Prismognathus klapperichi Bomans 1989
Creators: name: Huang, Hao
name: Chen, Chang-Chin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Lucanidae
Prismognathus
Prismognathus klapperichi

description: Prismognathus klapperichi Bomans, 1989
(Figs. 24, 32–33, 47–56, 75, 77, 87–90, 134–136, 174–178, 205–206, 234)
Prismognathus klapperichi Bomans, 1989: 15 [type locality: Kuatun, Fujian]; Wan et al., 2007: 54, partim [specimens from Fujian]; Fig. 13, male; Fig. 14, male holotype; Fig. 15, female allotype; Figs. 20–22, male and female genitalia.
Material examined. CHINA: Fujian Province: 7 3, 5 ƤƤ (CDKZ, CHH, CCCC), Wuyishan Nature Reserve, Xianfengling, 1200m, VIII.2004, Zhou leg.; 3 3 (CHH, CPYL), Wuyishan Nature Reserve, Kuatun, 1100m, VII.2006, local collectors leg., purchased by Z.-H. Zheng and X. Lu; 2 3 (CHH, CXBS), Kuatun, VII.2009, H. Huang & X.-B. Song leg. Zhejiang Province: 3 3, 1 Ƥ (CHH, CWXB), Qingyuan County, Baishanzu Nature Reserve, 1200m, VII.2005, W.-X. Bi leg.; 1 3, 2 ƤƤ (CXBS), Baishanzu, VII. 2008, X.-B. Song leg.; 1 Ƥ (SNUC), Longquan County, Fengyangshan Nature Reserve, 1300m, VII.2006, J.-W. Li & S.-J. Shen leg.; 1 Ƥ (IEAS), Qingyuan County, Baishanzu. Guangdong Province: 1 3, Ruyuan County, Nanling Reserve, 1000m, VIII.2008, X.-Y. Zhu leg. Guangxi Province: 1 3, Guilin City, Xing-an County, Mao-er-shan Nature Reserve, VIII.2009, B.- P. Huang leg., 2 3, 1 Ƥ (CCCC, CHH), Wuming County, Damingshan Nature Reserve, VIII.2008, local collectors leg., purchased by P.-Y. Liu. Guizhou Province: 1 3 (SNUC), Kuankuoshui Nature Reserve, VIII.2010, Z.-W. Yin leg. Chongqing: 4 3, 2 ƤƤ, Jiangjing County, Simianshan, IX.2008, Y. Li leg. Sichuan Province: 7 3, 2 Ƥ Ƥ (CHH, CCCC), Emeishan, Huayanding Temple, 1900m, 19.VIII.2011, H. Huang leg.; 1 3, 1 Ƥ (CCCC), Dujiangyan, Qingchenghoushan, 28.VIII. 2011, H. Huang leg.
Identification. The type series of this species, consisting of only one couple of specimens, was collected from Kuatun, a well-known collecting locality in the current Wuyishan Nature Reserve in northern Fujian. Wan et al. (2007) recorded a further male specimen from Xingcun, the very nearby area of Kuatun in the Wuyishan Nature Reserve. The male holotype has the right side of the head deformed but has the left side of the head normally developed. It is similar to P. davidis, P. dauricus and P. siniaevi in having the preocular margins of the head straight and diverging anteriorly to the triangular anterolateral angles of the head, the mandible serrate continuously for a long distance and not markedly longer than head. This species seems to be rather rare in the Wuyishan Nature Reserve, the type locality, as only 12 males and 5 females from Kuatun and Xianfengling (only 20 km away from Kuatun) have been captured by several Chinese collectors during the past years. We have been able to examine all these specimens and they are constant in genitalic characters and proved to belong to the same species. The following characters are considered the most useful in recognizing P. klapperichi: 1) mandible of the large and medium-sized males with evident subbasal teeth along the dorsal ridge (different from P. dauricus and P. siniaevi); 2) male mandible with outer margin rather straight (different from P. da v id is); 3) ventral surface of the body in both sexes rather glabrous (different from P. siniaevi); 4) apex of flagellum of median lobe relatively slender (different from P. davidis and P. dauricus); 5) spermatheca and spermathecal gland of the female genitalia markedly large (different from all the other species). We compared with these topotypes some similar specimens from other areas in southern China and identified them as P. klapperichi which seems to be distributed in southern Zhejiang, southern Chongqing, western Sichuan, northern Guizhou, Guangxi and northern Guangdong. However, the similar specimens from northern Zhejiang which were identified by Wan et al. (2007) as P. klapperichi actually belong to P. davidis.
Diagnosis. The males of P. klapperichi are less variable than the males of P. d a v i d i s, with the outer margin of mandible always straight and the preocular margins of the head always divergent anteriorly. The large and mediumsized males of P. klapperichi are easily distinguishable from the similar P. dauricus by the presence of the subbasal teeth along the dorsal ridge of the mandible. However the small-sized males of P. klapperichi are quite difficult to separate from those of P. davidis and P. dauricus unless a dissection of genitalia is made. The male genitalic differences between P. davidis, P. dauricus and P. klapperichi are slight and mainly found in size of the apex of the flagellum. The females of P. klapperichi are very similar to those of P. davidis and P. kanghianus in external features, and a dissection is always necessary for a sure identification.
Taxonomic notes. Although P. klapperichi is very similar to the populations of P. davidis from southern China, it is a valid species because of the constant differences in both male and female genitalia. Moreover the two species are sympatric in the Nanling Reserve, northern Guangdong.
All the populations of P. klapperichi are considered as a single species, because all of them share the following female genitalic characters: 1) spermatheca large and markedly longer than the whole sclerotized part of female genitalia; 2) spermathecal gland about as large as hemisternite.
Distribution. Fujian, southern Zhejiang, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong.
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 7-8, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.280626