Anthobium altivagans (Cameron, 1941)

(Figs. 2, 50–51, 54)

Lathrimaeum (Prionothorax) altivagans Cameron, 1941: 59

Anthobium altivagans: Herman, 2001: 227

Anthobium (Prionothorax) altivagans: Smetana, 2004: 239; Schülke & Smetana, 2015: 307

Type material examined: Holotype by monotypy (“Type in my collection”) ♂: ‘Type’ <round printed label with red margin>, ‘Kashmir | Gulmarg | vi-vii-31 | Dr. Cameron’ <rectangular printed label>, ‘L. | altivagans | TYPE [in red] Cam.’ <rectangular label, handwritten in black Indian ink>, ‘M. Cameron | Bequest. | B.M. 1955-147.’ <rectangular printed label>, ‘ Anthobium | altivagans (Cameron, 1941) | Shavrin A.V. det. 2016’ <rectangular printed label> (BMNH).

Additional material: INDIA: KASHMIR: 1 ♂, 5 ♀♀: ‘Para- | type’ <round printed label with red margin>, ‘ Kashmir | Gulmarg | vi-vii-31 | Dr. Cameron’ <rectangular printed label>, ‘ M. Cameron | Bequest. | B.M. 1955- 147.’ <rectangular printed label> (BMNH); 1 ♀: ‘ Kashmir | Gulmarg | vi-vii-31 | Dr. Cameron’, ‘ W. Steel coll. | B.M. 1969-532’ (BMNH); NEPAL: 1 ♀: SE Annapurna mts. Telbrung Danda. 3200 m a.s.l. 0 9.06.1997. O. Jäger leg. (SNSD); 1 ♀: SE Annapurna mts., Rambrong Danda. S-slope, 3700 m a.s.l. NN, Rhododendron forest. 0 7.06.1997. O. Jäger leg. (SNSD); 1 ♂: SW Ganesh Himal, Abuthurn Lekh upp. Keronja. 3600-4000 m a.s.l. 19- 20.05.1996. D. Ahrens, J. Kulbe, B. Rulik leg. (NME).

Redescription. Measurements (n=10): HW: 0.72–0.75, HL: 0.42–0.50; AL(holotype): 1.33; OL: 0.19–0.22; PL: 0.52–0.62; PW: 1.12–1.30; ESL: 1.42–1.62; EW: 1.48–1.72; AW: 1.27–1.45; MTbL(holotype): 0.82, MTrL(holotype): 0.40 (MTrL 1–4: 0.25; MTrL 5: 0.15); AedL: 0.57; TL: 3.25–3.60(holotype).

In external appearance similar to A. monticola. Head, antennomeres 4–11, median part of pronotum and abdomen reddish brown to brown; elytra yellow-brown to brown; mouthparts, antennomeres 1–3, apical and basal margins and lateral portions of pronotum, and legs yellow. Head with irregular large punctation, markedly denser and deeper on median portion between eyes and on posterior half of infraorbital ridges; middle part of neck with irregular, deep punctures variable in size; pronotum with irregular punctation similar to that on middle part of head, sometimes smaller and denser on mediobasal portion, larger and sparser on lateral portions, with variable, more or less wide impunctated area after the middle of disc; scutellum with several very small punctures; punctation of elytra denser and significantly coarser than that on pronotum, smaller on parascutellar area, each elytron with six vague and tangled longitudinal rows of punctures, remaining elytral punctures irregularly scattered laterally (some specimens with markedly coarse surface between punctures without longitudinal rows of punctures); abdominal tergites without distinct punctation. Habitus as in Fig. 2.

Head 1.5–1.7 times as wide as long; vertex and posterior parts of infraorbital ridges slightly elevated; median elevation without or with indistinct to distinct transverse impression between eyes at posterior third, with elongate, diagonally stretching grooves in front of ocelli, reaching anterior third of eye; postocular ridges small and obtuse. Ocelli situated at level of postocular ridges; distance between ocelli slightly less than twice of distance between ocellus and posterior margin of eye. Apical segment of maxillary palp about two and half times as long as preceding segment, widest in basal third, gradually narrowing apicad (Fig. x). Length × width of antennomeres (holotype): 1: 0.17 × 0.08; 2: 0.11 × 0.05; 3: 0.15 × 0.05; 4–7: 0.11 × 0.05; 8–9: 0.10 × 0.06; 10: 0.10 × 0.07; 11: 0.16 × 0.08.

Pronotum widest at middle; anterior angles widely rounded, slightly protruded anteriad; middle elevation of pronotum with idistinct, wide longitudinal portion on medioapical third and indistinct to distinct transverse impression on mediobasal third.

Elytra slightly broader than long, gradually widened apicad, reaching apical margin of abdominal tergite IV; basal and middle portions of elytra with variable indistinct to distinct elevations between punctures or without them, some specimens with very indistinct three longitudinal elevations in middle.

Male. Apical margin of abdominal tergite VIII and sternite VIII slightly sinuate. Aedeagus (Fig. 50) narrow, with subtruncate apex; parameres distinctly exceeding apex of median lobe, with two short apical and preapical setae; internal sac long and wide, spiralled in basal portion, with characteristic lateral long rows of large, strongly scletotized teeth. Aedeagus laterally as in Fig. 51.

Female. Apical margin of abdominal tergite VIII straight. Apical margin of abdominal sternite VIII rounded.

Comparative notes. Based on the general shape of pronotum and elytra with the presence of longitudinal elevations between punctures, A. altivagans is most similar to A. monticola, from which it differs by the shape of anterior angles of the pronotum slightly protruded anteriad, and by the shape and internal structure of the internal sac of the aedeagus, armed by rows of sclerotized teeth.

Distribution. The species is known from Kashmir (India) and central Nepal (Fig. 54).

Bionomics. Specimens were collected at elevations from 2400 to 4000 m a.s.l. One specimen in Nepal (Rambrong Danda) was taken by sifting forest floor litter in Rhododendron forest. Remarks. Anthobium altivagans is here recorded for the first time from Nepal.