Lathrobium chenae 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 : 11-13

Lathrobium chenae Peng and Li , new species

( Figs 5 C, 8)

Type material. (5 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀). HOLOTYPE: ♂, labelled ‘ CHINA: Zhejiang Prov., 78 km W Lin’an City, Mt. Qingliangfeng, 30°06'N, 118°51'E, 22.v.2012 alt. 1,750 m, Chen, Ma & Zhao leg.’ ( SNUC). PARATYPES: 4 ♂♂, 1 ♀, same label data as holotype; 2 ♀♀ [1 teneral]: same data, but ‘ 30°06'N, 118°52'E, 9.vii.2011 alt. 1,650 m, Jian- Qing Zhu leg.’ ( SNUC).

Description. Measurements (in mm) and ratios: BL 6.12–6.67, FL 2.72–2.84, HL 0.72–0.74, HW 0.76–0.78, AnL 1.36–1.42, PL 1.04–1.07, PW 0.83–0.87, EL 0.57–0.61, AL 0.98–1.02, HL/HW 0.94–0.96, HW/PW 0.90– 0.92, HL/PL 0.69–0.70, PL/PW 1.22–1.25, EL/PL 0.55–0.57.

Habitus as in Fig. 5 C. Body reddish brown with paler apex, legs yellowish brown, antennae reddish brown to yellowish brown.

Head weakly transverse; punctation moderately coarse and sparse, even sparser in median dorsal portion; interstices with shallow microreticulation. Eyes 0.25–0.29 times as long as postocular region in dorsal view and composed of approximately 40–50 ommatidia.

Pronotum nearly parallel-sided; punctation sparser than that of head; impunctate midline broad; interstices without microreticulation.

Elytra short; punctation dense, shallow, and weakly defined. Hind wings completely reduced. Protarsi without sexual dimorphism, moderately dilated in both sexes.

Abdomen with fine and dense punctation, that of tergite VII slightly sparser than that of anterior tergites; interstices with fine and shallow microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe; tergite VIII with weakly pronounced sexual dimorphism.

Male. Posterior margin of tergite VIII weakly convex; sternites III–IV unmodified; posterior margins of sternites V–VI ( Figs 8 D, E) with several short and stout black setae; sternite VII ( Fig. 8 F) strongly transverse, symmetric, with shallow median impression posteriorly, this impression with cluster of short and stout black setae, posterior margin truncate; sternite VIII ( Fig. 8 G) weakly transverse, with shallow and extensive median impression posteriorly, middle of this impression without pubescence, laterally and posteriorly with several short and stout black setae, posterior excision shallow and broad; aedeagus as in Figs 8 H, I, of highly distinctive shape; ventral process hook-shaped; dorsal plate long, with asymmetric apical portion; internal sac with slender and moderately sclerotized spine, and with ring-shaped membranous structure.

Female. Posterior margin of tergite VIII ( Fig. 8 A) nearly truncate; sternite VIII ( Fig. 8 B) somewhat longer than that of male, posterior margin broadly convex and weakly asymmetric; tergite IX ( Fig. 8 C) with long median portion, postero-lateral processes slender and long; tergite X 1.2 times as long as antero-median portion of tergite IX ( Fig. 8 C).

Comparative notes. As can be inferred from the similarly derived shapes and chaetotaxy of the male sternites V–VIII, the similarly derived morphology of the aedeagus, as well as from the similar female tergites IX and X, L. chenae is the adelphotaxon of the geographically close L. uncum Peng, Li & Zhao, 2012 . It differs from this species by the slightly greater body size, by the different chaetotaxy of the male sternite VIII, the slightly longer aedeagus ( L. uncum : length of aedeagus 0.93–0.95 mm) with a stouter ventral process and with internal structures of different shape, and by a nearly truncate posterior margin of female tergite VIII. For illustrations of L. uncum see Peng et al. (2012a). Lathrobium chenae is readily distinguished from the syntopic L. fengae by smaller body size, sparser punctation of the forebody, the chaetotaxy of the male sternites V–VIII, as well as the shape of the aedeagus.

Distribution and biological notes. The type locality is situated in the Qingliangfeng to the west of Lin’an, western Zhejiang. Lathrobium chenae is most likely endemic to the Qingliangfeng. The specimens were sifted from leaf litter, moss, and grass roots in shrub habitats at an altitude of 1650–1750 m, partly together with L. fengae sp. n. (Chen, pers. comm.).

Etymology. The species is named after Yan Chen, fellow student of the first author, who collected some of type specimens.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Habitus of Lathrobium spp., A — L. ayui; B — L. yaoluopingense; C — L. chenae. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 8. Lathrobium chenae. A — female tergite VIII; B — female sternite VIII; C — female tergites IX – X. D — male sternite V; E — male sternite VI; F — male sternite VII; G — male sternite VIII; H — aedeagus in ventral view; I — aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.