Lathrobium (s.str.) oharai Watanabe, 2004

Ryvkin, Alexandr B., 2014, Notes On Distribution And Taxonomy Of Some Far Eastern Staphylinidae (Coleoptera), Acta Biologica Universitatis Daugavpiliensis 14 (2), pp. 177-185 : 182-183

Lathrobium (s.str.) oharai Watanabe, 2004

(Figs. 6–9, 14–15)

oharai Watanabe, 2004: 41

Material. RUSSIA: SAKHALIN AREA: 1 male ( AR): Kurile Islands, Kunashir Island, near Tret’yakovo, in litter at rill bank. 18– 21.07.1990. S.A.Kurbatov leg.— 1 male, 1 female ( AR): Kurile Islands, Kunashir Island, Tret’yakovo. 11.07.1985. V. V.Belov leg.— 1 female ( AR): Kurile Islands, Kunashir Island, near Mendeleyevo. 02.07.1991. S.A.Kurbatov leg.— 1 male ( AR): Kurile Islands, Kunashir Island, 14 km SW of Yuzhno-Kurilsk, N slope of Mendeleyeva Volkano, Kislyi Spring (right confluent of Lesnaya River) near mouth, swampy spruce forest with Carex , Lysichiton , Sphagnum hillocks. 04.08.1994. K.Yu.Eskov leg.— 1 male ( AR): Kurile Islands, Iturup Island, Burevestnik, Betula shrub with bamboo undergrowth, litter. 23.09– 08.10.1992. S.I.Golovatch leg.— 7 males, 1 female ( AR): Kurile Islands, Iturup Island, Gornoye nr. Burevestnik, 150 m a.s.l., Betula forest with bamboo thichet as undergrowth, litter. 05.10.1992. S.I.Golovatch leg.— 1 male ( AR): Kurile Islands, Iturup Island, nr Goryachiye Klyuchi, Betula sp. , Acer , Rubus etc. forest with bamboo thichet as undergrowth, litter. 06.10.1992. S.I.Golovatch leg.— 1 male ( AR): South of Sakhalin Island, Korsakovskiy District, 16 km SE of Novikovo, Yazevka River mouth. 05.06.1990. K. V.Makarov leg.— 1 male ( AR): South of Sakhalin Island, Korsakovskiy District, 18 km SE of Novikovo, Yevstafiy Cape, ejected algae. 06.06.1990. K. V.Makarov leg.— KHABAROvSK TERRITORY: 1 male ( AR): Verkhnebureinskiy District, Ust’-Urgal Nature Park (project), island on Bureya River, 7 km up-stream of Ust’-Urgal, forest with Picea ajanensis & Abies nephrolepis , in leaf litter. 05.09.2009. L.A.Trilikauskas leg.[immature specimen].— JEWISH AUTONOMOUS AREA: 4 males, 2 females ( AR): Bastak Nature Reserve, middle reaches of Bastak River near 202 m bald mountain, 120 m a.s.l., mosses and leaf litter in flood-plain alder forest with sedge and gramineous tussocks, Filipendula palmata , Smilacina davurica , Sphagnum squarrosum , Polytrichum commune , P. sp., ferns, Equisetum sylvaticum , etc. 09.06.2013. A.B.Ryvkin leg. (see Figs. 6–7).— 1 male ( AR): Bastak Nature Reserve, Kirga River basin, N 48°59.044’ E 132°52.692’, 160 m a.s.l., mosses and leaf litter among Carex spp. near forest road. 14.09.2014. A.B.Ryvkin leg.— 1 male, 2 females ( AR): Bastak Nature Reserve, Kirga River basin, N 48°59.128’ E 132°52.604’, 155 m a.s.l., mosses and leaf litter in larch forest with Ledum palustre , Betula divaricata , Sphagnum spp. , tussocks of Carex spp. , etc. 14.09.2014. A.B.Ryvkin leg.— 2 females ( AR): Bastak Nature Reserve, Kirga River basin, N 48°59.128’ E 132°52.604’ — N 48°59.115’ E 132°52.552’, 155–158 m a.s.l., mosses and leaf litter in sparse birch & larch forest with Ledum palustre , Betula divaricata , Sphagnum spp. , tussocks of Carex spp. , etc. 15.09.2014. A.B.Ryvkin leg. (see Figs. 8–9).

Remarks. This species was described from four specimens collected at Urup Island, Southern Kuriles, as “a new relative” of Lathrobium japonicum Bernhauer, 1907 . Since L. japonicum having broadly emarginated and impressed 8 th male abdominal sternite can be with confidence referred to the widely distributed brunnipes group, L. oharai , with its otherwise modified male terminalia and broad rounded 8 th abdominal sternite of the female, is not related with the named group. I prefer to leave the question of belonging the species to a definite group open until a satisfactory system of the groups would be established.

The new material above proves that the species is rather widely distributed both over islands and in the mainland territory of NE Asiatic Russia. Volker Assing has recently sent me a nice photo of aedeagus of unidentified Lathrobium specimen from Hokkaido, Japan, which undoubtedly belongs to L. oharai ; the label data of the specimen will be pubished by Dr. Assing in the nearest time (Assing, in press). It seems significant that the specimens both from island populations and those inhabiting mainland territory have only small rudiments of the wings; however no variability has been indicated by me in the shape of aedeagi of the specimens from different parts of the species range.

Based on the material collected by me, I can suppose that the species inhabits wet mosses and leaf litter in valley forests of the middle stages of mesotrophic and eutrophic hydroseries in plant succession systems (see Figs. 6–9).