Lathrobium fengae 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 : 13-14

Lathrobium fengae Peng and Li , new species

( Figs 9 A, 10)

Type material. (34 ♂♂, 48 ♀♀). HOLOTYPE: ♂, labelled ‘ CHINA: Zhejiang Prov., 78km W Lin’an City, Qingliangfeng, 30°06'14''N, 118°53'06''E, 23.vii.2009 alt. 900 m, Feng, Yuan & Yin leg.’ ( SNUC). PARATYPES: 9 ♂♂, 17 ♀♀ [2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀ teneral], same label data as holotype; 5 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀ [1♀ teneral]: same data, but ‘ 30°05'58''N, 118°53'15''E, 20.vii.2009 alt. 800 m’; 4 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀ [2 ♂♂, 1♀ teneral]: same data, but ‘ 30°06'41''N, 118°54'32''E, 18.vii.2009 alt. 850 m’; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀: same data, but ‘ 30°05'58''N, 118°53'15''E, 9.v.2005 alt. 1060 m, Li & Zhu leg’; 1 ♂, 1 ♀: same data, but ‘ 30°06'22''N, 118°55'14''E, 20.v.2012 380–500 m, Chen, Ma & Zhao leg’; 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀: same data, but ‘ 30°06'N, 118°52'E, 22.v.2012 alt. 1,700 m, Chen, Ma & Zhao leg’; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ [1♂ teneral]: same data, but ‘ 30°06'09''N, 118°53'07''E, 22.vii.2009 alt. 850 m’; 11 ♂♂, 13 ♀♀ [2 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀ teneral]: same data, but ‘ 30°06'03''N, 118°52'42''E, 15.vii.2009 alt. 1,000 m’ ( SNUC).

Description. Measurements (in mm) and ratios: BL 6.34–7.51, FL 2.95–3.50, HL 0.80–0.85, HW 0.94–1.00, AnL 1.86–1.90, PL 1.15–1.20, PW 1.02–1.07, EL 0.77–0.83, AL 1.30–1.37, HL/HW 0.85–0.89, HW/PW 0.92– 0.95, HL/PL 0.69–0.71, PL/PW 1.11–1.13, EL/PL 0.65–0.69.

Habitus as in Fig. 9 A. Body blackish brown with paler apex, legs and antennae dark brown to light brown.

Head weakly transverse; punctation coarse and moderately dense, sparser in median dorsal portion; interstices with pronounced microreticulation. Eyes 0.33–0.42 times as long as postocular region in dorsal view and composed of approximately 50–60 ommatidia.

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

Elytra moderately short; punctation fine, dense and shallow. Hind wings completely reduced. Protarsi with weakly pronounced sexual dimorphism.

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

Male. Posterior margin of tergite VIII weakly convex; sternites III–VI unmodified; sternite VII ( Fig. 10 D) strongly transverse, symmetric, with very shallow median impression posteriorly, this impression with rather sparse setae, posterior margin weakly and broadly concave; sternite VIII ( Fig. 10 E) weakly transverse and impressed along the middle, this impression with several short and black setae, posterior excision small and of semi-circular shape; aedeagus as in Figs 10 F, G, ventral process slender and weakly curved apically; dorsal plate weakly asymmetric, broad in ventral view, with acute, somewhat twisted and curved apex; internal sac with long membranous structures and two very weakly sclerotized spines apically.

Female. Posterior margin of tergite VIII ( Fig. 10 A) pointed in middle; sternite VIII ( Fig. 10 B) much longer than that of male, posterior margin strongly convex; tergite IX ( Fig. 10 C) with short median portion and long postero-lateral processes; tergite X 5.3 times as long as antero-median portion of tergite IX ( Fig. 10 C).

Comparative notes. Lathrobium fengae resembles L. sheni Peng & Li, 2012 from the Jiulong Shan in Zhejiang in having a similar male sternite VII, a weakly curved ventral process of the aedeagus, and a similarly shaped female tergite VIII and sternite VIII. Lathrobium fengae is distinguished from L. sheni Peng & Li, 2012 by the chaetotaxy of the male sternites VIII (median impression with several short and black setae), the morphology of the aedeagus (shape of dorsal plate; internal sac with long membranous structures and two very weakly sclerotized spines apically), and the slender female tergites IX–X. For illustrations of L. sheni see Peng et al. (2012b). Lathrobium fengae is readily distinguished from the syntopic L. chenae by greater body size, denser punctation of the forebody, unmodified male sternites V–VI, as well as the morphology of the aedeagus (shape of ventral process and dorsal plate).

Distribution and biological notes. The type locality is situated in the Qingliangfeng to the west of Lin’an, western Zhejiang. The specimens were sifted from the leaf litter of mixed deciduous forests at altitudes of 380– 1700 m, partly together with L. chenae (Chen, pers. comm.). Some of the specimens collected in July are teneral.

Etymology. The species is named after Ting Feng, specialist of Tachinus , who collected some of type specimens.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Habitus of Lathrobium spp., A — L. fengae; B — L. gutianense; C — L. nannani. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 10. Lathrobium fengae. A — female tergite VIII; B — female sternite VIII; C — female tergites IX – X. D — male sternite VII; E — male sternite VIII; F — aedeagus in ventral view; G — aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.