Hister multidens Schmidt, 1889, 94 [Burma]; Lewis, 1915, 55.

Hister (Hister) multidens: Bickhardt, 1910, 46 [cataloged]; Bickhardt, 1913, 171 [Kosempo, Kaoshiung Hsien]; Desbordes, 1919, 391; Bickhardt, 1920, 98, 100; Miwa, 1931, 56 [Kôsenpô]; Kamiya and Takagi, 1938, 30; Reichardt & Kryzhanovskij, 1964, 172 [China, Kuatun, noted].

Margarinotus multidens: Wenzel, 1944, 126.

Margarinotus (Margarinotus) multidens: Kryzhanovskij & Reichardt, 1976, 341, f. 649, 672.

Margarinotus (Ptomister) multidens: Mazur, 1984, 167 [cataloged]; 1997, 94.

Description (Ohara, 1999).

Body length, PPL, male, 5.9-7.8 mm, female, 6.8-8.6 mm, PEL, male, 4.95-6.1 mm, female, 5.4-6.7 mm. Width, male, 4.2-5.4 mm, female, 4.7-5.85 mm. Biometric data are given in Table 4. Body oblong-oval, black and shining.

Frontal stria of head (Fig. 10A) deeply impressed, interrupted on each lateral side and at middle, and strongly bent inwards at middle. Disk of head sparsely and finely punctate, the punctures separated by about four times their diameter. Vertex feebly depressed at middle. Labrum quadrate, the anterior margin deeply depressed.

Marginal pronotal stria (Fig. 10B) broadly interrupted behind head, complete laterally, often shortened on basal seventh. Inner lateral pronotal stria nearly complete and strongly crenate, feebly sinuate laterally, sometimes abbreviated on basal seventh, and its apical portion straight. Disk of pronotum sparsely covered with fine punctures, which are separated by about four or five times their diameter and become coarser laterally; area between lateral striae with coarse and dense punctures, which are separated by their own diameter to twice the diameter; a longitudinal puncture present in antescutellar area.

Epipleural fossette strongly excavate, and sparsely and coarsely punctate. Marginal elytral stria absent. Marginal epipleural stria complete and well impressed. Elytra (Fig. 10B) with a slightly subapical transverse depression. External subhumeral stria deeply impressed, with coarse punctures and shortened at basal sixth. Internal subhumeral stria absent. Oblique humeral stria present on basal third. First to 4th dorsal striae complete, 2nd usually shortened at base and 4th at basal fourth; 5th dorsal stria present on apical third and with a short basal rudiment. Sutural stria present on apical half and usually interrupted. All striae, except the oblique humeral, moderately crenate. Disk of elytra sparsely covered with fine punctures, which are separated by three to ten times their diameter, and with subapical depression.

Pygidia (Fig. 11C) finely alutaceous. Propygidium densely and coarsely punctate, the punctures separated by about twice their diameter and becoming sparser medially, with a few minute punctures intermingled among the coarse punctures. Disk of propygidium with a lateral depression behind each posterior angle. Pygidium convex, its punctation similar to propygidial one, but a little denser.

Prosternal lobe (Fig. 11E) broadly truncate anteriorly, its disk coarsely punctate, the punctures becoming coarser laterally; marginal stria of lobe completely and deeply impressed; carinal stria absent; inside area of lateral prosternal stria coarsely punctate.

Anterior margin of mesosternum (Fig. 10C, 11E) deeply emarginate at middle, its marginal stria complete and crenate; disk of mesosternum sparsely and finely punctate, but the lateral third and an area behind each anterolateral angle coarsely punctate; a short stria impressed behind each anterolateral angle. Meso-metasternal suture complete and sparsely crenate, obtusely angulate at middle. Post-metacoxal stria well impressed and regularly arcuate, its ending attached at middle of metasternal-mesepimeral suture. Lateral mesosternal stria (Fig. 11F) deeply impressed, crenate, extending posteriorly and obliquely, and its apical end attaining to the peak of an elevation on lateral area of mesosternum; oblique stria absent. Intercoxal disk of metasternum impunctate, the area along the lateral stria sparsely and finely punctate, sometimes densely covered with ocelloid punctures; lateral disk of metasternum densely covered with ocelloid, shallow and large punctures, intermingled with moderate ones; and without hair.

Intercoxal disk of 1st abdominal sternum coarsely punctate laterally and well striate on each side.

Protibia (Fig. 10E, D) with 20 or 21 small denticles on external margin. Profemur with posterior marginal stria on apical sixth.

Male genitalia as shown in Fig. 12. Aedeagus swollen on apical half; ratio in length of paramera to basal piece 3.55.

Female genitalia as shown in Fig. 10G and H. Spermatheca consisting of 4 small sacs; basal tubular part coiled.

Specimens examined.

[Proper] Taipei Hsien: Chintienkang (1 ex., 27/viii/1994), Y.Y. Lien. Taoyuan Hsien: Paling (1 ex., 11/viii/1989), native collector. Taichung Hsien: Li-xiang (3 exs., 25/viii/1989), native collector. Nantou Hsien: Shiztou, Puli (9 males, 8 females and 1 ex., 31/x/1987), K. Lah; ditto (2 exs., 5/v; 1 ex., 7/v; 1 ex., 5/xi/1989), native collector; Nanshanchi, Puli (13 exs., 12-15/vi/1986; 1 male and 4 females, 12/viii/1989), M. Ohara; ditto (3 females, 1/viii/1972; 1 female, 3/vi/1975; 5 males and 8 females, 9/vi/1976; 1 ex., no date), K. Masumoto; Sungkang (1 ex., 1/v/1973), S. Tsuyuki; (1 ex., 17/vii/1983), K. Ra; Meiyuan (4 exs., 21/v/1981), Y. Chin-kin. Taichung Hsien: Maliulu (1 male, 28/iv/1986), K. Masumoto. Kaohsiung Hsien: Liukuei (2 exs., 12, 16/ix/1988), W. L. Chen; Tanghsi (1 female, 2/viii/1983), W. L. Chen. ?: Wowanshan (3 exs., 10/x/1990), native collector.

[Continental China] Fukien, Kuatun (alt. 2,300 m), 27, 40n, Br, 117, 40o, L. (1 male, 9/x/1938), J. Klapperich.

Distribution. Taiwan; eastern India; Burma; continental China.

Remarks. This species belongs to the weymarni-group (Ohara, 1989). Kryzhanovskij and Reichardt (1976) and Mazur (1984) noted Japan as a habitat of this species, but their reports are erroneous. M. multidens is easily distinguished from all the other members of the tribe Histerini by the number of denticles of the protibia. It usually occurs under carcasses.

Fig. 10. Margarinotus (Ptomister) multidens (Schmidt). A: Head, frontal view. B: Pronotum and left elytron. C: Ventral side of adult. D: Left protibia, dorsal view. E: Ditto, ventral view. F: Left profemur, dorsal view. G: Female genitalia, spermatheca, vagina and bursa copulatrix, lateral view (left side). H: Spermatheca. [A-F: no. 9915, Liukei; G, H: no. 9919, Nanshanxi].

Fig. 11. Margarinotus (Ptomister) multidens (Schmidt). A: Head and pronotum, oblique view. B: Left elytron, oblique view. C: Propygidium and pygidium, caudal view. D: Punctation of pygidium. E: Prosternum, ventral view. F: Mesosternum, metasternum and epipleura of elytron, ventral view. [A­D: no. 9932, Shiztou, Puli; E­F: no. 9938, Liukuei]. (Ohara, 1999).

Fig. 12. Margarinotus (Ptomister) multidens (Schmidt). Male genitalia. A: Aedeagus, dorsal view. B: Ditto, lateral view. C: Ninth and 10th tergites, dorsal view. D: Ditto, lateral view. E: Ninth sternum (spicule), dorsal view. F: Eight tergite and sternum, dorsal view. G: Ditto, lateral view. [no. 9914, Nanshanchi]. (Ohara, 1999).

Histeridae/Histerinae/Histerini/Margatinotus/References