Phellopsis chinensis Semenow
Creators: name: Foley, Ian A.
name: Ivie, Michael A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Zopheridae
Phellopsis
Phellopsis chinensis

description: Phellopsis chinensis Semenow
(Figs. 1 B, 3C, 4C, E, 5A, 6C, 8D)
Pseudonosoderma chinense Semenow, 1893: 499.
Phellopsis chinensis: Champion, 1894: 114. Reitter, 1916: 131. Gebien, 1936: 668. Masumoto, 1990: 87 –91.
Diagnosis: This species can be distinguished from all other species of Phellopsis by the absence of the basal stop on the parameres of the male (Fig. 8 D). It can be differentiated externally from P. amurensis by the rounded to flat elytral humeri (Figs. 3 C, 4C), elongate and irregular elytral punctures, rugged nature of the elytral ridges (Fig. 3 C, 4C), and smooth ventral surface of the head, and from P. yulongensis by the very large tubercles on the ventral body surface (Fig. 4 E) and overall golden scale like vestiture (Fig. 5 A).
Description (male): Length 12.5–21 mm. Robust species; dorsal setose vestiture golden consisting of dense flattened broad scale-like setae (Fig. 5 A); dorsal elytral sculpture very rugged and squarrose.
Head with dorsal surface (Fig. 6 C) with tuberculation almost completely reduced; lateral margin of epistoma anterior to suprantennal ridge long (0.32–0.35 mm); tubercles on ventral surface of head large and flattened creating a relatively smooth surface; gular sutures weakly defined; gula wide, narrowest point near gular pits; subgenal ridge produced apically, rounded margin; subgenal ridge shorter, not extending below eye; eye at same level as gena. Ligula subquadrate with slightly emarginate apical edge.
Pronotal disc between and anterior to lyriform ridges lacking distinct tubercles; paired elevations on apical margin of pronotum distinctly separated along midline; lateral margin of pronotum bisinuate, thickened; hypomeron with very large tubercles, dense intertuberculate setae present; prosternal process slightly biimpressed. Metasternum bituberculate with very large and very small tubercles.
Lateral profile of elytra rounded in dorsal plane; elytral humerus broadly rounded; scutellum rounded; scutellary striole distinct and deep; lateral margin strongly serrate; ridge in 5th elytral interval starting at or just before metacoxae and extending to mid point of ventrite 3; nodule at apex of elytron slightly smaller to subequal in size to lateral subapical nodule; median subapical nodule larger than lateral and apical ones; paired subapical nodules overlapping for a modest width in the same lateral plane, slightly offset. Tubercles on ventrites large and flattened (Fig. 4 E). Tarsus with ventral setae modified as small spurs, distinctly heavier than dorsal setae.
Aedeagus (Fig. 8 D); ventral surface of parameres broadly arcuate in lateral view, lacking basal stop.
FEMALE: Similar to male but lacking setose pit on submentum.
LARVA: Unknown
Variation: Two specimens from Gansu (1 ɗ, 1 Ψ) have the dorsal elytral sculpture reduced in intensity, and the lateral aspect of the elytra slightly flattened.
Distribution (Fig. 1 B): Mountains of Central China from the following provinces GANSU, SICHUAN, and SHAANXI.
Recorded distribution: CHINA: GANSU: Min Shan Mts.,h-2700; 70km W. from Wudu; 15.06.2005.; Leg. A. Gorodinski (3 MAIC. 1 BMNH). Min Shan Range; 70km N.W. Wudu; 1 vi 1997; 2100m; Leg: A. Gorodinski (2 AAPC). Hin Shan Range; 2100m 70km N.W.; Hodo I-VI-97; Leg.A.Gorodinski (1 AAPC). Min Shan Mts.; 76km N.W. Wudu; 25 vii 2000; Leg: A. Gorodinski (1 AAPC). SICHUAN: Near Pingwu; 1.07.2005.; Leg. A. Gorodinski (3 MAIC). SHAANXI: 100km.S.W. of Xian; Taibai Shan Mt.; Near Houzhezi village; 30.07.2005.; Leg. A. Gorodinski (1 MAIC).
Type: Pseudonosoderma chinense Semenow HOLOTYPE ɗ in ZIN, missing left protarsus. Hand written on card [in Russian] “pass near village Morpin to south”; 4.VII85 / folded piece of paper “2-4.811.85”; [in Russian] top of a pass from village of Morpin to the south/ handwritten on graph paper “ Pseudonosoderma chinense ”; m; typum, unknown character– II-92 / gold hexagon dot/ red rectangle label “ Holotypus ”/ yellow rectangle “Zoological Institute”; Russian Academy; of Sciences,; St. Petersburg, RUSSIA.
Notes: The specimen identified as P. chinensis (HNHM), and assumed to have been examined by Masumoto (1990), does not accurately represent the holotype of P. chinensis Semenow (ZIN). That specimen is here designated a paratype of P. yulongensis NEW SPECIES. The misidentification of P. chinensis, addition of P. yulongensis new species, and inclusion of P. imurai (here synonymized with P. a m u re n s i s) renders the current key to Asian species (Masumoto 1990) outdated.
description: Published as part of Foley, Ian A. & Ivie, Michael A., 2008, A revision of the genus Phellopsis LeConte (Coleoptera: Zopheridae), pp. 1-28 in Zootaxa 1689 on pages 21-22, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180605