Lobrathium tortuosum, Solodovinikov, Xiao-Yan Li Alexey & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2013

Solodovinikov, Xiao-Yan Li Alexey & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2013, Four new species of the genus Lobrathium Mulsant & Rey (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae) from China, Zootaxa 3635 (5), pp. 569-578 : 574

3. Lobrathium tortuosum sp. n.

( Figs. 3 A–F, 5C).

Type material. Holotype, 3, CHINA: Zhejiang Province, Longquan, Mountain Fangyang, 1400 m, 28. VII. 2007, leg. Zongyi Zhao (IZCAS); Paratypes, 1Ƥ, 33, same data as holotype; 1Ƥ, 13, Mountain Fengyang Er’zhepu, 1400 m, 29. VII. 2007, Zongyi Zhao (IZCAS, ZMUC).

Description. Length: 7.5–8.3 mm; width: 1.25–1.28 mm. Body parts (all in mm): HL 1.09; AL 2.66; PL 1.28; ELL 1.55; HW 1.06; PW 1.02; EW 1.24; ABW 1.25.

Body black with slight bluish metallic luster; elytra with a pair of yellow spots; mandibles and legs blackish brown.

Head slightly rounded and as long as wide. Eyes relatively small, slightly protruded laterally; HL/EL = 3.41, eye length slightly longer than gena but shorter than temple (gena eye temple = 0.25: 0.32: 0.52 mm). Punctation on head irregular and sparse, consisting of large punctures varying in size. All punctures with brown setae of different length. Vertex smooth and glossy without punctation.

Pronotum with PL/PW = 1.3, widest at apex. Disc rather flat with punctation on disk sparser, but, laterally, denser than on head. Scutellum U–shaped, longer than wide, surface with reticulate microsculpture and fine punctation, shiny.

Elytra with ELL\ELW = 1.3 and ESL/ELL = 0.8, with elytral epipleural ridge absent in the basal third and in posterior end of elytral length. Punctures on disk of elytra large, dense, with setae; along elytral suture small, and posterior part of elytra without distinct punctures; diameter of puncture on disc larger than punctures and intervals between them on pronotum. Setae oblique and brown. Posterior 1/3 of elytra with a pair of blackish brownish rounded spots. Hind wings extending back to basal of elytra but flightless species.

Abdomen widest at segment VI (4th visible), wider than head or pronotum and as wide as elytra. Surface of tergites with fine microsculpture, posterior and lateral areas with sparse dark hairs. Punctures on sternites larger than on tergite, middle area of each sternite with sparse punctures.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 3 D–F), length/width = 2.9. Median lobe, except dorsal plate, short and thick, slightly curved dorsally, basal part rounded and slightly sinuate laterally, apex broadly rounded. Dorsal plate of median lobe irregular, basal part thin and broadened posteriad, apex rounded in dorsal view. Ventral plate strongly sclerotized, with ventral process sharply projected and curved ventrally.

Secondary sexual dimorphism.

Both sexes differ from each other in the structure of terminalia. In male sternite VI slightly depressed in middle; sternite VII with posterior margin slightly notched, area before the notch with shallow and ∩–shaped depression; sternite VIII ( Fig. 3 A) with the similar notch and depression but broader and longer than sternite VII; sternite IX ( Fig. 3 B) with anterior part asymmetrical.

In female sternite VIII ( Fig. 3 C) with lateral sides slightly sinuate and posterior margin truncated.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the Latin adjective “curved” that refers to the shape of the ventral process of the aedeagus of this species.

Remarks. The new species L. tortuosum sp. n. is similar to L. gladiatum Zheng , but both species differ in the structure of their sternite VIII and the ventral process as follows: 1) the notch of the sternite VIII in the new species ( Fig. 3 A) has rather short thorns without setae, whereas in the latter species it has setae; 2) in L. tortuosum sp. n. the ventral process is narrow and curved ventrally with the posterior part hooked ( Figs. 3 D–F); but in the latter species it is broad, with sinuate line on the surface, with straight posterior part and small apex.

Distribution. The species is known only from the type locality, Mountain Fangyang, Longquan County in Zhejiang Province. The type series was collected in the mountains in leaf litter at the altitude of 1400 m in June.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Lobrathium tortuosum sp. n. from Zhejiang. A. sternite VIII, male; B. sternite IX, male; C. sternite VIII, female; D. aedeagus, lateral view; E. aedeagus, dorsal view; F. aedeagus, ventral view. Scale = 0.5 mm.