Rhagonycha flavimima Y. Yang, Xiao & Liu 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Xiao, Yun-Feng
name: Liu, Hao-Yu
name: Yang, Xing-Ke
name: Yang, Yu-Xia
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cantharidae
Rhagonycha
Rhagonycha flavimima

description: Rhagonycha (s.str.) flavimima Y. Yang, Xiao & Liu, sp. nov.
(Figs 17C, 18C, 19A‒B, 20A‒C, 36)
Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♂ (MHBU), CHINA, Hubei: Shennongjia, Pingqian, 31°28'08" N, 110°02'23.4" E, 1576 m, 4–7.VII.2014, leg. Y.B. Ba & S.Y. Tang. PARATYPES: CHINA, Hubei: 1♂, 26♀♀ (MHBU), same data as the holotype; 3♀♀ (MHBU), Shennongjia, Jiangping Forestry, 6.VI.2018, leg. P. Wang; 2♀♀ (MHBU), Shennongjia, Hongping, Wenshui, 1.VI.2018, leg. P. Wang & L. Li; 2♀♀ (MHBU), Shennongjia, Yousongping, Sentry, 23.VI.2019, leg. P. Wang; 1♂, 1♀ (MHBU), Shennongjia, Wenshui Forestry, 1700–2000 m, 16.VII.2003, leg. D.W. Dai; 1♂, 1♀ (MHBU), sanme data as the proceding, leg. J. Fu; 1♂, 1♀ (MHBU), sanme data as the proceding, F. Chen; 2♀ (MHBU), Shennongjia, Wenshui, 1000–1800 m, 22.VII.2003, leg. X.Y. Zhang; 1♀ (MHBU), Shennongjia, Xiaodangyang, 1000 m, 15.VII.2006, leg. L.K. Tan; 1♀ (MHBU), Shennongjia, Songbai, 1200–1300 m, 19.VII.2003, leg. X.Z. Huang. Chongqing: 2♀♀ (MHBU), Wuxi, Lanying, Lanying, 31°24′24.54″ N, 109°53′7.92″ E, 1764 m, 24.VI.2022, leg. L.Y. Wang; 1♀ (MHBU), Wuxi, Shuangyang, Yintiaoling Nature Reserve, Zhuangping, Sanchahe, 31.496794° N, 109.930699° E, 1731 m, 21.VI.2022, leg. L.Y. Wang; 1♀ (MHBU), Wuxi, Yintiaoling Nature Reserve, Guanshan Forest Farm, Stone Pillar, 31°32′23.12″ N, 109°41′50.75″ E, 2096 m, 28.VI.2022, leg. L.Y. Wang; 1♀ (MHBU), Wuxi, Lanying, Yintiaoling Nature Reserve, Huangcaoping, 31°24′50.13″ N, 109°55′40.2″ E, 2039 m, 24.VI.2022, leg. L.Y. Wang.
Differential diagnosis. It looks similar to Rh. flava in the general shape of aedeagus, but can be easily distinguished from the latter by the following characters: head and pronotum bicolored, while unicolored in Rh. flava; tibiae uniformly black and femora black dorsally, while both uniformly yellowish orange in Rh. flava (Fig. 10B); aedeagus: ventral processes of parameres slender and narrowly rounded at apices, while stouter and acute at apices in Rh. flava (Fig. 11F); conjoint dorsal plate of parameres moderately deeply emarginate in middle of apical margin, with the middle emargination shallower than the emargination between ventral process and conjoint dorsal plate, while deeply emarginate and nearly as deep as in Rh. flava (Fig. 11E); female internal organ of reproductive: vagina abruptly thinned into a short tube, while thinned into a long tube in Rh. flava (Fig. 12B).
Description. Body length: 6.9‒11.1 mm (7.0 mm in holotype); width: 1.5‒4.1 mm (1.5 mm in holotype).
Male (Fig. 19A). Coloration. Body black except for the following parts: head yellowish orange except black at vertex, elytra pale yellow, each elytron with a wide longitudinal median black band that extending behind humerus to apex and narrower in the anterior part than the posterior part; antennomeres Ⅰ yellowish orange; femora yellowish orange and black along dorsal sides, coxae and trochanters yellowish orange; pronotum yellowish orange, with a longitudinal median black band, which is about one third width of pronotum. Surface sparsely and finely yellow pubescent, anterior margin of clypeus fringed with pale bristles.
Head subtriangular, surface densely and finely punctate; eyes moderately protruding, head width across eyes 1.1 times wider than anterior margin of pronotum; terminal maxillary palpomeres subtriangular, widest at apical third; antennae extending to elytral apices when reclined, antennomeres II shortest, about 2.6 times as long as wide at apices, III about twice longer than II, VIII longest, XI feebly longer than X and pointed at apices.
Pronotum subquadrate, about as wide as long, anterior margin rounded, anterior angles subrounded, lateral margins feebly diverging posteriorly, posterior margin nearly straight, posterior angles sub-rectangular, disc strongly convex on posterolateral parts, surface finely and sparsely punctate.
Elytra nearly parallel-sided, about 3.6 times as long as humeral width, 4.9 times longer than pronotum, surface finely rugulose-lacunose, almost lustrous at basal parts.
Aedeagus moderately swollen laterally near middle (Fig. 20A, B); ventral processes of parameres abruptly thinned apically near bases, with apices directing laterally in ventral view (Fig. 20A), narrowly rounded at apices, slender and bent dorsally in lateral view (Fig. 20C); conjoint dorsal plate of parameres shorter than ventral processes (Fig. 20A, C), with apical margin roundly and moderately deeply emarginate in middle, lateral margins diverging apically in dorsal view (Fig. 20B), latero-apical angels acute, strongly bent ventrally in lateral view (Fig. 20C); emargination between ventral process and conjoint dorsal plate about 1/5 length of aedeagus (Fig. 20C).
Female (Fig. 19B). Similar to male, but with larger and stouter body, antennae thinner and shorter, extending to elytral mid-length when reclined, head width across eyes 0.9 times as wide as anterior margin of pronotum, pronotum wider and about 1.2 times as wide as long, anterior margin less arcuate, disc feebly convex on posterolateral parts, elytra about 3.3 times as long as humeral width, with lateral margins diverging posteriorly.
Internal organ of reproductive system (Fig. 17C): vagina stout and abruptly thinned at ventroapical portion into a moderately long and feebly stout tube, where diverticulum and spermathecal duct arising next to each other; diverticulum short and spiral, evenly thin along the whole length; spermathecal duct very short; spermatheca provided with a spiral tube, progressively thinned apically and three times longer than diverticulum, extended into a short tube at base, where accessory gland opening; accessory gland extremely long, abruptly thinned apically near base, about three times longer than spermatheca.
Abdominal sternite VIII (Fig. 18C) moderately narrowed posteriorly, widely rounded at latero-apical angles, and feebly bisinuate at posterior margin.
Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin mimus (imitator), referring to its similarity to the aedeagi of Rh. flava.
Distribution (Fig. 36). China (Hubei, Chongqing).
description: Published as part of Xiao, Yun-Feng, Liu, Hao-Yu, Yang, Xing-Ke & Yang, Yu-Xia, 2024, Taxonomic review of the Rhagonycha flava species group (Coleoptera, Cantharidae), with descriptions of fourteen new species from China, pp. 1-69 in Zootaxa 5534 (1) on pages 32-33, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5534.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14023514