Pseudolathra separanda, Assing, 2013

Assing, V., 2013, A revision of Pseudolathra of the East Palaearctic and Oriental regions. II. Six new species and additional records, with notes on some New World species, Linzer biologische Beiträge 45 (1), pp. 205-227 : 205-227

Pseudolathra separanda nov.sp. (Figs 30-34, Map 4)

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype 3: "NE India, Meghalaya, Tura peak, 600-1000 m, 25°30'N 90°14'E, L. Dembický leg., 12.-22.vi.2007 / Holotypus 3 Pseudolathra separanda sp.n., det. V. Assing 2013" (NHMB). Paratypes: 233: "Haldwani Dist., Kumaon, India. H.G.C. / H.G. Champion coll. B.M. 1927-409 / Paratypus 3 Pseudolathra transversicollis sp.n., det. V. Assing 2012 / Paratypus 3 Pseudolathra separanda sp.n., det. V. Assing 2013" (BMNH, cAss).

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is the gerundivum of the Latin verb separare and alludes to the fact that it was previously confounded with, and is now separated from P. transversicollis .

Figs 30-34: Pseudolathra separanda nov.sp., holotype: (30) habitus; (31) forebody; (32) male sternite VII; (33) male sternite VIII; (34) aedeagus in ventral view. Scale bars: 30-31: 1.0 mm; 32- 34: 0.5 mm.

Map 5: Distributions of Pseudolathra nigerrima (CAMERON) (triangles; filled triangles: revised records; open triangle: literature record) and P. tonsa nov.sp. (circles).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 8.5-9.5 mm; length of forebody 4.6-4.8 mm. Habitus and forebody as in Figs 30-31. External and male secondary sexual characters as in P. transversicollis (see description in ASSING 2012a). Reliably distinguished only by the morphology of the aedeagus.

3: sternite VII with broad and distinct, shallowly V-shaped posterior excision (Fig. 32); sternite VIII (Fig. 33) distinctly oblong, posterior excision moderately narrow and approximately two-fifths as long as sternite; aedeagus 1.3-1.4 mm long and shaped as in Fig. 34 and ASSING (2012a: figures 55-56); apex of ventral process of distinctive shape particularly in ventral view.

C o m m e n t a n d c o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: The original description of P. transversicollis is based on eighteen type specimens, sixteen (including the holotype) from one locality in Thailand and two from North India. The possibility that the specimens from North India belonged to a different species was not ruled out, since slight differences in the aedeagal morphology were observed. However, the Indian material was collected a long time ago, so that these differences were tentatively attributed to artefacts resulting from long-term storage. The recently collected male from Meghalaya (now the holotype), however, provides evidence that the specimens from North India indeed represent a different, albeit very similar species. In P. separanda , the aedeagus is apically more membranous, narrower, and distinctly and narrowly excised, whereas in P. transversicollis , it is apically more strongly sclerotized and broadly concave in ventral view.

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: Pseudolathra separanda is known from two localities in North India, one in Uttaranchal and one in Meghalaya (Map 4). The specimen from Meghalaya was collected between 600 and 1000 m.