Parachorius fungorum Kryzhanovsky & Medvedev 1966
Creators: name: Tarasov, Sergei
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Parachorius
Parachorius fungorum

description: Parachorius fungorum Kryzhanovsky & Medvedev, 1966
(Figs. 9, 25D)
Parachorius fungorum Kryzhanovsky & Medvedev, 1966: 394
Parachorius krali Utsunomiya & Masumoto, 2001: 125 (new synonymy)
Type locality. Yunnan, Daweishan, 1900 m, vicinity of Binbjan, China (Parachorius fungorum); Yunnan 1800– 2000 m, Yipinslang. China (Parachorius krali)
Distribution. Southern China (Kuatun, Yunnan), Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam.
Taxonomic notes. The original description of P. fungorum is based on two females (Kryzhanovsky & Medvedev 1966). The publication mentions that all primary types of the described species were deposited in the Institute of Zoology in Beijing, while paratypes were shared between both Institute of Zoology in Beijing and the Zoological Institute in St.-Petersburg. Any specific information about the deposition of paratype of P. fungorum is lacking in that paper. The paratype could not be located in the Zoological Institute in St.-Petersburg, and it was not possible to check the collection in Beijing due to the lack of access. Nevertheless, I consider the identity of the specimens examined here with the types of P. fungorum certain and provide arguments below to support this statement.
Given that the type series of P. fungorum only includes females the set of characters listed in the original description is uninformative since females of P. fungorum are not distinguishable from those of its closest relative P. thomsoni. At the same time, males and females of P. thomsoni and P. fungorum can be easily separated from all other species of Parachorius.
The studied material suggests that P. fungorum occurs in southern China, Indochina, and Myanmar, while P. thomsoni tends to populate more western areas - northeast India, Myanmar, and western Indochina. Although, the distribution of P. thomsoni and P. fungorum overlaps in Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos, only P. fungorum occurs in southern China. Based on the fact that only one species of this pair is found in southern China, I conclude that the examined specimens from China are conspecific with the types of P. fungorum. Thus, I synonymize P. lannathai - the recently described species from Yunnan - with P. fungorum.
Additionally, another species, P. hookeri, known only from the holotype collected in northeastern India, may be conspecific with P. fungorum (for details, see P. hookeri description).
Diagnosis. The species is most similar to P. thomsoni and P. hookeri. It differs from them and other species of Parachorius in the following combination of characters: (1) parameres simple, their apices widely rounded and inferiorly angulate, (2) metafemoral posterior margin serrate (sometimes slightly), and (3) shape of metafemoral posterior margin varies from simple, not modified to dilated.
Description. Body. Body black, length 6.5–9.0 mm. Elytra uniformly colored, black.
Head. Clypeus with two indistinct teeth, outer margin of each tooth not notched basally.
Pronotum. Pronotum rounded laterally. Frontal angles rounded. Disc covered with punctures separated by 0.5– 2.0 puncture diameter(s). Pronotum in anterior-posterior direction notably shorter than elytra.
Elytra. Elytra covered with sparse punctures.
Wings. Wings normally developed.
Legs. Profemur with anterior margin medially produced in angle or with almost straight or sinuate anterior margin. Protibia with apical spur approximately reaching middle of protarsomere 3. First tooth almost not modified in males, approximately as wide as second tooth; first and second teeth distinctly separated from each other; first tooth normal, distinctly separated from denticles located between first and second teeth. Metafemoral posterior margin serrate (sometimes slightly), simple, not modified or dilated in apical third of metafemur and produced in angle. Metatibia slightly sinuate, inner margin not denticulate, produced in small angle apically.
Metasternum. Transverse basal ridge of metasternum long, at least 1/5 of mesocoxa length.
Aedeagus. Parameres symmetrical, simple, apex widely rounded and inferiorly angulate.
Material examined. Holotype of Parachorius krali: China: male, "Holotype Parachorius krali Uts. & Mas. / Coll. Masumoto 2000/Yunnan 1800-2000m 25.04N 101.555E Yipinslang 17- 20.6.1994 Vit Kuban leg.", 25°4'N, 101°55'E (NSMT). 1 male, Kuatun, Fukien (Tschung Sen.), 27°40'N, 117°40'E, on 11/v/1946 (NMPC). 1 male, Yunnan Province (NMPC). 1 male, southern China, Yunnan Province, Vallis flimin, Soling-ho, B.M. 1931-358 (NMPC). 2 males, Sichuan Province, Xichang environs, 1600 m, on 1/vii/2002 (A. Gorodinski) (OUMNH). 1 male, Ynnan, Recu de Lou-Nan, on 1931 (MNHN). 2 males, Yunnan, Baoshan City environs, 2000 m, on 10/vii/ 1998 (A. Gorodinski) (ZIN). Laos: 1 male, Xieng Khouang, Phonsavan, Nong Pet, 19°34.657'N, 103°23.313'E, 1300 m, disturb montane forest, on 1–3/viii/2008 (S. Tarasov) (CST). Myanmar: 1 male, Carin Cheba, L. Fea, 900–1100 m, on 5/x/1988 (MNHN). Vietnam: 1 male, Hoa-Binh, Tonkin (MNHN). 1 male, Tam Dao, rotten fish, 900 m, on 2/ix/1963 (O. Kabakov) (ZIN). 1 male, Tonkin Hoa-Binh, 20°49.7'N, 105°20'E (J. Clermont) (NMPC).
description: Published as part of Tarasov, Sergei, 2017, A cybertaxonomic revision of the new dung beetle tribe Parachoriini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) and its phylogenetic assessment using molecular and morphological data, pp. 101-149 in Zootaxa 4329 (2) on page 121, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4329.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1001915