Anthobium sinicum, 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 : 76-78

Anthobium sinicum sp. nov.

( Figs 14 , 36 , 44, 45 )

Type material. Holotype ♂ ( Fig. 36 ; dissected): CHINA: ‘CHINA: W-Hubei 10.–14.8. | Dashenongjia mts. | 31.5N 110.3E, 2100-2900 m | leg. J. Turna, 2002’ <printed>, ‘Deliphrum [handwritten] | sp. [handwritten] | det. Zanetti 2006’ <printed>, ‘ HOLOTYPE | Anthobium | sinicum sp. nov. | Shavrin A.V. des. 2025’ <red, printed> ( NMW).

Paratype: 1 ♀: same first label as the holotype, with additional red printed label: ‘ PARATYPE | Anthobium | sinicum sp. nov. | Shavrin A.V. des. 2025’ <red, printed> ( NMW).

Description. Measurements (n=2): HL: 0.37–0.40; HW: 0.60–0.68; AL: 1.15 ( holotype); OL: 0.15–0.18; LT: 0.08; PL: 0.55; PW: 1.00–1.09; ESL: 1.35–1.46; EW: 1.30–1.52; AW: 1.05–1.32; MTbL: 0.57 ( holotype); MTrL ( holotype): 0.35 (MTrL 1–4: 0.20; MTrL 5: 0.15); AedL: 0.50; BL: 3.10 ( holotype)–3.30.

Habitus as in Fig. 36 . Head and antennomeres 4–11 brown; pronotum, elytra and abdomen yellow-brown (median part of pronotum slightly darker); mouthparts, antennomeres 1–3 and legs yellowish. Head with distinct dense microsculpture: transverse on clypeus, transverse and subdiagonal in middle, and subdiagonal and longitudinal on infraorbital portions; neck with fine transverse meshes; pronotum with with fine transverse microreticulation; scutellum with fine transverse meshes; elytra without microsculpture; abdomen with dense transverse sculpture. Head with dense and moderately fine punctation, denser in middle and slightly larger and deeper on infraorbital portions; neck with fine and sparse punctation; pronotum with dense punctation similar to that in middle part of head, sparser in lateral, and finer and sparser in mediobasal portions; neck with fine punctation; elytra with punctation similar to that in pronotum, larger and deeper in mediobasal, mediolateral and apical portions, and finer and sparser in middle, each elytron bearing four to five vague and tangled longitudinal rows of punctures; abdominal tergites with dense and fine punctation.

Head with distinctly elevated middle and infraorbital portions, 1.6–1.7 times as broad as long; anteriomedian depressions deep and wide, reaching level of middle length of eyes; anteocellar foveae deep and long, convergent lateroanteriad and connected with anteriomedian depressions; postocular ridges acute; each anterior portion between antennal insertion and anterior margin of eye with deep small notch. Ocelli large, located distinctly below level of postocular ridges. Apical maxillary palpomere about three times longer than preceding segment. Antennomere 3 indistinctly shorter and narrower than 2, 4 shorter and broader than 3, 5–6 slightly broader than 4, 7–9 slightly shorter than 6, 10 slightly shorter than 9, apical antennomere 1.5–1.6 times as long as 10.

Pronotum with evenly elevated median part, slightly less than twice as broad as long, 1.6 times as broad as head, from widest middle gradually narrowed both anteriad and posteriad; posterior angles widely rounded, without or with ( paratype) slightly concave laterobasal margins; apical angles widely rounded, strongly protruded anteriad; anterior margin slightly rounded; surface without elevations between punctures; median portion without or with ( holotype) indistinct oval depressions in about mediobasal portion; lateral portions widely impressed, but not explanate, each with realtively shallow oval pit in about middle; lateral edges without crenulation.

Elytra about as long as broad, distinctly more than twice as long as pronotum, reaching apical margin of abdominal tergite IV or V; mediolateral surface of each elytron with indistinct longitudinal elevations between punctures; lateral portions narrowly impressed, broader behind middle; lateroapical edges with fine crenulation.

Metatarsi 1.5 times as long as metatibia.

Abdomen with a pair relatively large round tomentose spots in middle of abdominal tergite V.

Male. Protarsomeres 1–4 distinctly broadened. Posterior margin of abdominal tergite VIII truncate. Posterior margin of abdominal sternite VIII widely sinuate. Aedeagus with wide basal part, gradually narrowed toward small rounded apex; parameres almost exceeding apex of median lobe, gradually broadened apically, each with short apical seta; internal sac wide and long, spirally folded in basal portion ( Fig. 44 ). Lateral aspect of the aedeagus as in Fig. 45 .

Female. Protarsomeres 1–4 narrow. Posterior margin of abdominal tergite VIII truncate. Posterior margin of abdominal sternite VIII rounded.

Comparative notes. Based on the general shape of the body and the shape of the pronotum with anterior angles distinctly protruded anteriad, A. sinicum sp. nov. is similar to A. frigidum , A. curtulum sp. nov. (see above) and A. tichomirovae . It can be distinguished from them by the folowing morphological features:

from A. frigidum by the paler coloration of the body, slightly narrower pronotum, narrower and longer elytra, narrower apical part of the median lobe, and shorter parameres with narrower apical portions;

from A. curtulum sp. nov. by the shorter and paler body, larger and denser punctation of the pronotum, shorter antennomeres 4–10, the missing of distinct semicircular mediobasal impression on the pronotum, slightly narrower elytra, significantly narrower apical party of the median lobe, and shorter parameres;

from A. tichomirovae by the smaller and paler body, the broader pronotum, the narrower elytra, the narower apical part of the median lobe with rounded apex (apex of A. tichomirovae is widely truncate), and significantly shorter parameres.

From all these species it can be distinguished by details of morphology of the aedeagus.

Distribution. Anthobium sinicum sp. nov. is known only from the type locality in Dashenongia Mts. in Hubei, China ( Fig. 14 ).

Bionomics. Specimens were collected at elevations from 2100 to 2900 m a.s.l. The detailed bionomical data are unknown.

Etymology. The name of the new species is derived from Sina, an old name of China deriving from the Sanskrit word Cīna (चीन).

Figures

FIGURE 14. Distribution of Anthobium flaviculum (circles) and A. sinicum (square) in China.

FIGURES 33–36. Habitus of Anthobium: 33–34—A. kleebergi (Fig. 33: paratype: Nepal, Annapurna Mts., Fig. 34: paratype: Nepal, Nyimare), 35—A. curtulum (holotype), 36—A. sinicum (holotype). Scale bar: 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 44–45. Aedeagus of Anthobium sinicum (holotype): 44—aedeagus, parameral view, 45—aedeagus, lateral view. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.