Sphaerites politus: Ohara, 1994, 58, misidentification.
Sphaerites glabratus: Lobl, 1996, 199; Ohara, 1996, 9.
Spaerites politus Mannerheim, 1846: 514; Kryzhanovskij and Reichardt, 1976: 22; Adachi and Ohno, 1962: 149; Nakane, 1963: 67, pl. 34, no. 1; Matsumoto, 1981: 6 [Mt. Hidaka]; Yasuda, 1982: 76 [Mt. Daisetsu]; Hisamatsu, 1985: 219, pl. 40, no. 1; Yasuda, 1988: 25.
Japanese name: Emma-mushi-damashi.
Description. Body length, PPL, 4.56 - 5.63 mm (5.14 ± 0.12, n=9), PEL, 4.38 - 5.31 mm (4.99 ± 0.10, n=9). Width, 2.94 - 3.56 mm (3.28 ± 0.07, n=9). Body oblong (Fig. 37A). Cuticle shining and bronze; tarsi and antennae dark rufopiceous. Biometric data are given in Table 4.
Anterior margin of head narrowly marginate laterally between basal corner of epistoma and eye just behind antennal cavity. Surface of head coarsely and densely punctate, the punctures becoming finer and sparser on central area and epistoma.
Anterior margin of pronotum (Fig. 37A) evenly emarginate; lateral sides weakly arcuate on apical half, and nearly straight on basal half; posterior margin strongly arcuate outwards in median third; marginal stria complete laterally, its apical end curved behind apical corner, extended inwards, and attaining to near the lateral third of pronotum, the stria somewhat distantly present from the pronotal margin; surface sparsely and coarsely punctate laterally, and with other fine punctures intermingled, the fine punctures progressively finer inwardly; on median area of the surface clothed with microscopic punctures.
Epipleura narrow. Marginal epipleural stria complete and carinate. Marginal elytral stria strongly carinate and complete. Area between the margin of epipleura and the marginal elytral stria shining and sparsely clothed with several microscopic punctures. Elytra (Fig. 37A) with 10 rows which are nearly complete and consist of coarse and round serial punctures, which are separated by their own diameter to twice the diameter but irregularly scattered on apical sixth; intervals among the rows sparsely clothed with microscopic punctures.
Pygidium (Fig. 37B) with marginal stria along lateroposterior margin, the basal end not attaining to the basal corner, curved before the corner and shortly extended inwards; surface of disk densely covered with coarse punctures which are a little coarser than in elytral rows; other fine punctures intermingled among them, becoming sparser apically.
Antennal grooves present on apical area of underside of head, the grooves running obliquely from apex of eyes to middle of head.
Anterior margin of prosternum evenly emarginate, and with long hairs; median area of disk densely covered with coarse setiferous punctures, the setae being somewhat long.
Mesosternum small and quadrangular, its disk densely covered with coarse punctures. Meso-metasternal suture distinctly present. Anterior margin of metasternum behind mesocoxae strongly carinate and marginate; intercoxal disk sparsely covered with fine punctures, the punctures becoming coarser laterally; lateral disk sparsely covered with large, round and shallow punctures. Metepisternum densely punctate, the punctures as large as those of lateral disk of metasternum; on area along the posterior margin transverse stria present, but broadly interrupted on median third, the median end of the stria densely with coarse punctures.
Protibia (Fig. 37D, C) slender, not expanded, usually with 7 denticles on outer margin.
Male genitalia as shown in Fig. 38A - F.
Female genitalia: spermatheca as shown in Fig. 38G.
Remarks. Sphaerites politus can rather easily be recognized by the characters given in the key to the families.
Little is known about the habitat of this species. This species occurs at high altitudes. Yasuda (1982, 1988) collected it by using pit-fall traps in the forest of Pinus pumila at alt. 1800 m to 1980 m on Mt. Kurodake, Daisetsu, Hokkaidô.
Table 4. Biometric data of Sphaerites politus Mannerheim.
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APW 1.31-1.63 (1.47±0.03) 9
PPW 2.38-2.81 (2.65±0.05) 9
PL 1.25-1.56 (1.48±0.04) 9
EL 2.75-3.75 (3.41±0.09) 9
EW 2.94-3.56 (3.28±0.07) 9
PyW 1.63-2.00 (1.85±0.04) 9
PyL 0.88-1.25 (1.05±0.05) 9
PTL 1.13-1.50 (1.33±0.04) 9
MSTL 1.25-1.56 (1.35±0.03) 9
MTTL 1.50-1.94 (1.72±0.05) 9
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Ohara (1994)
[Hokkaidô] 1Åâ3ÅäÅä,
1 ex., Mt. Kurodake (Alt. 1900m), Mt. Daisetsu, 18/vii/1981, N.
Yasuda leg. (NA); 7 exs., Ditto, 23/vii/1981, N. Yasuda leg.;
4 exs., Ditto, 28/vii/1982, N. Yasuda leg.; 2 exs., Akadake, 16-23/vii/1975,
M. Suwa, M. Furukawa, M. Kiuchi and T. Sunose leg. <Rishiri
Is.> 1 ex., Rishiri Is., 24/vii/1963, Y. Shibata leg. (NSMT);
1 ex., Oniwaki trail, Mt. Rishiri, 7/viii/1992, M. Satô
leg.
Distribution. Japan (Hokkaidô, Rishiri Is.), northern part of the Palaearctic region.
