Apatetica sikkimi Fauvel, 1895

Chang, Jin-Kang, Schillhammer, Harald & Tang, Liang, 2024, A new species and some new distribution records of the genus Apatetica Westwood from China (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Apateticinae), ZooKeys 1212, pp. 65-77 : 65-77

Apatetica sikkimi Fauvel, 1895

Fig. 6 锡金脊葬隐翅虫

Apatetica sikkimi Fauvel, 1895: 193; Madge 1980: 317.

Apatetica indica Cameron, 1930: 29.

Type material examined.

A. sikkimi : Holotype (sex not determined): “ Darjeeling \ sikkimi Fvl. \ I. R. Sc. N. B. 17.479 Apatetica Coll. et det. A. Fauvel “ ( IRSNB).

A. indica : Holotype (sex not determined): “ British Bootang, Maria Basti , 1899 \ Oberthur Coll. 1902-65 \ Apatetica indica Cam. Type \ Determined from description G. J. A. Apatetica sikkimi, Fauv. \ 2 FF coll. Oberth. 2 MM from same locality agree with A. viridipennis, Fauv. “ ( BMNH).

Remark.

The type locality of A. indica is in West Bengal, India. Maria Basti is located in Kalimpong environs in Darjeeling.

Material examined.

China – Xizang Prov. • 1 ♂, 1 ♀, SNCA 1153 , SNCA 1155 ; Hanmi ; alt. 2100 m; 12–31 Jul 2013; Wen-Xuan Bi leg.; SHNU . • 1 ♂, SNCA 1154 ; Motuo County, forest nr. 80 K ; 29 ° 39 ' 29 " N, 95 ° 29 ' 23 " E; alt. 2100 m; 11–12 Aug 2022; Peng, Song, Yin & Zhang leg.; SHNU .

Measurements.

BL: 7.4–9.7 mm, FL: 6.3–7.6 mm. HW: 1.42–1.62 mm, PW: 3.19–3.58 mm, EW: 3.38–3.72 mm, AL: 2.70–3.38 mm, PL: 1.86–2.06 mm, EL: 3.48–4.12 mm.

Redescription.

(based on specimens from Xizang). Body (Fig. 6 A, B ) entirely black, except antennomeres 10, 11 and tarsi slightly reddish.

Head weakly transverse, eyes small; dorsal surface rather flat, with punctation coarse, dense, and partly confluent. Antennae moderately long; antennomere 4 twice as long as broad, 5 nearly twice as long as broad, 6–8 weakly oblong, and 10 approximately as long as broad.

Pronotum approximately 1.7 times as broad as long and 2.2 times as broad as head, broadest in posterior fourth, strongly tapering anteriad; explanate part of lateral margins extremely narrow in anterior half, barely visible, gradually becoming broader in posterior half; each side of the posterior margin with a tooth as in A. intermedia ; anterior angles with no projection, posterior angles sharply marked and directed posteriad; disc steeply convex in cross-section, with punctation conspicuously coarse and very dense in antero-median portion, slightly less dense in lateral portions and almost absent in basal quarter.

Elytra short, 1.9–2.0 times as long as pronotum; anterior margin of shoulders with an abrupt excavation opposite the pronotal basal tooth; each elytron with nine finely punctate striae; intervals flat and with micropunctation; posterior margins truncate in the middle. Scutellum weakly transverse and with transverse microsculpture. Legs short.

Abdomen with microsculpture, punctation dense and moderately coarse.

Male. Tergite VIII convex, proximally broad, apically obtusely pointed; aedeagus (Fig. 6 C – F ) 1.7 mm long; median lobe moderately slender, gradually tapering apicad, with apex moderately acute in ventral view; apical portion of ventral process straight in lateral view; parameres long and moderately slender, extending beyond apex of median lobe and strongly curved ventrad apically.

Female. Tergite VIII flat, wedge-shaped, apically obtusely pointed.

Distribution.

Bhutan, China (Xizang) and India. New to China.

Diagnosis.

Except for A. intermedia (the difference is mentioned above), the species is similar to A. curtipennis , but it can be recognized from latter by the smaller eyes, pronotal anterior angles without a projection ( A. curtipennis : anterior angles with prominent projection), the distribution of pronotal large punctation ( A. curtipennis : punctation conspicuously coarse, very dense in antero-median portion, slightly less dense in lateral portions, and somewhat irregularly distributed in posterior portion) and anterior margin of shoulders with an abrupt excavation opposite the pronotal basal tooth ( A. curtipennis : shoulders with no excavation).

Figures

Figure 6. Apatetica sikkimi (SNCA 1153) A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C, D aedeagus in lateral view E, F aedeagus in ventral view. Scale bars: 2 mm (A, B); 0.5 mm (C – F).