Meligethes (Odonthogethes) trapezithorax Liu & Huang & Cline & Audisio 2018, sp. n.
Creators: name: Liu, Meike
name: Huang, Min
name: Cline, Andrew Richard
name: Audisio, Paolo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Nitidulidae
Meligethes
Meligethes trapezithorax

description: Meligethes (Odonthogethes) trapezithorax sp. n.
(FIgS. 1E, 2C, D, H, 6A)
Diagnosis. NARROWLY ELONgATE, mODERATELY TRANSvERSELY CONvEX, mEDIUm-SIZED (2.6–2.8 mm) (FIg. 1E); SImILAR IN EXTERNAL SHApE AND COLOR TO THE RARE Meligethes (Odonthogethes) brassicogethoides AUDISIO, SAbATELLI & JELÍNEK, 2015 fROm YUNNAN (IN THE Meligethes (O.) chinensis SpECIES gROUp: LIU et al. 2017). DORSAL SURfACE DIffUSELY pUNCTATE (SpACES bETWEEN pRONOTAL AND ELYTRAL pUNCTURES 1.2–1.8× THEIR DIAmETER), WITH SmOOTH AND SHININg INTERSpACES; ELYTRA WITHOUT DISTINgUISHAbLE TRACES Of TRANSvERSE STRIgOSE SCULpTURINg. PRONOTUm WITH CHARACTERISTIC TRApEZOIDAL SHApE, AND mARKEDLY STRAIgHT LATERAL SIDES, AT LEAST IN pOSTERIOR TWO-THIRDS (FIg. 1E). PUbESCENCE ON pRONOTUm AND ELYTRA SpARSE, WHITISH, bUT RATHER LONg AND DISTINCT, EACH INDIvIDUAL SETA ONLY SLIgHTLY SHORTER THAN ANTENNOmERE 2. BODY UNIfORmLY DARK bROWN WITH bRONZE HUES, INCLUDINg pERIpHERAL mARgINS (pRONOTAL CARINA) Of pRONOTUm; LEgS UNIfORmLY YELLOWISH-ORANgE, ANTENNAE bROWN TO DARK bROWN, WITH ANTENNOmERE 2 pALER, YELLOWISH. MALE gENITALIA DISTINCTLY SHApED, WITH ELONgATE AND SUbpARALLEL-SIDED TEgmEN (FIg. 2C), AEDEAgAL mEDIAN LObE pECULIARLY LARgE,>2.3× LONgER THAN WIDE, WITH mAXImUm WIDTH NEAR DISTAL fIfTH; AEDEAgAL ApEX NARROWLY ARCUATELY INCISED (FIg. 2D), LONgER AND NARROWER THAN IN ANY OTHER KNOWN SpECIES Of THE M. chinensis SpECIES gROUp. OvIpOSITOR LARgE AND WELL-SCLEROTIZED, EXHIbITINg A mODERATELY ACUTE DISTAL ApEX (FIg. 2H); STYLI LONg, DISTINCT IN SHApE fROm OTHER RELATED SpECIES (AUDISIO et al. 2015; LIU et al. 2017), INCLUDINg THE CLOSELY RELATED M. brassicogethoides.
Description. Size (mALE HOLOTYpE): bODY LENgTH 2.6 mm, WIDTH 1.35 mm.
Body color and pubescence: UNIfORmLY DARK bROWN, TEgUmENT SHINY, INCLUDINg LATERAL SIDES Of pRONOTUm, WITH fAINT bRONZE HUES ON DORSAL SURfACE. LEgS YELLOWISH-ORANgE, ANTENNAE bROWN TO DARK bROWN WITH YELLOWISH TO ORANgE ANTENNOmERE 2. PUbESCENCE SILvERY-WHITISH, RATHER LONg AND SpARSE, NOT CONCEALINg TEgUmENT, EACH INDIvIDUAL SETA SLIgHTLY SHORTER THAN ANTENNOmERE 2 (FIg. 1E).
Dorsal habitus: bODY SHApE (FIg. 1E) SImILAR TO THAT Of M. brassicogethoides (FIg. 21f IN AUDISIO et al. 2015). CLYpEUS WITH TRUNCATE ANTERIOR mARgIN. DORSAL pUNCTURES ON pRONOTUm RATHER fINE AND DEEp, EACH pUNCTURE SEpARATED fROm ANOTHER bY CA. 1.2–1.7 DIAmETERS; SpACE bETWEEN pUNCTURES SmOOTH AND SHININg. DORSAL pUNCTURES ON ELYTRA RATHER fINE AND SHALLOW, SEpARATED bY CA. 1.3–1.8 DIAmETERS; SpACE bETWEEN pUNCTURES SmOOTH AND SHININg. RATIO LPR1/LELY = 0.44; RATIO WPR1/LPR1 = 1.87; RATIO WPR2/LPR1 = 1.77; RATIO WPR2/WPR1 = 0.95; RATIO LELY/ WELY = 1.08–1.15; RATIO WPR1/WPRA = 1.55; RATIO WPR1/WELY = 0.90; RATIO WPR2/WELY = 0.86.
Ventral habitus: COmbINED OUTER EDgES Of ANTENNAL gROOvES ALmOST STRAIgHT, bUT SLIgHTLY AND REgULARLY CONvERgENT pOSTERIORLY ALONg mOST Of LENgTH. MEDIOLONgITUDINAL RIDgE Of mESOvENTRITE bLUNTLY CARINATE, CARINA NOT REACHINg pOSTERIOR mARgIN Of mESOvENTRITE. MALE mETAvENTRITE fLATTENED pOSTERIOR TO mIDLENgTH, WITH mODERATELY WIDE AND DEEp mEDIOLONgITUDINAL ImpRESSION.
Appendages: ANTENNAE mODERATELY LONg (FIg. 1E); RATIO ANLE/HWEA = 0.78; RATIO CLLE/W10J = 1.11; RATIO L03J/W03J = 2.40; RATIO L03J/L02J = 1.00; RATIO L03J/L04J = 2.20; RATIO WFTA/LFTA = 0.31; RATIO LETI/WITI = 3.80.
Male genitalia: DISTINCTLY SHApED, WITH ELONgATE AND SUbpARALLEL-SIDED TEgmEN (FIg. 2C); mEDIAN LObE Of AEDEAgUS LARgE AND LONg, RATIO LEAE/WIAE = 2.30–2.40 (FIg. 2D). TEgmEN RATHER NARROW AND pARALLEL-SIDED, WIDEST IN mIDDLE, mEDIAL DISTAL EXCISION DEEp, V-SHApED (RATIO DTIN/LETE = 0.33–0.35), EXCISION INNER mARgINS WITHOUT ANY pROJECTION; RATIO LETE/WITE = 1.53–1.55. RATIO THLE/LETE = 0.21. MEDIAN LObE Of AEDEAgUS EXHIbITINg mAXImUm WIDTH NEAR DISTAL fIfTH, WITH NARROWLY ARCUATELY INCISED ApEX (FIg. 2D). MAIN SCLERITES Of INTERNAL SAC (ENDOpHALLUS) LONg AND ROD-SHApED IN bOTH DORSAL AND LATERAL vIEW.
Female: pROTARSI SLIgHTLY NARROWER THAN IN mALE (RATIO WFTA/LFTA = 0.25); mETAvENTRITE ALmOST fLAT, WITH A bARELY DISTINCT LONgITUDINAL ImpRESSION. OvIpOSITOR DISTINCTLY SHApED (FIg. 2H), WITH ApEX RATHER pOINTED, mODERATELY SCLEROTIZED; RATIO STLE/DSIA = 0.70; RATIO STLE/CGOW = 0.12; RATIO GONL/CGOW = 2.01. BASAL pORTIONS Of gONOCOXITES TRANSvERSE, ApICES LATERALLY DIRECTED AND bLUNTLY ROUNDED. RATIO OVPL/GONL = 2.00.
Variation: bODY SIZES 2.6–2.8 mm (LENgTH) AND 1.35–1.47 mm (WIDTH).
Examined material. HOLOTYpE, ♂: China: HUbEI, SHENNONgJIA NATIONAL FOREST PARK, SHENNONg pEAK SCENIC AREA, 2850–2900 m A.S.L., 31.441944° 110.2925°, 16.vI.2017, P. AUDISIO, M. LIU & M. HUANg LgT, SpARSELY fORESTED AND bUSHY AREA, bEATINg fLOWERINg Rhododendron Sp. (ERICACEAE), (NWAU). PARATYpES: SAmE DATA AS HOLOTYpE, 1 ♂, 2 ♀ (NWAU, CAR-MZUR); 2600 m A.S.L., 31.454444° 110.285278°, P. AUDISIO LgT, SpARSELY fORESTED AND bUSHY AREA, bEATINg fLOWERINg bUSHES Of Rubus rosifolius Sm. (ROSACEAE), 1 ♀ (NWAU).
Distribution. Central China (HUbEI) (FIg. 6A). THE pOSSIbLE HOST-pLANT IN SHENNONg PEAK SCENIC AREA, Rubus rosifolius, IS WIDESpREAD ALSO IN SE CHINA, CHIEfLY IN HUNAN, GUANgXI, JIANgXI AND FUJIAN.
Host-plants. UNKNOWN. Rubus rosifolius (FIg. 4A) COULD REpRESENT THE LOCAL HOST-pLANT IN SHENNONg PEAK SCENIC AREA, bUT NO DEfINITIvE LARvAL HOST-pLANTS RELATIONSHIpS HAvE bEEN ESTAbLISHED. FOUR TYpE SpECImENS WERE COLLECTED ON Rhododendron Sp. (ERICACEAE), HOWEvER SEvERAL SmALL bUSHES Of Rubus Spp., INCLUDINg Rubus rosifolius, WERE pRESENT IN THE AREA ALTHOUgH THEY WERE NOT IN fLOWER AT THE TImE.
Habitat. LOCALITY DATA INDICATES THAT THIS SpECIES AppEARS TO pREfER THE EDgES Of HIgH ALTITUDE SpARSELY fORESTED AND bUSHY AREAS. AS REpORTED AbOvE, fOUR SpECImENS Of THE TYpE SERIES WERE COLLECTED bY SWEEpINg fLOWERINg SHRUbS Of Rhododendron Sp. (ERICACEAE; fREqUENTLY USED bY SEvERAL ADULT Meligethes AS OCCASIONAL fOOD-pLANTS bEfORE OR AfTER THE fLOWERINg SEASON Of THEIR LARvAL HOSTS), IN CONJUNCTION WITH SEvERAL SpECImENS Of M. auropilosus, M. macrofemoratus, M. semenovi, M. hammondi, M. (Odonthogethes) luteomaculatus Sp. N., AND M. (O.) tricuspidatus Sp. N.
Phenology. THE fEW AvAILAbLE SpECImENS WERE COLLECTED IN mIDDLE JUNE, WHICH LIKELY INDICATES ADULT ACTIvITY AT LEAST fROm LATE MAY TO JULY.
Etymology. THE SpECIfIC EpITHET IS DERIvED fROm THE LATE LATIN trapezium (= TRApEZOID) AND thorax, DUE TO ITS pECULIARLY SHApED THORAX, WITH ALmOST STRAIgHT SIDES ALONg ITS pOSTERIOR TWO-THIRDS (FIg. 1E).
Taxonomic remarks. AS REpORTED AbOvE, THIS NEW SpECIES IS SImILAR IN EXTERNAL SHApE TO M. brassicogethoides fROm YUNNAN (SEE AUDISIO et al. 2015). MALE SpECImENS Of THE LATTER SpECIES ARE THUS fAR UNKNOWN, bUT mARKED DIffERENCES IN THE SHApE Of OvIpOSITOR, SHApE Of THE THORAX, AND DORSAL pUbESCENCE, LEAvE NO DOUbTS AbOUT THEIR SpECIfIC DISTINCTION.
description: Published as part of Liu, Meike, Huang, Min, Cline, Andrew Richard & Audisio, Paolo, 2018, New and poorly known Meligethes Stephens from China, with bionomical data on some species (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Meligethinae), pp. 546-566 in Zootaxa 4392 (3) on pages 551-552, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4392.3.6, http://zenodo.org/record/1196235