Anthobium daliense, Shavrin & Smetana, 2017

Shavrin, Alexey V. & Smetana, Aleš, 2017, A revision of Eastern Palaearctic Anthobium Leach, 1819 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae: Anthophagini). I. Gracilipalpe, morchella and nigrum groups, Zootaxa 4365 (1), pp. 1-39 : 3-4

3.1. Gracilipalpe group

Diagnosis. Body convex, glabrous, sometimes with sparse irregular setation on pronotum and elytra; apical segment of maxillary palp twice to three times as long as preceeding segment; anterior angles of pronotum slightly or strongly protruded anteriad; lateral margin of pronotum and latero-apical margins of elytra with more or less regular and uniform small crenulation; each elytron with three vague to distinct longitudinal elevations.

Species included: A. gracilipalpe ( Champion, 1920) , A. daliense sp.n., A. nivale sp.n.

Remarks. By the presence of distinct middle elevations on head and pronotum, crenuliform edge of the pronotum and latero-apical margins of elytra, by the protruded apical angles of pronotum and wide semicircular notch of the head, species of the gracilipalpe group are similar to Himalayan species of Anthobium ( A. altivagans ( Cameron, 1941) , A. monticola ( Cameron, 1924) , A. rugosum ( Champion, 1925) , etc.), and the Central Asian A. reflexum ( Reitter, 1891) with similar indistinct and very tangled longitudinal rows of the elytral punctation as in some western Palaearctic species. From all these species, members of the gracilipalpe group can be distinguished by the larger and more elongated body with significantly stronger body sculpture and convexity, more or less irregular punctation of head and pronotum, sometimes with very deep impressions in head and pronotum and markedly conspicuous longitudinal elevations on the elytra similar to that of some species of the genus Deinopteroloma Jansson, 1947 ( Smetana 1985, Shavrin & Smetana 2016), by the presence (some species) of very sparse irregular erect setation on the forebody, by the elongated antennomeres, apical segment of maxillary palp and legs, as well as by the larger crenulation of more explanated lateral portions of the pronotum. In general appearance the species are more similar to species of morchella and nigrum groups (see below). From morchella group they differ by the finer punctation of the forebody, moderately narrower body, by the shorter apical segment of maxillary palp, relatively smaller crenulation of lateral sides of the pronotum and more elongated elytra. From nigrum group they differ by more convex, narrower forebody and not flattened crenulation of lateral sides of the pronotum and by the developed relief of the surface of elytra.