Lathrobium maoershanense Peng and Li

Peng, Zhong, Li, Li-Zhen & Zhao, Mei-Jun, 2012, New species of the genus Lathrobium Gravenhorst (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae) from Guangxi, South China, Zootaxa 3389, pp. 1-16 : 3-8

Lathrobium maoershanense Peng and Li , new species

( Figs. 1 B, 3)

Type material. (11 3, 27 ƤƤ). HOLOTYPE: 3, labelled ‘ CHINA: GUANGXI Prov. / Xing’an County / Maoershan Mt. / 10.vii.2011, alt. 2,000–2,140 m / Zhong Peng leg.’. PARATYPES: 3 3, 13 ƤƤ, same label data as holotype; 1 3, 4 ƤƤ, same data, but ‘ 9.vii.2011, alt. 2,000–2,140 m / Chen, Ma, Peng & Zhu leg.’; 6 3, 5 ƤƤ, same data, but ‘ 10.vii.2011, alt. 2,100 m / Liang Tang & Wen-Jia He leg.’; 5 ƤƤ, same data, but ‘ 11.vii.2011, alt. 2,100 m / Liang Tang & Wen-Jia He leg.’.

Description. Measurements and ratios: BL 6.60–7.21, HL 0.81–0.84, HW 0.87–0.89, PL 1.17–1.20, PW 0.96–1.00, EL 0.71–0.76, HL/HW 0.92–0.94, HW/PW 0.89–0.91, HL/PL 0.68–0.71, PW/PL 0.82–0.84, EL/PL 0.60–0.64.

Habitus as in Fig. 1 B. Body light brown to brown, legs yellowish brown, antennae reddish brown to yellowish brown.

Head quadrate (HL/HW 0.92–0.94); dorsal surface with coarse and sparse punctation, interstices with very shallow microsculpture; eyes small.

Pronotum nearly parallel-sided; punctation similar to that of head; impunctate midline moderately broad; interstices without microsculpture.

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

Abdomen with moderately dense punctation; interstices with very shallow, transversely striate microsculpture. Male. Sternite VII ( Fig. 3 D) with apical margin broadly concave, setae unmodified; sternite VIII ( Fig. 3 E) with symmetric emargination and unmodified setae in large impression; sternite IX ( Fig. 3 F) nearly symmetric; aedeagus as in Fig. 3 G– 3I.

Female. Apical margin of tergite VIII ( Fig. 3 A) moderately angulate in middle; sternite VIII ( Fig. 3 B) longer than that of male, apical margin broadly convex, margin with fine and dense micropubescence; tergite IX ( Fig. 3 C) narrowly separated basally; tergite X relatively obtuse basally, reaching basal margin of tergite IX, acute apically.

Remarks. This species resembles L. yinae Watanabe, 1997 from Yunnan, which has the similar habitus ( Watanabe & Xiao, 1997: 495, Fig. 1 ) and a broadly concave apical margin of the male sternite VII ( Watanabe & Xiao, 1997: 496, Fig. 2 ). However, L. maoershanense has relatively sparse setae on male sternite VIII, the ventral process of the aedeagus is broader in ventral view and the dorsal sclerite is longer. The male of Lathrobium yinae has the middle of sternite VIII ( Watanabe & Xiao, 1997: 496, Fig. 2 ) with dense setae in two nearly parallel rows, the ventral process of the aedeagus ( Watanabe & Xiao, 1997: 497, Fig. 8–10) is narrower in ventral view and the dorsal sclerite is very short.

Distribution. South China (Guangxi: Maoershan Mountain).

Habitat. The adults were collected from the leaf litter of the mountain track by sifting.

Etymology. The species is named after its type locality.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus of Lathrobium spp., A — L. dayaoshanense; B — L. maoershanense; C — L. proprium; D — L. shengtangshanense; E — L. zhangdinghengi; F — L. zhujianqingi. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 2. Lathrobium dayaoshanense. A — female tergite VIII; B — female sternite VIII; C — female tergites IX – X. D — male sternite VII; E — male sternite VIII; F — male sternite IX; G, H — aedeagus in ventral view; I — aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 3. Lathrobium maoershanense. A — female tergite VIII; B — female sternite VIII; C — female tergite IX – X. D — male sternite VII; E — male sternite VIII; F — male sternite IX; G, H — aedeagus in ventral view; I — aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.