass in broad-leaved forests at an altitude of 1,000 m (Hu, pers. comm.).

Etymology. The species is named after its type locality.

Figures

FIGURE 17. Habitus of Lathrobium spp., A — L. fanjingense; B — L. lui; C — L. zhaigei. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 18. Lathrobium fanjingense. A — female tergite VIII; B — female sternite VIII; C — female tergites IX – X. D — male sternite VII; E — male sternite VIII; F — aedeagus in ventral view; G — aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.