Prismognathus shani Huang & Chen, new species
Creators: name: Huang, Hao
name: Chen, Chang-Chin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Lucanidae
Prismognathus
Prismognathus shani

description: Prismognathus shani Huang & Chen, new species
(Figs. 29, 61–64, 91, 111, 146–147, 180, 208, 235)
Type material. Holotype (Fig. 64): CHINA: Sichuan: 3 (IEAS), Ya-an City, Tianquan County, Erlangshan, ca. 1500m, VIII.2007, H.-C. Shan leg. Paratypes: CHINA: Sichuan Province: 7 3, 2 ƤƤ (CCCC), same data as holotype; 8 3, 1 Ƥ (CCCC, BMNH, CLB, CHH), Ya-an City, Tianquan County, Lianglu, Erlangshan, 1800m, 12.VII.2007, H.-C. Shan leg.; 1 3 (CYXW), Hanyuan, VII.2005, C.-J. Dai leg., ex coll. H.-M. Zhou; 2 3, 1 Ƥ (IEAS), Tianquan County, Labahe Nature Reserve, 2060m, 28-30.VII.2007, W.-X. Bi leg.; 1 3, 1 Ƥ (CHH), Emeishan, Xixiangchi Temple, 2100m, 17.VIII.2011, H. Huang leg.
Etymology. This species is named in honor of Mr. Hai-Cheng Shan, our good friend who collected the largest part of the type series.
Holotype description (Figs. 64, 146). Body length measured from apex of mandibles to apex of elytra: 22.5 mm.
Color and pubescence: both dorsal and ventral body surfaces dark brown and glabrous. Elytra less shiny than pronotum and head.
Head: about 1.5 times as wide as long, finely micropunctate and smooth on dorsal surface. Vertex gradually depressed in a triangular area defined by the anterolateral angles of the head and the middle of the posterior margin of the head. Frontal margin deeply concave medially. Intermandibular projection small. Canthus occupying no more than 1/4 of the outer margin of the eye. Preocular margin slightly convex. Anterolateral angle of the head obtuse. Postocular margins slightly swollen. Mentum micropunctate, subtrapezoidal, with anterolateral angles rounded. Mandible about as long as head, straight, with outer lateral margin strongly incurved at apex; apex bifurcated, with a sharp dorsal tooth; median teeth continuous from apex to the basal 2/5 point of the mandible, with a gap before the ventral subbasal teeth; subbasal teeth on ventral surface double; dorsal ridge with a small subbasal tooth at the basal 1/3 point of the mandible. Antennal club with three pubescent antennomeres; antennomere 7 slightly wider than antennomere 6 and sharply pointed at tip, not lamellate as the antennomeres 8–10.
Pronotum: slightly longer and markedly wider than head, widest at the posterior 1/3 point and forming a sharp angle there; finely micropunctate and smooth on the surface, lateral margin strongly convex at the anterior angle then straight to the lateral angle, concave at the posterior 1/3, and rounded at the posterior angle.
Elytra: wider than head and pronotum, micropunctate and smooth on the surface, with no striations or large punctures,
Legs: protibia with 7–8 distinct teeth or denticles along the lateral margin; apex bifurcate with the branches pointed at tip. Mesotibia with a distinct lateral spine and a denticle in addition to the terminal spurs and spines. Metatibia with a denticle on the lateral margin.
Male genitalia: distal plate of the basal piece of the aedeagus deeply excavated medially, with the bottom of split anterior to the ventral margin of the basal piece. Median lobe (not considering the basal struts and the caudal membranous pouches) about 0.75 times as long as paramere, with the membranous dorsal surface forming a pair of caudal pouches extending into a pair of hooked dorsal pouches when being fully inflated; flagellum (permanently everted internal sac) nearly as long as aedeagus, belt-like from base to the distal 1/5, thread-like at distal 1/5 but slightly enlarged at apex.
Male paratypes (Figs. 61–63). Body length measured from tip of mandible to apex of elytra: 20.5–26.5mm.
Variation. Color of the body varying from black to dark brown. Mandible slightly longer than head in the largest males, but as long as head and gently curved at apex in the smallest males. Subbasal teeth along the dorsal ridge of the mandible usually well marked, but sometimes absent in small-sized specimens. Preocular margin of the head usually convex and variable in shape (evenly convex, or straight for most part but convex just above eye) in large and medium-sized specimens, straight in small-sized specimens. Protibia with variable number of teeth or denticles. Ventral plate of 9th abdominal segment of male sometimes with membranous stripe absent. Distal plate of the basal piece of the male genitalia always with a deep central split which is variable in width.
Female paratypes (Fig. 91, 111). Body length measured from tip of mandible to apex of elytra: 18.5–24.0 mm.
Color and pubescence: both dorsal and ventral surfaces of the entire body black and glabrous.
Head: punctate on dorsal surface. Vertex depressed in a triangular area between anterolateral angles and the middle of the posterior margin of the head. Frontal margin rather straight, with the intermandibular projection well marked. Intermandibular projection about twice as wide as long and flat at tip. Canthus occupying less than 1/4 of the outer margin of the eye. Preocular margin weakly convex, with the posterior end nearly perpendicular to lateral margin of eye. Anterolateral angle of the head obtuse and ill-defined. Postocular margin shorter than eye and slightly concave. Mentum punctate, subtrapezoidal, about 3 times as wide as long, and rounded at anterolateral angles. Mandible 2/3 times as long as head, strongly curved at apex, with a sharp median inner tooth and an acute dorsal subapical tooth. Antennal club with three pubescent antennomeres; antennomere 7 with slightly longer than 6 and sharply pointed at tip, not lamellate as the antennomeres 8–10.
Pronotum: convex on disc, without any depression, nearly twice as wide as long, widest at the posterior 1/3 point and with a lateral angle there; lateral margin weakly convex from the anterior angle to the lateral angle, concave at the posterior 1/3, and blunt at the posterior angle.
Elytra: densely micropunctate, rather shiny on the surface, each with an obscure depression near lateral margin.
Legs: protibia rather straight to slightly incurved, with 5–6 distinct teeth along the lateral margin; apex bifurcate with the branches sharply pointed at tip. Mesotibia usually with a long spine, a short spine and a denticle. Metatibia with a distinct spine and sometimes also with a denticle.
Female genitalia (Fig. 208): spermatheca membranous or weakly sclerotized, globe-like at terminal end and tuber-like near the entrance. Spermathecal gland small. Spermathecal gland and its duct shorter than half of spermatheca. Spermathecal duct a little shorter than spermatheca.
Diagnosis. The new species is similar to P. alessandrae, and can be distinguished from it by the following combination of characters: 1) preocular margin of the male with its outer limit usually not exceeding the external margin of the eye; 2) postocular margin of the male head a little swollen; 3) caudal ventral plate of the basal piece of the aedeagus with a deeper central split; 4) flagellum of the median lobe shorter than aedeagus; 5) lateral end of the female canthus nearly perpendicular to the lateral margin of the eye; 6) spermathecal gland and its duct shorter than half of the entire spermatheca.
This new species is also similar to P. nigricolor, and can be distinguished from it by the following combination of characters: 1) male mandible in the same sized specimens usually with a subbasal tooth along the dorsal ridge; 2) male mandible with a smaller gap between the subbasal teeth and the median teeth; 3) male head usually with preocular margin convex, not straight; 4) caudal ventral plate of the basal piece of the aedeagus with a markedly deeper central split; 5) male genitalia with flagellum apex narrower; 6) female canthus with tip wider and blunt; 7) female genitalia with spermatheca larger and with spermathecal duct longer.
This new species can be distinguished from all the other species using the keys given in this paper.
Distribution. Western Sichuan (Tianquan, Hanyuan, Yingjing, Emeishan).
description: Published as part of Huang, Hao & Chen, Chang-Chin, 2012, A review of the genera Prismognathus Motschulsky and Cladophyllus Houlbert (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Lucanidae) from China, with the description of two new species, pp. 1-36 in Zootaxa 3255 on pages 9-11, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.280626