Necrophila (Calosilpha) ioptera Kollar & Redtenbacher 1844, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Růžička, Jan
name: Qubaiová, Jarin
name: Nishikawa, Masaaki
name: Schneider, Jan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Silphidae
Necrophila
Necrophila ioptera

description: Necrophila (Calosilpha) ioptera (Kollar & Redtenbacher, 1844), comb. nov.
(Figs. 9–10, 15, 17, 50–53, 55, 58, 61, 62)
Silpha ioptera Kollar & Redtenbacher, 1844: 512 (description, type locality “Caschmir”) Silpha ioptera: Gemminger & Harold 1868: 722 (catalog)
Eusilpha (Calosilpha) ioptera: Portevin 1920b: 397 (new combination, catalog) Calosilpha ioptera: Portevin 1926: 113, 151 (new combination, key, catalog) Silpha (Calosilpha) ioptera: Hatch 1928: 113 (new combination, catalog) Calosilpha ioptera: Schawaller 1982: 249 (redescription, synonymy)
Oiceoptoma obscuriventris Motschulsky, 1870: 349 (description, type locality “Indes orientales”) [single ♀]
Oiceoptoma obscuriventris: Schawaller 1982: 249 (redescription, junior subjective synonym of Silpha ioptera)
Eusilpha (Calosilpha) Gilleti Portevin, 1920b: 397 (description, type locality “Assam, Shillong”) Calosilpha Gilleti: Portevin 1926: 115, 151 (new combination, key, catalog)
Silpha (Calosilpha) Gilleti: Hatch 1928: 113 (new combination, catalog)
Calosilpha gilleti: Schawaller 1982: 249 (redescription, junior subjective synonym of Silpha ioptera)
Type material examined: Holotype ♂ of Oiceoptoma obscuriventris (ZMUM), labelled (Fig. 15) “[minute yellow quadrate label = sign for Oriental region] // Oiceoptoma / obscuriventris / Motsch / Ind. or. [hw, Motschulsky’s handwriting, yellow label] // [red rectangular label] // HOLOTYPE / Oiceoptoma / obscuriventris / Motschulsky, 1870 / (label added by / Jan Růžička, 2009) [p, red label] // Necrophila (Calosilpha) / ioptera (Kollar et / Redtenbacher, 1844) [p] ♂ [hw] / Jan Růžička det. 200 [p] 9 [hw]”.
Lectotype ♂ of Eusilpha gilleti (here designated, IRSNB), labelled (Fig. 17) “Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B. / Inde [p, large yellow label with glued additional labels] // Assam [p] / Shillong / feeding on / mushroom / 26. VI. [19]18 / Boy. [hw] Coll [p] // Type [p, red characters in black frame] // Eusilpha / Gilleti mihi [hw, Portevin’s handwriting] / / R.M.H.N. Belg. 10.640 / J.J. Gillet det., vend.: [p] // LECTOTYPE / Eusilpha (Calosilpha) / gilleti / Portevin, 1920 / Jan Růžička des. 2009 [p, red label] // Necrophila (Calosilpha) / ioptera (Kollar et / Redtenbacher, 1844) [p] ♂ [hw] / Jan Růžička det. 201 [p] 2 [hw]”. Paralectotype ♀ (IRSNB), with identical labels except for “ Eusilpha / Gilleti / Portev [hw, Portevin’s handwriting] // PARALECTOTYPE / Eusilpha (Calosilpha) / gilleti / Portevin, 1920 / Jan Růžička des. 2009 [p, red label] // Necrophila (Calosilpha) / ioptera (Kollar et / Redtenbacher, 1844) [p] ♀ [hw] / Jan Růžička det. 201 [p] 2 [hw]”.
Additional material examined. See Appendix 1.
Diagnostic description. Body length 15.9–19.0 mm (19.0 mm in the lectotype of Eusilpha gilleti), maximum body width 8.9–11.0 mm (11.0 mm in the lectotype). Pronotum orange in dorsal view, with large, well-delimited, metallic black medial spot on disc (Figs. 9–10). Hypomeron medially dark metallic blue in ventral view. Elytra with green metallic luster; outline widely subrectangular; costae very robust and distinctly elevated (Figs. 9–10).
Male. Metatibia distinctly bent. Male genital segment with longer spiculum gastrale in ventral view (Fig. 51). Aedeagus with median lobe only slightly shorter than short, slender parameres (Fig. 50).
Female. Genital segment with tergum 10 small, hexagonal in shape in dorsal view (Fig. 52).
Notes on type specimens and synonymy. We were not able to locate syntypes of Silpha ioptera in the collections of NHMW, where most of the insect material of Carl von Hügel from “Cashmir” expedition is deposited, including type material of taxa described by Kollar & Redtenbacher (1844). We only have located here four specimens (three males and a single female) of N. (C.) ioptera from “Kashmir”, labels are clearly subsequent, written by typewriter, no additional information about collector(s) or original collection are available; it is not clear if these specimens can be syntypes of Kollar & Redtenbacher (H. Schillhammer, pers. comm.).
We were able to locate the holotype of Oiceoptoma obscuriventris in the collection of ZMUM. We confirm the opinion of Schawaller (1982), who considers O. obscuriventris (described from “Ind. or.”) as a junior subjective synonym of S. ioptera. We consider both taxa as conspecific, as examined material from Pakistan, India and Nepal shares several diagnostic characters (large, metallic black medial spot on disc; elytra with green metallic luster; costae very robust and distinctly elevated), without any considerable variation.
Lectotype of Eusilpha (Calosilpha) gilleti is designated here as a male from a series of two syntypes from IRSNB. We confirm the opinion of Schawaller (1982), who considers E. (C.) gilleti as a junior subjective synonym of S. ioptera. The lectotype of E. (C.) gilleti well agrees in most characters with N. (C.) ioptera, only the medial spot on pronotum is slightly smaller (Fig. 17). We did not dissect the specimen, as it is heavily covered by fungal mycelia and we were afraid of damage.
Distribution (Fig. 63). Known from India: Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya and “Assam” (without more detailed locality) (Schawaller 1982), and also reported from “Kashmir” and “Himalaya” (both without more detailed localities; see Schawaller (1982) for discussion about the distribution of this species). From Nepal, reported from two localities by Schawaller (2003). First reliable records from Pakistan and India: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, West Bengal and Assam. Old specimen from “Thibet” (see Appendix 1) is the only record documenting its possible occurrence in China.
description: Published as part of Růžička, Jan, Qubaiová, Jarin, Nishikawa, Masaaki & Schneider, Jan, 2015, Revision of Palearctic and Oriental Necrophila Kirby et Spence, part 3: subgenus Calosilpha Portevin (Coleoptera: Silphidae: Silphinae), pp. 451-502 in Zootaxa 4013 (4) on pages 469-471, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4013.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/241424