Lathrobium rude, Assing, 2014

Assing, Volker, 2014, New species and records of Lathrobium from the Palaearctic region, primarily from Nepal (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 64 (1), pp. 1-28 : 8-10

Lathrobium rude sp. n.

( Figs 30–35 , Map 1 )

Type material: Holotype : “ NEPAL, S slope Dhaulagiri Mts. NE slope Asnam Duri , 3100–3300 m, 28°31'50"N, 83°27'57"E, 14.V.2009, leg. J. Schmidt / Holotypus  Lathrobium rude sp. n., det. V. Assing 2013” ( NME).

Etymology: The specific epithet (Latin, adjective: raw, crude) alludes to the practically unmodified male sternite VII.

Description: Body length 5.2 mm; length of forebody 2.5 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 30 . Coloration: forebody darkbrown; abdomen blackish-brown; legs dark-yellowish; antennae reddish.

Head ( Fig. 31 ) as long as broad; punctation sparse and coarse; interstices much broader than diameter of punctures, without microreticulation, glossy. Eyes small, composed of approximately 15 ommatidia, approximately one-fifth as long as postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna 1.4 mm long.

Pronotum ( Fig. 31 ) 1.24 times as long as broad and as broad as head; punctation slightly less coarse than that of head; midline broadly impunctate; interstices without microsculpture.

Elytra ( Fig. 31 ) 0.65 times as long as pronotum; punctation rather dense, coarse, and shallow; interstices without distinct microsculpture. Hind wings completely reduced.

Abdomen slightly broader than elytra; punctation distinct and moderately dense; interstices with fine microreticulation; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe; tergite VIII with weakly convex posterior margin.

: protarsomeres I–IV moderately dilated; sternite VII ( Fig. 32 ) moderately transverse, with unmodified pubescence and very weakly concave posterior margin; sternite VIII ( Fig. 33 ) weakly transverse, 1.05 times as broad as long, with unmodified pubescence, posterior excision very small, posterior margin on either side of posterior excision weakly produced; aedeagus ( Figs 34–35 ) 0.83 mm long and symmetric; ventral process curved and apically acute in lateral view; dorsal plate with very long, distinctly sclerotized and apically hooked (lateral view) apical portion, and with very short basal portion; internal sac with pair of long spines.

: unknown.

Comparative notes: As can be inferred from the external (head without microsculpture) and the male sexual characters (posterior margin of sternite VIII produced on either side of posterior excision; aedeagus with long and apically hooked dorsal plate and with long internal spines), L. rude belongs to the L. emodense species group, which previously included four species from central Nepal: L. emodense COIFFAIT, 1975 (Annapurna) , L. annapurnense ASSING, 2012 (Annapurna) , L. curvum ASSING, 2012 (Dhaulagiri) , and L. spinosissimum ASSING, 2012 (Lamjun Himal). The new species is distinguished from all of them by the practically unmodified male sternite VII, the smaller posterior excision and unmodified pubescence of the male sternite VIII, and by the morphology of the aedeagus (shapes of ventral process, of dorsal plate, and of the internal spines). For illustrations of the other species of the L. emodense group see ASSING (2012).

Distribution and natural history: The type locality is situated in the southern Dhaulagiri range ( Map 1 ) at an altitude of 3100–3300 m.

Figures

Map 1: Distributions of Lathrobium species in Nepal: L. semicirculatum (white triangles), L. constrictum (black triangle), L. descendens (white circles), L. ascendens (black circle), L. rude (white star), L. latibasale (black star), L. eques (white diamond), L. equitans (black diamond), L. abruptum (black square), L. kemum (white square).

Figs 30–45: Lathrobium rude sp. n. (30–35), L. latibasale sp. n. (36–44) and L. ascendens sp. n. (45): habitus (30, 36); forebody (31, 37); male sternite VII (32, 38); male sternite VIII (33, 40); aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (34–35, 41–42); posteromedian portion of male sternite VII (39); female sternite VIII (43); female tergites IX–X (44–45). Scale bars: 30–31, 36–37: 1.0 mm; 32–35, 38, 40–45: 0.5 mm; 39: 0.2 mm.