Sinlathrobium assingi X. Chen & Z. Peng 2024, sp. nov.

Sinlathrobium assingi X. Chen & Z. Peng sp. nov. Figs 1 A, 1 D, 2 Type material. Holotype. China – Chongqing • ♂; glued on a card with two labels as follows: “ China: Chongqing City, Chengkou County, Gaoxing Xiang, West Daba Shan, Gou-Di-Tang; 32°08'N, 108°37'E; alt. 1830 m; 24. IV. 2008; Huang & Xu leg. ” “ HOLOTYPE: Sinlathrobium assingi sp. nov., Chen & Peng des. 2024 ” [red handwritten label]; SNUC. Paratypes. China – Chongqing • 1 ♀; Chengkou County, Gaoxing Xiang, West Daba Shan, Gou-Di-Tang, 32°08'N, 108°37'E, alt. 1830 m, 24. IV. 2008, Huang & Xu leg; SNUC. Description. Measurements (in mm) and ratios: BL 7.67–7.73, FL 3.61–3.67, HL 0.85–0.92, HW 1.02–1.04, PL 1.05–1.11, PW 0.96–0.98, EL 1.04–1.05, AL 1.94–2.04, AeL 1.02, HL / HW 0.83–0.88, HW / PW 1.06, HL / PL 0.81–0.83, PL / PW 1.09–1.13, EL / PL 0.95–0.99. Habitus as in Fig. 1 A. Coloration: body black, elytra with moderately large, transverse yellowish spot posteriorly reaching lateral and posterior margins; legs yellowish with darker femora; antennae dark brown to brown. Head (Fig. 1 D) transverse, widest across eyes; punctation coarse and very dense, in median dorsal portion and on frons somewhat sparser; interstices with shallow microsculpture. Eyes large and bulging, 0.80–0.83 times as long as postocular region in dorsal view. Antennae not particularly slender. Pronotum (Fig. 1 D) nearly parallel-sided; punctation sparser and distinctly coarser than that of head; interstices without microsculpture and glossy. Elytra (Fig. 1 D) broader than pronotum; humeral angles weakly pronounced; punctation coarse and rather dense; interstices without microsculpture and glossy. Hind wings presumably fully developed. 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. Male. Sternites III – VI unmodified; sternite VII (Fig. 2 D) strongly transverse, with shallow median impression without modified pubescence, posterior margin broadly and shallowly concave; sternite VIII (Fig. 2 E) weakly transverse, with shallow median impression posteriorly, this impression without modified setae, posterior excision V-shaped and moderately deep; aedeagus as in Fig. 2 F, G, ventral process somewhat asymmetric, dorsal plate lamellate and weakly sclerotized. Female. Tergite VIII (Fig. 2 A) with strongly convex posterior margin; sternite VIII (Fig. 2 B) weakly oblong, and with strongly convex posterior margin; tergite IX (Fig. 2 C) with slender posterior processes; tergite X flat, nearly reaching anterior margin of tergite IX. Distribution and biological notes. The type locality is situated to the west of Chengkou, northern Chongqing. The specimens were sifted from leaf litter, moss, and grass roots in shrub habitats at an altitude of 1830 m. Etymology. This species is dedicated to our friend, Volker Assing, who prematurely passed away. He was a renowned specialist on mainly Palaearctic Staphylinidae. Comparative notes. The highly similar male sexual characters, particularly the shape of the male sternites VII – VIII and the similarly derived morphology of the aedeagus, suggest that S. assingi is very closely related to S. chenzhilini sp. nov. and S. lobrathioides (Assing, 2012). It differs from S. chenzhilini and S. lobrathioides by the yellowish legs, particularly by the distinctly denser and coarser punctation of the pronotum, by the somewhat asymmetric ventral process of the aedeagus, and by the differently shaped female tergites IX – X. For illustrations of S. chenzhilini see Figs 1 B, 1 E, 3 and for S. lobrathioides see Figs 1 C, 1 F, 4 A – C and Assing (2012: figs 315–320).