Lycocerus nigripennis
Creators: name: Hsiao, Yun
name: Okushima, Yûichi
name: Yang, Ping-Shih
name: Ko, Chium-Cheng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cantharidae
Lycocerus
Lycocerus nigripennis

description: Lycocerus nigripennis (Pic, 1938)
Figs 2 J–M, 4E–G, 6E–F, 8
Malthinus atripennis Pic, 1922: 30.
Malthinus nigripennis Pic, 1938: 121 [new name for Malthinus atripennis Pic, 1922].
Podabrinus taihokuensis Wittmer, 1954: 276.
Athemellus taihokuensis – Wittmer 1972: 126, fig. 1.
Athemellus atripennis – Wittmer 1983: 168.
Lycocerus atripennis – Kazantsev & Brancucci 2007: 249.
Lycocerus nigripennis – Okushima 2007b: 260; 2008: 282, fig. 25. — Satô et al. 2015: 51.
Diagnosis
The nearly black form of this species resembles L. araticollis and L. evangelium Hsiao & Okushima sp. nov., and the yellowish brown pronotum form resembles L. griseopubens and L. aurantiacus Hsiao & Okushima sp. nov.; the differential diagnosis is given in Table 3.
Material examined
Syntype of Malthinus atripennis Pic, 1922
TAIWAN: ♀ (SDEI): [p] Hokuto / [h] III / [p] Formosa / H. Sauter, 1912 // [p] Syntypus // [h] Malthinus / atripennis / Pic // [h] Athemellus / atripennis / (Pic) / [p] det. W. Wittmer // [p] DEI Coleoptera / # 200077. [Note: This female syntype of M. atripennis is possibly the female holotype which Wittmer (1983) referred to.]
Holotype of Podabrinus taihokuensis Wittmer, 1954
TAIWAN: ♂ (CAS): [p] Taihoku / Formosa / [h] III-27-32 // [p] L. Gressitt / Collection // [p] L. Gressitt Collector // [h] Holototypus // [h] Podabrinus / taihokuensis / Wittmer / [p] det. W. Wittmer // [p] California Academy of Sciences / Type No. [h] 7787.
Paratype of Podabrinus taihokuensis Wittmer, 1954
TAIWAN: ♂ (NHMB): [h] A. / taihokuensis / (Wittmer) / [p] det. W. Wittmer // [h] P. / taihokuensis / Wittmer / [p] det. W. Wittmer // [h] Athemellus / atripennis / (Pic) / [p] det. W. Wittmer // [p] Paratypus // [p] Taihoku / Formosa / [h] III-27-32 // [h] 37 // [p] L. Gressitt / Collection // [p] Naturhistorisches / Museum Basel / Coll. W. Wittmer // [p] CANTHARIDAE / CANTH00003105.
Other material
TAIWAN: 2 ♂♂, Junhua, Taoyuan, 11 Mar. 1972, B.- S. Chang leg. (NMNS); 1 ♀, Bajie [=Baigi], Taoyuan, 11 Mar. 1972, B.- S. Chang leg. (NMNS); 1 ♀, Hsileng, Taoyuan Hsien, 2 Apr. 1982, N. Ohbayashi leg. (EUMJ); 2 ♂♂, Lushan spa, Nantou Hsien, 2 May 1982, N. Ohbayashi leg. (KURA); 1 ♀, Fukukoo, Toen-ken [= Taoyuan], 28 Jan. 1983, K. Baba leg. (EUMJ); 1 ♂, Tam Shui, N Taiwan, 20 Feb. 1987, K. Baba leg. (EUMJ); 1 ♂, Sun Moon Lake, 1000 m, M Taiwan, 14 Mar. 1989, K. Baba leg. (EUMJ); 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Mu-Tsar, Taipei, 9 Feb. 1991, C.- L. Li leg. (KURA); 1 ♀, Baling, Taoyuan Hsien, 5–8 Apr. 1991, T. Kishimoto leg. (KURA); 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, Nanshanchi, Nantou Hsien, 10 Apr. 1991, Y. Okushima leg. (KURA); 1 ♀, Fuhsing, Taoyuan, 30 Mar. 1992, I.- S. Hsu leg. (NMNS); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Wanjung, Hualien, 2 Feb. 1992, C.- Y. Lee leg. (NMNS); 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, Yangmingshan, Taipei, 27 Mar. 1993, T. Nonaka leg. (KURA); 2 ♀♀, Lushan spa, Nantou Hsien, 24 Apr. 1994, T. Kishimoto leg. (KURA); 1 ♀, Chikou, 350m, Taoyuan Hsien, 25 Apr. 1996, L.- J. Wang leg. (KURA); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Fushan, 21 Mar. 1998, M. Satô leg. (KURA); 7 ♀♀, Paling, Taoyuan, 31 Mar. 1998, M. Satô leg. (KURA); 1 ♂, Lushan, Nantou, 2 Apr. 1998, F. Hayashi leg. (KURA); 4 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Gauvaw [= Luofu], 380 m, Taovuan, 25 Apr. 1998, L.- J. Wang leg. (KURA); 2 ♂♂, Chunyang, Jenai, Nantou, 8–10 Mar. 1999, C.- S. Lin leg. (NMNS); 12 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, Hushichun, Yuanshan, Ilan Hsien, 4–16 Mar. 1999, T. Mizusawa leg. (KURA); 7 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Yuanshan, Ilan Hsien, 23 Mar. 2000, T. Mizusawa leg. (KURA); 11 ♂♂, 13 ♀♀, Yuanshan, Ilan Hsien, 23–25 Mar. 2000, T. Mizusawa leg. (KURA); 1 ♂, Foshan, Sanxia, Taipei, 27 Apr. 2009, S.- H. Chang leg. (YHC); 1 ♀, Baishihu, Neihu, Taipei, 14 Feb. 2013, L. Huang leg. (YHC); 5 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Neikouli, Neihu, Taipei, 23 Feb. 2014, L. Huang leg. (YHC); 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Shuanchiyen, Taipei, 7 Mar. 2014, L. Huang leg. (YHC); 1 ♀, Fuchushan, Taipei, 25 Mar. 2014, C.- J. Li leg. (YHC); 1 ♀, Baehengonlu [=Northern Cross Island Highway], 9 Apr. 2014, L. Huang leg. (YHC); 1 ♀, Fushan, Taipei, 24 May 2014, L. Huang leg. (YHC); 1 ♂, Fuchushan, Taipei, 27 Feb. 2015, T. Hsieh leg. (YHC); 1 ♀, Huangdidian, Shuding, Taipei, 28 Feb. 2015, L. Huang leg. (YHC); 4 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, Kantoushan, Tainan, 28 Feb. 2015, W.- C. Liao leg. (YHC); 3 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, Xankonchuan, Danshui, Taipei, Y.- J. Lu leg. (YHC); 1 ♀, Shanming, Taoyuan, 14 Mar. 2015, Y. Hsiao leg. (YHC).
Redescription
Coloration
Eyes black. Head black, but brown in frons. Antennae black, with yellow tinge in the first two segments. Mandibles yellowish brown. Pronotum yellowish brown to orange, with a black marking in mediolongitudinal part. Elytra black. Legs black, with coxae more or less yellowish brown. Prosternum
yellowish brown; mesoventrites, metaventrites and abdomen black. Body closely covered with pale pubescence; anterior margin of clypeus, antennae, elytra and legs fringed with pale bristles.
Male (Fig. 2 K–L)
HEAD. Nearly as long as wide; vertex faintly hollowed, depressed along apical margin of clypeus and in lateral areas before eyes; surface densely and finely punctate and semilustrous; anterior margin of clypeus arcuate and faintly indented in middle; eyes not so large, globular and slightly prominent, ratio of eye diameter to interocular space 1:4.0; terminal labial palpomeres rounded ax-shaped; terminal maxillary palpomeres rounded ax-shaped; antennae filiform, somewhat exceeding elytral midlength; antennomere I clavate, II short and a little expanded apicad, III to XI subcylindrical, all antennomeres without groove, ratio of antennomere lengths: 15: 10: 14.5:17.5: 17.5: 17.5: 17: 16: 15.5:15: 16.5.
PRONOTUM. Subquadrate, about 0.90 times as wide as head, slightly longer than width; anterior and posterior margins moderately arcuate; lateral margins feebly sinuate, slightly diverging posteriorly; anterior angles rounded; posterior angles obtuse; dorsum convex in postero-lateral and hollowed in antero-lateral areas; medio-longitudinal groove distinct in posterior half; surface smooth and semilustrous. Scutellum triangular, with rounded apex.
ELYTRA. Conjointly about 1.6 times as wide as pronotum, about 2.9 times as long as wide, sides subparallel; surface densely and finely punctate and semilustrous.
LEGS. Moderately slender; femora mostly straight; tibiae mostly straight, with basal part feebly arcuate; claws simple.
AEDEAGUS (Fig. 4 E–G). Ventral process expanded apically, apex strongly or moderately expanded, apex curved inwards, basal part broad and extending inwards onto ventral side; dorsal plate of each paramere somewhat longer than ventral process, protuberant and narrowed apically, apical margin rounded, with some hairs on it. Laterophyse very short, with rounded apex, barely visible in lateral view. Inner sac swollen, lengthened behind, and shorter than tegmen.
Body length 4.80–6.70 mm; width 1.15–2.30 mm.
Female (Fig. 2J, M)
Similar to male. Body wider than in male. Eyes somewhat smaller than in male, ratio of eye diameter to interocular space 1:4.8. Antennae distinctly shorter than in male, barely exceeding humeri, ratio of antennomere lengths: 12: 10: 11.5:12.5: 12: 13: 12: 11.5:11: 10: 12.
PRONOTUM. Nearly as wide as head, nearly as long as wide. Elytra conjointly about 1.6 times as wide as pronotum, about 3.1 times as long as wide. Abdominal ventrite VII widely emarginate on each side of terminal margin, forming subtriangular lateral lobes, median lobe considerably developed and triangularly concave in middle (Fig. 6E).
FEMALE GENITALIA (Fig. 6F). Vagina rounded, abruptly extended apically as a long and thick duct; diverticulum and spermathecal duct arising from apex of long duct of vagina; diverticulum moderately thin and spiral, longer than spermathecal duct; spermatheca provided with thin spiral tube, tube nearly as long as diverticulum; accessory gland thin, shorter than spermatheca.
Body length 6.10–7.00 mm; width 1.30–1.80 mm.
Variation
Body nearly black, including pronotum.
Remarks
This species is widely distributed in low-altitude forest in Taiwan and appears mainly in the spring according to the label data. It was observed visiting flowers of Machilus thunbergii Siebold & Zucc. (Lauraceae) during the day. Additionally, during our study of the collections of different institutions and the survey of the first author’s personal field trip, the nearly black pronotum form was found to be typical
of this species, although all of the type specimens including those of Malthinus atripennis Pic, 1922 and Podabrinus taihokuensis Wittmer, 1954 represent the yellowish fringed pronotum form.
Distribution (Fig. 8)
Taiwan (endemic).
description: Published as part of Hsiao, Yun, Okushima, Yûichi, Yang, Ping-Shih & Ko, Chium-Cheng, 2016, Taxonomic revision of the Lycocerus hanatanii species group (Coleoptera, Cantharidae), with the description of new species from Taiwan, pp. 1-33 in European Journal of Taxonomy 170 on pages 18-23, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2016.170, http://zenodo.org/record/3832608