Lobrathium subcaeruleum, Assing, 2014

Assing, V., 2014, A revision of Palaearctic Lobrathium. V. Three new species from the Himalaya and China, a new synonymy, and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 46 (1), pp. 429-441 : 432-434

Lobrathium subcaeruleum nov.sp. ( Figs 1-3 , 8-9 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype 6: " INDIA: H.P., Simla , VI.1981 / de Rougemont / Holotypus 6 Lobrathium subcaeruleum sp. n., det. V. Assing 2013" (cRou) . Paratypes: 1♀: " NEPAL, Dangsur , 900 m., XI.1987, P. Morvan " (cAss) ; 2♀♀: " NEPAL, Prov. Koshi, distr. Sankhuwasabha, Tumlingtar, Arun-Ufer , 27°19,08'N, 87°10,05'E, 310 m NN, 26.XI.1998, leg. M. Hartmann " ( NME, cAss) .

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet (Latin, adjective: bluish) refers to the distinct bluish hue of the forebody.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Relatively large species; body length 8.5-9.0 mm; length of forebody 4.5-4.6 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: forebody black with dark-bluish hue; abdomen, legs, and antennae black.

Head ( Fig. 2 ) 1.09-1.15 times as broad as long; posterior angles rounded, moderately marked; punctation umbilicate, moderately coarse, and very dense, except for a sparsely punctate transverse spot on vertex; interstices in lateral and posterior portions reduced to narrow ridges. Eyes large, as long as, or longer than postocular region and distinctly more than half as long as distance from posterior margin of eye to neck in dorsal view. Antenna 2.5-2.7 mm long.

Pronotum ( Fig. 2 ) rather short and broad, 1.17-1.19 times as long as broad and 0.90-0.95 times as broad as head; punctation dense, as coarse as that of head; interstices distinctly narrower than diameter of punctures; impunctate midline narrow, but sharply defined.

Elytra ( Fig. 2 ) long, 1.17-1.19 times as long as pronotum; humeral angles marked; punctation not seriate, dense, and slightly coarser than that of pronotum; interstices without microsculpture. Hind wings present. Protarsomeres strongly dilated in both sexes, without sexual dimorphism.

Abdomen approximately 0.9 times as broad as elytra; punctation fine and moderately dense, distinctly coarser in the distinct anterior impressions of tergites III-VII; interstices with fine and shallow microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe; tergite VIII with weakly pronounced sexual dimorphism.

6: tergite VIII with moderately convex posterior margin; sternite VII ( Fig. 8 ) strongly transverse and with unmodified pubescence, posterior margin broadly and distinctly concave; sternite VIII ( Fig. 9 ) nearly 1.2 times as broad as long and with oblong median impression, this impression with numerous distinctly modified short and stout black setae, posterior excision U-shaped and moderately deep, its depth less than one fifth of the length of sternite; aedeagus ( Fig. 3 ) large, 2.3 mm long, and symmetric; ventral process conspicuously long, slender, and strongly curved in lateral view, apically with a lamellate projection of triangular shape on either side; dorsal plate with strongly sclerotized apical portion and without appreciable basal portion; internal sac with large, long, and distinctly sclerotized structure.

♀: tergite VIII with strongly convex posterior margin; sternite VIII with shallow, but distinct, broadly V-shaped posterior excision.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s:Inthekeytothe Lobrathium species of the Himalaya in ASSING (2012), L. subcaeruleum would key out at couplet 20, together with L. mordens ASSING 2012 , from which the new species differs by much greater size ( L. mordens : length of forebody 3.0- 3.8 mm), the transverse male sternite VIII ( L. mordens : sternite VIII oblong) with a smaller posterior excision, and by the much larger and differently shaped aedeagus. For illustrations of L. mordens see ASSING (2012).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y Lobrathium subcaeruleum is currently known only from one locality in Himachal Pradesh and two in Nepal. The paratypes were collected at altitudes of 310 and 900 m.

Figures

Figs 1-7: Lobrathium subcaeruleum nov.sp. (1-3) and L. wutaium nov.sp. (4-7): (1, 4) habitus; (2, 5) forebody; (3, 6-7) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figs 8-11: Lobrathium subcaeruleum nov.sp. (8-9) and L. wutaium nov.sp. (10-11): (8, 10) male sternite VII; (9, 11) male sternite VIII. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.