Meligethes (Meligethes) auropilosus Liu, Yang, Huang, Jelínek & Audisio, 2016

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), Zootaxa 4392 (3), pp. 546-566 : 550

Meligethes (Meligethes) auropilosus Liu, Yang, Huang, Jelínek & Audisio, 2016

Examined material. China, HUbEI, SHENNONgJIA NATIONAL FOREST PARK, SHENNONg pEAK SCENIC AREA, 2800–2950 m A.S.L., 31.441944° 110.2925°, 16.vI.2017, M. LIU, M. HUANg & P. AUDISIO LgT, SpARSELY fORESTED AND bUSHY AREA, bEATINg fLOWERINg Rhododendron Sp. ( ERICACEAE ), 11 ♂, 14 ♀ (NWAU, CAR-MZUR); 2400–2600 m A.S.L., 31.454444° 110.285278°, 16.vI.2017, M. LIU, M. HUANg & P. AUDISIO LgT, SpARSELY fORESTED AND bUSHY AREA, ON fLOWERINg SHRUbS Of Rosa sericea , 2 ♀ (NWAU, CAR-MZUR, NMPC, ARCC); SICHUAN, KANgDINg COUNTY, 3200 m A.S.L., 29.991667° 101.887222°, 21.vI.2017, P. Audisio lgt, by sweeping, 1 ♀ (CAR-MZUR); 3515 m A.S.L., 30.013333° 101.861667°, 21.vI.2017, P. AUDISIO LgT, bY SWEEpINg, 1 ♀ (CAR-MZUR).

Distribution. SW AND CENTRAL CHINA (XIZANg, SICHUAN, HUbEI, SHAANXI). THIS SpECIES WAS pREvIOUSLY KNOWN ONLY fROm A COUpLE Of mALE SpECImENS COLLECTED IN SE XIZANg (SHIgATSE DISTRICT), ALTHOUgH A fEmALE SpECImEN REfERRED TO AS M. auropilosus WAS ALSO RECORDED fROm S SHAANXI (LIU et al. 2016). THE NEW DATA AbOvE CONSIDERAbLY EXTEND THE KNOWN gEOgRApHIC RANgE EASTWARD ( FIg. 5A ), THEREbY EXTENDINg THE EASTWARD RANgE Of THE ENTIRE M. nepalensis SpECIES gROUp, bASED ON THE NEW TAXONOmIC pOSITION SUggESTED AbOvE fOR M. cinereoargenteus fROm SICHUAN (AUDISIO et al. 2015) THAT WAS mOvED TO THE M. auripilis SpECIES gROUp.

Host-plants. MOST SpECImENS AT HIgHER ALTITUDES (2800–2950 m) WERE COLLECTED IN THE AbOvE LOCALITY IN HUbEI ON A LARgE AND WHITE fLOWERINg Rhododendron Sp. ( ERICACEAE ), WHICH LIKELY REpRESENTS AN ADULT fOOD-pLANT, WHICH WAS UTILIZED pENDINg THE fLOWERINg Of Rosa Sp. AT THIS ALTITUDE IN mIDDLE JUNE. AT LOWER ALTITUDES (2400–2600 m), A fEW fEmALE SpECImENS HAvE bEEN COLLECTED ON fLOWERINg SHRUbS Of Rosa sericea , IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER Meligethes SpECIES (E.g. M. semenovi , M. hammondi KIREJTSHUK, 1980, M. macrofemoratus ), bUT NO DEfINITIvE INSECT HOST-pLANT RELATIONSHIpS CAN bE ESTAbLISHED bASED ON AvAILAbLE DATA. Meligethes auropilosus AppEARS TO bE CONfINED TO HIgH ALTITUDE HAbITATS (CA. 2000–3600 m) AT THE EDgE Of SEmI-fORESTED HAbITATS.

Taxonomic notes. THE pOpULATIONS fROm bOTH HUbEI AND SICHUAN DO NOT DIffER SIgNIfICANTLY IN THE SHApE Of THE mALE gENITALIA fROm THE TYpE SpECImENS DESCRIbED fROm XIZANg . THESE SpECImENS ALSO AppEAR TO pARTIALLY fILL THE pREvIOUSLY pURpORTED DISTRIbUTION gAp Of THIS SpECIES fROm XIZANg TO S SHAANXI (LIU et al. 2016) . THE pREvIOUSLY UNKNOWN OvIpOSITOR Of THIS SpECIES, ALTHOUgH bASED ON mATERIAL COLLECTED fAR fROm THE TYpE LOCALITY ( SW XIZANg), IS REpRESENTED IN FIg. 2g . RATIO STLE/DSIA = 0.54; RATIO STLE/CGOW = 0.07; RATIO GONL/CGOW = 1.42. BASAL pORTIONS Of THE gONOCOXITES TRANSvERSE , WITH LATERALLY DIRECTED ApICES ACUTE. RATIO OVPL/GONL = 2.35. THIS SpECIES AppEARS TO bE vARIAbLE IN SIZE, WITH SpECImENS RANgINg IN bOTH SEXES fROm CA. 2.6 TO CA. 3.3 mm IN LENgTH.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Male (a–f) and female (g–l) genitalia of Meligethes species (a, c, e, tegmen, dorsal view; b, d, f, median lobe of aedeagus, dorsal view); a, b, M. (Meligethes) elytralis Audisio, Sabatelli & Jelínek, 2015, ♂ from Sichuan; c, d, M. (Odonthogethes) trapezithoraxsp.n., ♂ paratype from Hubei;e, f, M.(O.)luteomaculatus sp.n., ♂ paratype from Hubei;g, M. (M.) auropilosus Liu, Yang, Huang, Jelínek & Audisio, 2016, ♀ from Hubei; h, M. (O.) trapezithorax sp. n., ♀ paratype from Hubei; i, M. (O.) tricuspidatus sp. n., ♀ holotype from Hubei; j, M. (O.) luteomaculatus sp. n., ♀ paratype from Hubei; k, M. (O.) pallidoelytrorum Chen & Kirejtshuk, 2013, ♀ from Sichuan; l, M. (M.) cinereoargenteus Audisio, Sabatelli & Jelínek, 2015, ♀ from Sichuan.Scale bar: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 5. Distribution maps of Meligethes (Meligethes) species; a (M. tryznai, M. elytralis, M. macrofemoratus, M. auropilosus); b (M. aurifer, M.aureolineatus, M.cinereoargenteus).