Lathrobium kemum, 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 : 14-16

Lathrobium kemum sp. n.

( Figs 70–78 , 96 , Map 1 )

Type material: Holotype : “ NEPAL W Dhaulagiri, Kem Danda 31–3200 m, 28°28'37"N, 82°58'34"E, 18.IX.2012 leg. J. Schmidt / Holotypus  Lathrobium kemum sp. n., det. V. Assing 2013” ( NME).

Paratypes: 18 , 10  [partly teneral]: same data as holotype ( NME, cAss) .

Etymology: The specific epithet is an adjective derived from the type locality (Kem Danda).

Description: Body length 5.0–6.0 mm; length of forebody 2.3–2.5 mm; males on average larger than females. Habitus as in Fig. 70 . Coloration: whole body reddish.

Head ( Fig. 71 ) approximately as long as broad; punctation moderately dense and moderately coarse, sparser in median dorsal portion; interstices with distinct microreticulation. Eyes small, composed of approximately 10 ommatidia, approximately one-sixth as long as postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna 1.2–1.4 mm long.

Pronotum ( Fig. 71 ) approximately 1.2 times as long as broad and about as broad as head; punctation similar to that of head; midline moderately broadly impunctate; interstices without microsculpture.

Elytra ( Fig. 71 ) approximately 0.6 times as long as pronotum; punctation fine and sparse; interstices without distinct microsculpture. Hind wings completely reduced. Protarsomeres I–IV without appreciable sexual dimorphism, distinctly dilated in both sexes; metatibia ( Fig. 72 ) dilated and strongly flattened in apical two-thirds in both sexes.

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

: sternite VII ( Fig. 73 ) strongly transverse, in posterior portion with a cluster of long and stout black setae on either side of middle, posterior margin with broad and not very deep posterior excision, margin of this excision with a comb of 30–40 very long palisade setae; sternite VIII ( Fig. 74 ) weakly transverse, in antero-median portion extensively without pubescence, posterior excision rather deep, broad, and anteriorly rounded; aedeagus ( Figs 75–76 ) approximately 0.95 mm long and somewhat asymmetric; ventral process short, basally broad, and apically of triangular shape in ventral view; dorsal plate broad and short ( Fig. 77 ); internal sac without appreciable structures.

: sternite VIII ( Fig. 96 ) approximately 1.1 times as long as broad and with convex posterior margin; tergite IX ( Fig. 78 ) undivided in the middle, postero-lateral processes short, only slightly extending beyond apex of tergite X; tergite X ( Fig. 78 ) flat, of oval shape, and approximately 1.4 times as long as antero-median portion of tergite IX.

Comparative notes: Among the species of the L. pectinatum group, L. kemum is characterized by the compressed metatibiae (in male and females), the shapes and chaetotaxy of the male sternites VII and VIII, and particularly by the morphology of the aedeagus. The similarly modified metatibiae, the similarly modified morphology of the aedeagus, and the similar male secondary sexual characters suggest that L. kemum is closely related to L. pectinatum COIFFAIT, 1981 (Manaslu) , L. compressicrus ASSING, 2012 (Manaslu) , L. barbatum ASSING, 2012 (Annapurna) , L. barbulatum ASSING, 2012 (Annapurna) , and L. cavicrus ASSING, 2012 (Manaslu) .

Distribution and natural history: The type locality is situated in the Dhaulagiri range, Central Nepal ( Map 1 ), at an altitude of 3100–3200 m. Some of the specimens are more or less distinctly teneral.

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 62–78: Lathrobium abruptum sp. n. (62–69) and L. kemum sp. n. (70–78): male habitus (62, 70); forebody (63, 71); male sternite VII (64, 73); male sternite VIII (65, 74); aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (66–67, 75–76); female sternite VIII (68); female tergites IX–X (69, 78); metatibia (72); dorsal plate of aedeagus in dorsal view (77). Scale bars: 62–63, 70–71: 1.0 mm; 64–69, 72–76, 78: 0.5 mm; 77: 0.2 mm.

Figs 79–96: Lathrobium flexaculeatum sp. n. (79–88), L. rectaculeatum sp. n. (89–95), and L. kemum sp. n. (96): male habitus (79, 89); forebody (80, 90); male metafemur (81); male sternite VII (82, 92); male sternite VIII (83, 93); aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (84–85, 94–95); dorsal plate of aedeagus in dorsal view (86); female sternite VIII (87, 96); female tergites IX–X (88); metatibia (91). Scale bars: 79–80, 89–90: 1.0 mm; 81–85, 87–88, 91–96: 0.5 mm; 86: 0.2 mm.