Pseudolathra glabra Peng and Li

Peng, Zhong, Li, Li-Zhen & Zhao, Mei-Jun, 2014, A new species and additional records of Pseudolathra Casey (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae) from southern China, Zootaxa 3878 (6), pp. 597-600 : 598-599

Pseudolathra glabra Peng and Li , new species

( Fig. 1 )

Type material. (2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀). HOLOTYPE: ♂, labelled ‘ China: Guizhou Prov., Yanhe County, Mayanghe N. R., 28°38'N 108°17'E, alt. 400–500 m 05.vi.2007, Shan-Jia Shen leg.’ ( SNUC). PARATYPES: 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, same label data as holotype ( SNUC); 1 ♀, same data, but ‘ 28°38'N 108°18'E, alt. 700 m 01.x.2007, Jian-Qing Zhu leg.’ ( SNUC).

Description. Measurements (in mm) and ratios: BL 5.84–6.11, FL 3.00–3.11, HL 0.78–0.80, HW 0.72–0.74, PL 0.92–0.94, PW 0.81–0.85, EL 0.87–0.96, AL 1.78–1.94, AeL 1.28, HL/HW 1.08, HW/PW 0.87–0.89, HL/PL 0.85, PL/ PW 1.11–1.14, EL/PL 0.95–1.02.

Habitus as in Fig. 1 A. Coloration: head and elytra blackish-brown; pronotum reddish; abdomen brown; antennae reddish-yellow; legs yellowish brown.

Head oblong, punctation coarse and sparse, in median dorsal portion very sparse; interstices without microsculpture, but with micropunctation, and glossy. Eyes moderately small, 0.75–0.78 times as long as postocular region in dorsal view. Antennae slender, all antennomeres oblong.

Pronotum distinctly oblong; impunctate midline broad, delimited by somewhat irregular series of 13–16 punctures; lateral portion with moderately sparse punctation; interstices without microsculpture.

Elytra parallel-sided; punctures on surface arranged in five series; interstices without microsculpture. Hind wings fully developed. Metatarsomere I approximately as long as II.

Abdomen somewhat narrower than elytra; punctation conspicuously dense and fine on all tergites; interstices with distinct microsculpture and subdued gloss; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe; posterior margin of tergite VIII broadly convex.

Male. Sternites III–VI unmodified; sternite VII ( Fig. 1 B) with U-shaped posterior excision, margins of this excision moderately depressed; sternite VIII ( Fig. 1 C) distinctly oblong, posterior excision narrow and very deep, approximately half as long as sternite; aedeagus as in Figs 1 D, E, ventral process strongly sclerotized and of distinctive shape; dorsal plate fused with median lobe and symmetric; internal sac with some weakly sclerotized structures.

Female. Sternites VII–VIII without any modifications.

Comparative notes. The highly similar external and male sexual characters, particularly the shape of the male sternites VII and the similarly derived morphology of the aedeagus, suggest that P. g l ab r a is very closely related to P. cylindrata . It differs from P. cylindrata by the lighter coloration of the pronotum, by the deeper posterior excision of the male sternite VIII, and particularly by the differently shaped ventral process the aedeagus. For illustrations of P. cylindrata see Li et al. (2013: figure 1).

Distribution and biological notes. The type locality is situated in the Mayanghe Natural Reserve to the northwest of Yanhe, northeastern Guizhou. The specimens were sifted from leaf litter, moss, and grass roots in shrub habitats at an altitude of 400– 700 m.

Etymology. The specific epithet (Latin, adjective: hairless) alludes to the sparse pubescence of the pronotum of the new species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pseudolathra glabra. A — Habitus; B — male sternite VII; C — male sternite VIII; D — aedeagus in ventral view; E — aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: A: 1.0 mm; B – E: 0.5 mm.