Heterhelus (Heterhelus) morio ( Reitter, 1878 )

Hisamatsu, Sadatomo, 2011, A review of the Japanese Kateretidae fauna (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (2), pp. 551-585 : 567-569

Heterhelus (Heterhelus) morio ( Reitter, 1878)

( Figs. 2A–B , 7 )

Amartus (Heterhelus) morio Reitter, 1878: 166 . Type locality: Japonia [= Japan]. Lectotype designated by KIREJT- SHUK (1989: 146).

Heterhelus morio: REITTER (1884: 258) [in key]; REITTER (1885: 104) [list]; GROUVELLE (1913: 15) [catalogue]; HISAMATSU (1985: 177, pl. 28, fig. 3) [note, photo].

Heterhelus scutellaris: KIREJTSHUK (1989: 146) (partim) [note]; KIREJTSHUK (1992: 214) (partim) [in key].

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE: J, ( ZMHB): ‘J // Amartus / morio m. m. sp // Lectotypus Heterhelus / morio (Reitter) / design. Kirejtshuk 1981’. PARALECTOYPES: 2 JJ 3 ♀♀, no locality labels.

Additional material examined. JAPAN: AOMORI: 1 J 1 ♀, Juniko, Nishitsugaru-gun , 22.vi.1966, A. Abe leg. GUNMA: 1 ex., Numata , 10.v.1949, T. Takei leg. TOKYO: 6 exs., Mt. Takao , 1.v.1960, S. Hisamatsu leg. ; 1 ex., Asakawa , 4.v.1953, S. Hisamatsu leg. KANAGAWA: 3 exs., Mt. Tanzawa , 7.v.1939, Hararaki leg. ÔSAKA: 1 ex., Nose , 28.iv.1957, Y. Kimura leg. NARA: 1 ex., Hase-dera , 20.iv.1971, S. Kinoshita leg. TOTTORI: 1 ex., Mt. Hyo-no-sen, Wakasa-chô , 6.–9.viii.1968, I.H. B.C . YAMAGUCHI: 63 JJ 65 ♀♀, Mt. Shizukisan, Hagi , 23.iv.1970, S. Hisamatsu leg. EHIME: 9JJ 5♀♀, Omogokei , 23.iv.1972, S. Hisamatsu leg. ; 3JJ 4♀♀, Mt.Akaboshi , 5.v.1966, S. Hisamatsu leg. TOKUSHIMA: 4 JJ 2 ♀♀, Mt. Tsurigi , 6.vi.1970, S. Hisamatsu leg. FUKUOKA: 6 exs., Inunaki pass, 29.iv.1968, M. Iga leg. ( EUM) .

Diagnosis. Body coloration piceous black, except yellowish mouthparts, antennae, and legs. Antennae with almost 2-segmented club. Lateral margins of pronotum uniformly arcuate. Abdominal sternite VII short (W7/L7 = 2.74, n = 4), with median castaneous tuft of setae in male. Parameres of male genitalia rather short and wide (LP/WP = 2.10 (n = 1)). Apex of median lobe bluntly rounded in lateral aspect. Ovipositor of female pigmented in basal part, with long styli.

Redescription. Length 1.8–2.5 mm.

Male. Body ( Fig. 2A ) oval, convex dorsally, dully shining, covered with grayish setae. Coloration piceous black; mouthparts, antennae, and legs reddish-yellow; clypeus reddish brown.

Head densely punctate, punctures on disc separated by ≤ 1 diameter; interspaces finely reticulate. Frontoclypeal suture incomplete, distinctly visible. Front margin of clypeus with slightly arcuate emargination in middle. Labrum deeply arcuate. Mandibles moderately bent inward. Antennae ( Fig. 7D ) about as wide as HW, 1.00–1.17 times longer than HW (n = 4), with indistinct 3-segmented (almost 2-segmented) club; approximate ratio of each segment (n = 1) is 2.13: 2.00: 1.67: 1.20: 1.13: 1.20: 1.20: 1.00: 1.20: 1.73: 2.60.

Pronotum ( Fig. 7I ) 1.47–1.56 times as wide as long (n = 4), narrower than elytra at base; sides narrowly explanate, slightly serrate, uniformly arcuate, widest at middle; anterior angles slightly prominent, posterior angles distinctly angulate; anterior margin unbordered; basal margin bordered, moderately sinuate before posterior angles; punctures on disc similar in size to those on head; interspaces finely reticulate.

Elytra long, conjointly 1.08–1.20 times as long as wide (n = 4), 2.03–2.22 times as long as pronotum (n = 4); punctures on disc similar in size to those on pronotum; interspaces smooth. Abdominal tergite VI partially obscured by elytra. Abdominal tergite VII fully exposed, apex truncate. Abdominal tergite VIII externally visible.

Prosternum (excluding prosternal process) 0.37 times as long as mesoventrite (n = 1), 0.28 times as long as metaventrite (n = 1); prosternal process subparallel-sided. Mesoventrite depressed below the level of the metaventrite. Metaventrite convex, metathoracic discrimen in basal 1/2; disc densely punctate; punctures on disc smaller than those on head, separated by one diameter at middle, becoming denser laterally; interspaces finely reticulate. Intermesocoxal distance separated by 2.08 times width of inter-procoxal distance. Inter-metacoxal distance separated by 3.29 times width of inter-procoxal distance. Abdominal sternites shining; approximate ratio of length of abdominal sternites III–VII (n = 1) is 3.55: 1.00: 1.09: 2.03: 2.03; sternite VII short (W7/L7 = 2.74 (n = 4)), about as long as VI, with medial, castaneous tuft of setae. Legs flattened; protibiae rather short and slender, shorter than HW; tarsal claws simple.

Male genitalia with parameres ( Figs. 7A, 7E ) symmetrical, rather short and wide (LP/WP = 2.10 (n = 1)); apical region of parameres and interparameral lobe bearing long setae; median lobe bluntly rounded at apex in lateral aspect.

Female. Apical margin of abdominal tergite VII more rounded than those of male; seventh sternite without tuft of setae. Ovipositor ( Fig. 7G ) pigmented in basal part, with distinct styli.

Bionomics. According to HAYASHI (1977), this species aggregates on flowers of Sambucus racemosa L. subsp. sieboldiana (Miq.) H. Hara (Caprifoliaceae) often in syntopy with H. scutellaris ; see also Bionomics of Heterhelus scutellaris above.

Distribution. Japan (Honshû, Shikoku, Kyûshû) ( HISAMATSU 1985).

Note. KIREJTSHUK (1989) treated Heterhelus morio as a junior synonym of H. scutellaris . At the same time, he designated lectotypes for H. morio and H. japonicus . After my examination of the lectotypes and paralectotypes of H. morio and H. japonicus , it is apparent that H. morio is a valid species; whereas, H. japonicus is indeed a junior synonym of H. scutellaris . Characters which differentiate H. scutellaris from H. morio include the following: coloration piceous black in both sexes; pronotal sides uniformly arcuate; parameres slender and rather short; median lobe bluntly rounded at apex in lateral aspect; ovipositor pigmented at base; male abdominal sternite VII shorter, about 2.74 times as long as wide, with castaneous tuft of setae in middle.

Subgenus Boreades Parsons, 1943 Type species. Cercus abdominalis Erichson, 1843 , by original designation.

Figures

Fig. 2. Habitus and labels of Kateretidae spp. A–B – Heterhelus (Heterhelus) morio (Reitter, 1878): A – lectotype, male; B – ditto, labels; C – Heterhelus (Boreades) solani (Heer, 1841), male (Hokkaido); D – Sibirhelus corpulentus (Reitter, 1900), male (Iwate Pref.); E – Brachypterus urticae (Fabricius, 1792), male (Hokkaido); F–G – Brachypterolus shimoyamai Hisamatsu, 1985: F – holotype, male; G – ditto, labels. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 7. Heterhelus (Heterhelus) morio (Reitter, 1878). A – tegmen (ventral view); B – median lobe (ventral view); C – median lobe (lateral view); D – male right antenna; E – parameres of the lectotype of H. morio; F – median lobe of the lectotype of H. morio (lateral view); G – ovipositor; H – male abdominal sternite VII; I – pronotum. A, B, C, D, G, H, I = Ehime Pref., Omogokei.