Sundapyrochroa atricolor (Pic) Young, 2014

Young, Daniel K., 2014, Sundapyrochroa: A new genus of Fire-Colored Beetles (Coleoptera: Pyrochroidae: Pyrochroinae) from the Sunda Shelf, with a key to the three species, Insecta Mundi 2014 (341), pp. 1-18 : 5-6

Sundapyrochroa atricolor (Pic) , comb. nov.

( Figures 1–3 , 13–15 )

Sundapyrochroa atricolor (Pic)

Pseudopyrochroa atricolor Pic, 1943

Male. (habitus, Fig. 1 ) Mean length from anterior margin of labrum (head slightly deflexed) to apex of elytra 9.2 mm (n = 2). Color largely brownish-black to black; legs and venter rufopiceous to black.

Head. Cranium unmodified, lacking cranial pits; surface of cranial “neck” coarsely, moderately densely punctate. Third antennomere ( Fig. 2 ) with its ramus stout, well developed, but clearly less than length of the antennomere, itself.

Thorax. Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) subquadrate, slightly narrower anteriorly; anterior margin nearly straight; mesal canaliculus present. Elytral surface irregularly, coarsely, shallowly rugulose; vestiture consisting of dense, short, dark setae; each elytron ribbed, bearing 4, subtle costae.

Abdomen. Sternite 8 widest basally, apex ( Fig. 13 ) rather deeply emarginate mesally, bearing numerous, moderately elongate marginal setae.

Male abdominal terminalia. Tegmen ( Fig. 14 ) with basal piece subrectangular, its length nearly 2X its width, broadly joined to parameres distally. Parameres fused along basal 5/7, thence abruptly, widely separated, produced into a collar-like lip mesally at point of separation, the lip shallowly emarginate mesally; distal parameres narrow and subparallel, each rounded apically. Median lobe ( Fig. 15 ) elongate, produced basally into two, elongate median struts, apex acutely narrowed.

Female. (habitus, Fig. 3 ) Similar to male, though a little larger. Mean length from anterior margin of labrum (head slightly deflexed) to apex of elytra 13.3 mm (n = 13). Antennae stout, antennomeres 3–10 notably pectinate ( Fig. 3 ), but rami much shorter and more stout than those of male; last abdominal sternite entire, broadly rounded.

Larva. Unknown.

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from the Latin atri -, meaning black, and the Latin, - color, meaning “color”. The name likely refers to the uniformly black color of this species.

Type Information. Pic (1943) listed the type locality as “ Malacca,” a seaside city 150 km south of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During a visit to the Paris Museum, I was unable to locate any specimens under this name in the Pic material or any other area of the collection. If a type series exists, I am unaware of its location. As noted below, all material of S. atricolor I have examined comes from the Cameron Highlands, in the northwestern corner of peninsular Malaysia’s largest state, Pahang. The second label associated with the female in the CASC (see below) is a pink rectangular label stating “co-type” - presumably in Pic’s handwriting. In his original description, Pic (1943: 9) made specific reference to the female: “… antennis depressis et pectinatis ♀ …” but mentioned neither the male nor the number of specimens before him. Given these facts and the stated type locality, it seems unlikely that the female in the CASC is actually a syntype. It is from the Cameron Highlands, not Malacca. Also, several additional specimens bear nearly the same data as the CASC “co-type” - none of them are labeled as part of the type series and included in the series are two males: the male was not noted in the description.

Specimens Examined. (2 ♂♂, 13 ♀♀): 1♂ [Malaysia]: PAHANG, F.M.S. // Cameron Highlands // [looks like] Ginling Kial 5565 ft. // 19 - 5 - [19]39.; [underside 1 st label]: H. M. Pendlebury // Coll: // F.M.S., Museums; [2 nd label]: Ex F.M.S. // Museum. // B.M. 1955-354. ( BMNH); 1♀ [Malaysia]: PAHANG, F.M.S. // Cameron Highlands // [looks like] Ginling Kial 5565 ft. // 20 - 5 - [19]39.; [underside 1 st label]: H. M. Pendlebury // Coll: // F.M.S., Museums; [2 nd label]: Ex F.M.S. // Museum. // B.M. 1955-354. ( BMNH); 1♀ [Malaysia]: PAHANG, F.M.S. // Cameron Highlands // [looks like] Ginling Kial 5000 ft. // 22 - 5 - [19]39.; [underside 1 st label]: H. M. Pendlebury // Coll: // F.M.S., Museums; [2 nd label]: Ex F.M.S. // Museum. // B.M. 1955-354. ( BMNH); 2♀♀ [Malaysia]: PAHANG, F.M.S. // Cameron Highlands // [looks like] Ginling Kial 5000 ft. // 26 - 5 - [19]39.; [underside 1 st label]: H. M. Pendlebury // Coll: // F.M.S., Museums; [2 nd label]: Ex F.M.S. // Museum. // B.M. 1955-354. ( BMNH); 1♀ [Malaysia]: PAHANG, F.M.S. // Cameron’s High-, lands. // [looks like] Ginling Kial 4500-4800 ft. // 16 - 6 - [19]35.; [underside 1 st label]: H. M. Pendlebury // Coll: // F.M.S., Museums; [2 nd label]: Ex F.M.S. // Museum. // B.M. 1955- 354. ( BMNH); 1♀ [Malaysia]: PAHANG, F.M.S. // Cameron Highlands // [looks like] Ginling Kial 4800 ft. // 31. Jan. [19]’24.; [underside 1 st label]: H. M. Pendlebury // Coll: // F.M.S., Museums; [2 nd label]: Ex F.M.S. // Museum. // B.M. 1955-354. ( BMNH); 1♀ [Malaysia]: PAHANG, F.M.S. // Cameron Highlands // [looks like] Ginling Kial 5000 ft., 5200’ // 27 - 7 - 1938.; [underside 1 st label]: H. M. Pendlebury // Coll: // F.M.S., Museums; [2 nd label – pink rectangular]: co-type; [3 rd label – folded label, presumably in Pic’s hand]: Pseudopyrochroa // nigricolor Pic ; [4 th label]: Rec’d from // Maurice Pic // Jan. 1950 ( CASC); 1♂ [Malaysia]: PAHANG, F.M.S. // Cameron Highlands. // [looks like] Ginling Kial 5000 ft: // 22 - 5 - 1939.; [underside 1 st label]: H. M. Pendlebury // Coll: // F.M.S., Museums; [2 nd label]: Ex F.M.S. // Museum. // B.M. 1955-354. ( DYCC); 1♀ [Malaysia]: PAHANG, F.M.S. // Cameron Highlands // [looks like] G. Pardah 5100 ft. // May 13th 1939.; [underside 1 st label]: H. M. Pendlebury // Coll: // F.M.S., Museums; [2 nd label]: Ex F.M.S. // Museum. // B.M. 1955-354. ( DYCC); 1♀ Malaysia // BRINCHANG // 1550 m. öh // 20.1.1981 // T-E. Leiler; [2 nd label]: Swedish Museum // of Natural History // Stockholm // NHRS ( DYCC); 1♀ Malaysia // BRINCHANG // 1550 m. öh // 21.1.1981 // T-E. Leiler; [2 nd label]: Swedish Museum // of Natural History // Stockholm // NHRS ( DYCC); 1♀ MALAYSIA, Pahang // Tanah Rata, Cameron H. // 3-20 Feb 2005, 1600m // P. Čechovský lgt. ( DYCC); 1♀ Malaysia // BRINCHANG // 1550 m. öh // 22.1.1981 // T-E. Leiler; [2 nd label]: Swedish Museum // of Natural History // Stockholm // NHRS ( NHRS); 1♀ Malaysia // BRINCHANG // 1550 m. öh // 6.2.1984 [NOTE: the preprinted date is written over in pen: the day and month are ambiguous] // T-E. Leiler; [2 nd label]: Swedish Museum // of Natural History // Stockholm // NHRS ( NHRS).

Distribution. As noted above, the only series of S. atricolor examined was collected in the Cameron Highlands of peninsular Malaysia at elevations of 4500–5565 feet, from early January to late July. Six specimens were collected between January and February while nine were collected between May and late July. Although only 15 specimens were available for examination, the dates might possibly suggest a bivoltine developmental pattern for S. atricolor .

Diagnosis and Remarks. Both sexes of S. atricolor are unicolorous brownish-black to black. Sundapyrochroa nigripennis and S. sumatrensis are usually in part yellowish-orange to orange. The melanic (all dark) male of S. nigripennis can readily be distinguished from the other species by the very long, delicate ramus borne by the third antennomere.

In his original description of S. atricolor, Pic indicated this species was very similar to Pseudopyrochroa nigricolor Pic. Both species are brownish-black to black, but in other respects the latter species conforms more closely to Pseudopyrochroa . While the head of male P. nigricolor lacks any obvious cranial pit apparatus, the frons is conspicuously gibbose between the compound eyes. The antennae of male P. nigricolor are strongly serrate-pectinate, with the serrations very large and broadly rounded. The male genital anatomy of P. nigricolor is also typical for Pseudopyrochroa and very unlike that of Sundapyrochroa males.

Figures

Figures 1–3. Sundapyrochroa atricolor (Pic). 1) Habitus, adult male, dorsal. 2) Left antenna, lateroventral. 3) Habitus, adult female, dorsal.

Figures 13–21. Three species of Sundapyrochroa. 13) S. atricolor (Pic), abdominal sternite eight. 14) S. atricolor (Pic), tegmen, dorsal. 15) S. atricolor (Pic), penis, dorsal. 16) S. nigripennis (Pic), abdominal sternite eight. 17) S. nigripennis (Pic), tegmen, dorsal. 18) S. nigripennis (Pic), penis, dorsal. 19) S. sumatrensis (Pic), abdominal sternite eight. 20) S. sumatrensis (Pic), tegmen, dorsal. 21) S. sumatrensis (Pic), penis, dorsal.