Anthobium aterrimum, Shavrin, 2025

Shavrin, Alexey V., 2025, A revision of eastern Palaearctic Anthobium Leach, 1819 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae: Anthophagini). IX. Thirteen new species and records from China and the Himalayan Region, Zootaxa 5728 (1), pp. 47-78 : 63-66

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.1.2
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C986D1F2-ECC0-47C0-A2DA-E34D7AF77304
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F2AF1C-FF83-0F64-E880-F8E2C266FF0F
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Anthobium aterrimum
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Anthobium aterrimum sp. nov.

( Figs 17 View FIGURES 15–20 , 26–28 View FIGURE 26 View FIGURES 27–32 )

Paratypes: 2 ♂♂ (dissected), 5 ♀♀: same data as the holotype ( 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀: CNC; 1 ♂, 1 ♀: cSh; 1 ♀: NMW) ;

Description. Measurements (n=46): HL: 0.45–0.50; HW: 0.74–0.80; AL: 1.65 ( holotype); OL: 0.22–0.00; LT: 0.07; PL: 0.54–0.65; PW: 1.01–1.05; ESL: 1.56–1.68; EW: 1.51–1.55; AW: 1.24–1.36; MTbL: 0.85 ( holotype); MTrL ( holotype): 0.44 (MTrL 1–4: 0.27; MTrL 5: 0.17); AedL: 0.75–0.78; BL: 3.30–4.49 ( holotype: 4.05).

Habitus as in Fig. 17 View FIGURES 15–20 . Body black; mouthparts, antennae and legs brown. Forebody shiny, without microsculpture; abdominal tergites with dense isodiametric microreticulation. Head with irregular fine punctation, sparser and finer in middle and larger on infraorbital portions, some specimens with narrow impunctate portion between basal part of anteocelar foveae; neck with fine and sparse punctation; pronotum wih relatively sparse and fine punctation, sparser in middle and lateral portions, larger and denser in medioapical and basal portions (some paratypes with fine and sparse punctation in apical and basal parts), some paratypes with impunctate mediobasal portion; scutellum with several fine punctures; punctation of elytra somewhat denser, larger and deeper than that on pronotum, usually finer and sparse in middle, each elytron bearing five to six tangled and vague longitudinal rows of punctures; abdominal tergites without or with indistinct, fine and sparse punctation.

Head 1.6 times as broad as long, with shallow or relatively wide and deep anteriomedian depressions; some paratypes with diagonal elevations between punctures in lateral parts between anterior half of eyes and middle; anteocellar foveae long and relatively deep, straight or slightly convergent anteriad, reaching level of middle or anterior third of eyes; postocular ridges obtuse or acute. Apical maxillary palpomere two and a half to three times as long as preceding segment. Basal antennomere slightly twice longer than broad, 3 slightly longer and narrower than 2, 4 distinctly shorter than 3, 5–8 slightly longer than 4, 9 slightly shorter than 8, 10 shorter than 9, apical antennomere 1.2–1.4 times as long as 10.

Pronotum 1.6–1.8 times as broad as long, widest in middle. distinctly more narrowed posteriad than anteriad; posterior angles rounded or obtuse, laterobasal margins not concaved; apical angles widely rounded, slightly protruded anteriad; anterior margin widely rounded; middle portion with shallow or deeply impressed mediobasal portion, without or with elongate shallow impression in medioapical part, usually with shallow transverse impression at level of lateral pit and middle elevation; lateral portions relatively widely impressed, with deep oval pit in middle; each lateral edge with fine irregular crenulation.

Elytra slightly longer than broad, slightly broadened posteriad, about or more than two and a half times as long as pronotum, reaching basal margin of abdominal tergite IV–VII; mediobasal and sometimes middle (several paratypes) portions with irregular diagonal and longitudinal elevations between punctures; lateroapical edges of each elytron without or with fine crenulation.

Metatarsi about twice as long as metatibia.

Abdomen with a pair of small round (sometimes indistinct) tomentose spots in middle of abdominal tergite V.

Male. Posterior margin of abdominal tergite VIII straight or slightly sinuate.Apical margin of abdominal sternite VIII sinuate. Aedeagus with wide basal part, gradually narrowed toward rounded apex; parameres distinctly longer than apex of median lobe, each distinctly broadened in preapical part and narrowed apically, with one short apical and two preapical setae; internal sac wide and long, spirally folded in basal portion ( Fig. 27 View FIGURES 27–32 ). Lateral aspect of the aedeagus as in Fig. 28 View FIGURES 27–32 .

Female. Posterior margin of abdominal tergite VIII truncate. Posterior margin of abdominal sternite VIII truncate or widely rounded.

Comparative notes. Based on the coloration and the length of the body, A. aterrimum sp. nov. is similar to Nepalese A. nigrum ( Cameron, 1924) and A. ivani Shavrin & Smetana, 2017 , from which it can be distinguished by the narrower pronotum with finer mediobasal depression and lateral crenulation, the narrower elytra, broader aedeagus, narrower apical parts of parameres, more sclerotized and longer internal sac, and other details of the morphology of the aedeagus.

Distribution. Anthobium aterrimum sp. nov. is known from four localities in Gandaki and Bagmati, Nepal ( Fig. 26 View FIGURE 26 ).

Bionomics. Specimens were collected at elevations from 3400 to 4450 m a.s.l. The detailed bionomical data are unknown. Specimens from Yangri Ridge ( Bagmati) were collected together with A. sculpturatum sp. nov. and A. curtulum sp. nov.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the Latin adjective aterrimus, - a, - um (very black). It refers to the coloration of the body.