Priochirus (Euleptarthrus) chinensis Bernhauer, 1933

Wu, Jie & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2013, Taxonomy of the subgenus Euleptarthrus Jakobson (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Osoriinae, Priochirus) of China with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 3613 (2), pp. 165-175 : 167-168

Priochirus (Euleptarthrus) chinensis Bernhauer, 1933

Priochirus chinensis Bernhauer, 1933: 25 ( Priochirus ; subgenus Leptarthrus ; Type locality: Szetschwan, Tatsienlu, Tjiji, Urwald-Rodungen); Wu and Zhou, 2007: 90, 91, 96 ( Priochirus ; subgenus Euleptarthrus ; characters illustration).

Type material. Syntypes: CHINA: Sichuan: 2 exs., “ CHINA: Szechuan, Em. Reitter / Tatsienlu Tjiji, Urwald- Rodungen”, “ chinensis Bernh. (Leptarthrus) typus ”, “ chinensis, Bernh. typus ”, “Chicago NHMus M. Bernhauer Collection” (FMHN).

Additional material. CHINA: Henan: Ƥ, Songxian, Baiyunshan, 9–28.viii.1996, Zurao Liu, Weinian Zhang and Haisheng Yin coll. (SEM-CAS); Hubei: 33, Ƥ, Shennongjia, 1700 m, 1.viii.1998, Hongzhang Zhou coll. (IOZ-CAS); Sichuan: 203, 35Ƥ, Baoxing, 7.vi.1997, Haisheng Zhou coll. (IOZ-CAS); 123, 8Ƥ, Baoxing, 1900 m, 6.viii.2003, Jie Wu coll.(IOZ-CAS); Xizang: 2Ƥ, Chayu, 2000 m, 24.viii.2005, Jie Wu coll. (IOZ-CAS); Yunnan: 3, Pingbian, 2100 m, 21.v.2009, Jie Wu coll. (SEM-CAS).

Diagnosis. Body length 12.0–13.0 mm, body black except for 8th abdominal segment sometimes brown, and tarsi slightly red-brown. Head transverse, frontal impression as long as wide, slightly divergent frontad, width of anterior margin about 1/5 times as wide as head; median sulcus narrowed posteriorly with its lateral margins fused before posterior margin of head; inner lateral teeth bluntly convex, outer lateral teeth rounded, lateral impression widely depressed between inner and outer lateral teeth; clypeus in center with two very close pairs of long setae. Mandibles distinctly protruding, apicad gradually bent inwards, 2nd dorsal tooth bluntly convex, 1st and 2nd ventral teeth forming bifurcate structure, 3rd ventral tooth absent. Mentum trapeziform, anterior margin deeply and narrowly depressed in middle, median denticle distinctly projecting and emarginate at apex, with weak basal impression, without anterior impression. Antenna with 3rd segment about 2.5 times as long as 2nd, 10th quadrate or slightly longer than wide, 11th bluntly pointed, about 1.5 times as long as 10th. For illustrations of characters refer to page 90 in Wu & Zhou (2007).

Remarks. Compared with one paratype of P. (E.) brevidenticulatus deposited in NMW (labeled: ‘N. E. Burma: Kambaiti, 7000 ft, 1934 R. Malaise, Scheerpeltz coll.’), the two syntypes of P. (E.) chinensis examined in our study were similar in almost all respects. Only two characters were different: in P. chinensis the 11th segment of antennae is longer than wide, not quadrate as in P. (E.) brevidenticulatus; in P. chinensis the 8th abdominal segment is brown or dark brown, not black as in P. (E.) brevidenticulatus. However, based on our examination of the specimens of P.

(E.) chinensis from different regions, we conclude that the described variation should be treated as intraspecific. Thus, it is possible that P. (E.) brevidenticulatus should be placed in synonym with P. (E.) chinensis . However, for a formal taxonomic treatment, there is still a need to examine additional type material of P. (E.) brevidenticulatus, especially its holotype which was unavailable to us.

Distribution. Known to be widely distributed in China, including Yunnan, Sichuan, Xizang, Hubei and Henan, at elevations of 1700–2100 m.