(Figs. 72-74)

Type locality. China, Shaanxi Province, Qinling mts., 6 km E of Xunyangba, 1000-1300 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ China, Shaanxi, Qinling mts., Xunyangba (6 km E), 1000- 1300 m, 23.v.-13.vi.1998, I. H. Marshal leg.’ (NHMB). PARATYPES: same data, 7 JJ 12 ♀♀ (NHMB, NMPC).

Description. Coloration. Head sooty, head before eyes including mouthparts, two small spots behind antennal pits, oblique stripes behind eyes and ventral surface orange to terra-cotta. Antennae sooty, basal part of antennomere 1 rusty. Prothorax rusty, central and lateral areas of pronotum with more or less sienna to chestnut brown tinge. Meso- and metasternum and ventral part of abdomen sepia, scutellum sepia, legs rusty to chestnut brown, elytra dark blood red.

Male. Eyes of moderate size, strongly prominent, head across eyes by almost one third wider than pronotum, temples arcuate and convergent posteriorly. Antennae reaching three fourths of elytral length, antennomeres 4-10 slightly flattened and each with small, oval, very indistinct impression. Surface of head imbricate-punctate, finely yellow pubescent, matt. Pronotum slightly wider than long, its anterior margin widely rounded, anterior corners rounded, lateral margins slightly sinuate, lateral edge missing in posterior half of pronotum, posterior corners almost rectangular, posterior margin nearly straight. Surface of pronotum punctate and pubescent like that of head, matt, with fine median longitudinal carina in posterior half. Elytra slightly dilated posteriorly, elytral nervation very slightly indicated, surface of elytra very finely rugulose-lacunose, densely and finely red pubescent, matt. Aedeagus as in Figs. 72 and 73, laterophyses flat, rounded terminally.

Female. Eyes smaller than in male, head across eyes only slightly wider than pronotum, temples straight, antennae moderately exceeding elytral midlength. Lateral margins of pronotum widely arcuate, elytra distinctly dilated posteriorly. Last abdominal sternite (Fig. 74) with depressed lateral and posterior portions, posterior depression sharply divided; median apical emargination with two rounded, semilustrous to lustrous areas.

Length J ♀: 6.6-8.4 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Leiothorax atrosanguineus sp. nov. differs from all hitherto known species of the genus, distributed in Kashmir and Nepal, in the shape of the dorsal part of the aedeagus and in the dark blood-red elytra (cf. WITTMER 1978, ŠVIHLA 2004).

Etymology. Atro-sanguineus (Latin) = dark blood-red, named in reference to the colour of the elytra.

Distribution. China: Shaanxi.