Lagria (Lagria) medogensis, Zhou & Chen, 2023

Zhou, Yong & Chen, Bin, 2023, A study on the genus Lagria from China with one new species and new distributional records (Coleoptera: Lagriinae), Zootaxa 5254 (3), pp. 413-424 : 414-416

Lagria (Lagria) medogensis sp. nov. ḆṉḣųƤ

( Figs. 1A–D , 2A–G )

Diagnosis. Body unicolor brown except darker head, dorsal surface with short and reclinate hairs ( Figs. 1A–C ); antennomeres elongate; femora clavate, pro-, meso- and metatibia of male all with denticle series, the most prominent one situated proximally (near the femur) ( Figs. 2A–C ), meso- and metatibia of female with tiny denticles ( Figs. 2D–E ); male metasternum with a sub-triangular tooth in the midline ( Figs. 1C–D ).

Description. Holotype J ( Figs. 1A, 1C ). Body length 9.1 mm. Body elongate, moderately widening in posterior half, moderately convex; unicolor brown, except somewhat darker head. Dorsal surface covered with short and reclinate hairs, ventral surface, especially elytral epipleura, metasternum and abdominal sternites with longer hairs.

Head slightly transverse, coarsely and densely punctate; mouthparts moderately projecting, terminal segment of maxillary palpus broadly trigonal, mandibles strong, naked in sides, labrum transversely cordiform with a weak arc notch in anterior margin, labroclypeal membrane visible, clypeus descending in the front, with anterior margin deeply trigonally emarginate, frontoclypeal suture pit-shaped in the middle but shallow laterally; frons between eyes uneven, with rather coarse punctures of different size; eyes large, slightly bulging, deeply emarginated in middle, interocular distance subequal to eye diameter; vertex not convex, densely punctate; temples rounded posteriorly, 2/3 as long as eye in dorsal view; antennae slender, extending to metacoxae when directed backwards, antennomeres elongate, antennomere 3–10 gradually shortening in length and broadening in width, antennomere 11 with apex pointed, curved in apical half, subequal to combined length of 2 preceding antennomeres.

Prothorax about 1.16× as wide as long, widest at base, moderately constricted before base, convex on central dorsal surface. Pronotum with dense transverse rugae, gently depressed in each side of posterior half; anterior angles inconspicuous, posterior angles somewhat projecting; anterior, posterior margins straight, posterior margins with carina, lateral margins not bordered in dorsal view; prosternum in front of coxae as wide as procoxal cavity; prosternal process quite thin, not elevated. Scutellum long triangular, obtuse at apex.

Elytra broad, flat on disc, widest before posterior 1/3; elytral length 1.67× as long as combined maximum width and 5.10× as long as pronotum; humeral callosity rounded, separated from disc by shallow impression; punctuation confused, fine and dense, some punctures shallow, indistinct, interspaces subequal to puncture diameter; epipleura entire, gradually narrowing towards apex; elytral margin weak,visible in dorsal view except for the part of elytra under humeral callosity. Mesosternal process tiny, broader than prosternal process, uprising but not as high as the mesocoxae; metasternum convex, with a sub triangular tooth in the midline ( Figs. 1C–D ).

Legs strong; femora clavate; protibiae gradually broadening from base to apex, mesotibiae contracted in basal 1/3, widest in the middle, all of these tibiae with denticle series on apical half; metatibiae almost equally wide from base to apex, with denticle series on distal 3/4; the most prominent denticle situated proximally (near the femur) in all tibiae ( Figs. 2A–C ); metatarsomere 1 longest, subequal to combined length of 2–4.

Abdominal ventrites longitudinally convex, faintly punctate, uneven laterally with nearly round impression; the fifth ventrite depressed in central area.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 2F–G ) strong, curved in lateral view. Parameres slender, with shallowly sinuate outer margins, rounded apically, slightly curved dorsad in profile.

Female ( Fig. 1B ). Body length 9.2 mm. More robust, more convex in lateral view. Eyes smaller, interocular distance wider, 1.50× as long as eye diameter; antennomeres shorter. Pronotum more transverse, about 1.25× as wide as long. Metasternum not modified in the midline. Femora moderately clavate; protibiae without denticles; mesotibiae gradually broadening from base to apex, with denticle series on apical half; metatibiae curved and denticled in distal 2/3 ( Figs. 3D–E ).

Variability. Male body length 8.1–9.1 mm (n = 3); sometimes antennomeres 7 to 9 with knife-edge on the inner side. Female body length 9.2–10.8 mm (n = 2).

Type material ( 3 JJ 2 ♀♀). Holotype: China: Xizang: J ( IZCAS), the broken right antennomere 3–11 and left terminal metatarsus glued to card mount, aedeagus dissected and deposited in vial with glycerin, labelled as follows: 1 st label [elevation handwritten]: “ WBḆṉ / 1560 m ” (Xizang, Mêdog County), 2 nd label [date handwritten]: “ 1980.IV.15 / ḔƟū ẴOEħ ” (Gen-Tao Jin & Jian-Yi Wu leg.).

Paratypes: China: Xizang: J ( IZCAS), 1 st label [handwritten except “ WB ”]: “ WBḆṉẖḵ / 1050 m ” (Xizang, Mêdog County, Didong Village ), 2 nd label: “ 1979.XI.25 / ḔƟū ẴOEħ ” (Gen-Tao Jin & Jian-Yi Wu leg.) ; J ( MHBU), 1 st label: “ 2003-VIII-13 / WBḆṉüDZ / ÈḌȗ ” (Xizang, Mêdog County, Beibeng Town / Guo-Dong Ren leg.), 2 nd label: “ 29.22°N / 95.26°E / 800–1300 m ”; ♀ ( IZCAS) ( Fig. 1B ), 1 st label: “ WBḆṉƌ ḸḂDZƜ / 1314 m / 2015.VII.26 D” (Xizang, Mêdog County, Renqing-beng Mountain ), 2 nd label: “ 29.3175°N / 95.3333°E / Ẍ‼ḏ ƗDzḋ ” (Hong-Bin Liang & Ming-Qiang Wang leg.) ; ♀ ( IZCAS), 1 st label: “ WBḆṉƌûfl / ±ϕ⁂ 667 m / 2015.VII.25 D1” (Xizang, Mêdog County, Yarang Hydroelectric Station ), 2 nd label: “ 29.2811°N / 95.2550°E / Ẍ‼ḏ ” (Hong-Bin Liang leg.) .

Etymology. The name of this new species was transcribed from Mêdog County where all type materials were collected.

Distribution. China: Xizang.

Remarks. This species can be readily distinguished by its characteristic tibiae and dorsal surface. In habitus, it resembles Lagria schawalleri Merkl, 1991 and L. paracomosella Merkl, 1991 (both from the Himalayas), but can be recognized by the following characters: 1) pro-, meso- and metatibiae of male all with denticles (protibiae of L. schawalleri and L. paracomosella without denticles); 2) meso- and metatibiae of male all with the most prominent denticle situated proximally (near the femur) (meso- and metatibiae of L. schawalleri and L. paracomosella without prominent denticle); 3) parameres of aedeagus longer and narrower.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus and diagnostic features of Lagria (Lagria) medogensis sp. nov.. A. Dorsal view of male holotype; B. Dorsal view of female paratype (Xizang, Mêdog County, Renqing-beng Mountain, WBḆṉƌḸḂDZƜ); C. Ventral view of holotype, dashed circle indicating the tooth on metasternum; D. Magnified lateral view of partial holotype (not to scale), dashed circle indicating the tooth on metasternum.

FIGURE 2. Diagnostic features. A–G. Tibiae and aedeagus of Lagria (Lagria) medogensis sp. nov.. A. Male protibia; B. Male mesotibia; C. Male metatibia; D. Female mesotibia, arrows indicating tiny denticles; E. Female metatibia; F. Aedeagus, lateral view; G. Aedeagus, ventral view; H–I. Aedeagus of Lagria (Lagria) indicola. H. Lateral view; I. Ventral view.

FIGURE 3. Dorsal view of habitus. A–B. Lagria (Ammocera) bhutanicola. A. Dorsal view of male; B. Dorsal view of female; C–D. Lagria (Lagria) indicola. C. Dorsal view of male (right middle leg missing); D. Dorsal view of female (hairs of dorsal surface missing; pronotum not symmetrical, probably caused by abnormal development).