Platysodes formosanus Kobayashi, 1990

Qiu, Jian-Yue & Xu, Hao, 2020, Further notes on the flower chafer genus Platysodes Westwood, 1873 (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) with description of a new species from Himalaya, Zootaxa 4890 (2), pp. 192-200 : 195

Platysodes formosanus Kobayashi, 1990

( Figs. 9–12 , 25 , 28 )

New material examined (1♁, 2♀♀). CHINA: Guangdong: 1♀ ( MYNU), 2011.V.18, Longyangdong Park, Guang-zhou, Ling-Ting Chen leg. Taiwan: 1♀ ( CKSJ), Fushan, Taipei Hsien , 2000.VII.11, H. Sugaya leg. // Platysodes formosanus H. Kobayashi, 1990 , det. K. Sakai , 2013; 1♁ ( CKSJ), 2008.XI.7, Shihtyutou, Nantou, C. C. Lo leg. // Platysodes formosanus H. Kobayashi, 1989 , det. K. Sakai , 2013.

Distribution. China: Guangdong (new record), Taiwan.

Remarks. Platysodes formosanus is extremely similar to P. jansoni and the parameres of both also show no differences ( Figs. 12, 17 ), and that resulted in Qiu et al. (2015) presumed them as the same species. Traditionally, the former is characterized by elytron bearing one tomentose macula and restricted to Taiwan Island ( Kobayashi 1990; Qiu et al. 2015), while the latter is totally black and distributed in eastern India and Indochina ( Arrow 1910; Qiu et al. 2015). However, we recently obtained a female whose appearance perfectly matches the characteristics of P. formosanus ( Fig. 9 ), but it originated from Guangzhou (Guangdong, China) where located on the southeastern edge of the Asian continent and between the Indochinese Peninsula and Taiwan Island ( Fig. 28 ). Furthermore, an individual of P. formosanus bearing an indistinct macula on elytron (nearly disappeared) was found from Taiwan ( Fig. 25 ), and a female of P. jansoni with two maculae was discovered from Vietnam ( Fig. 13 ). The two specimens have here verified the prediction proposed by Qiu et al. (2015) that the variability of tomentose maculae on elytron can be observed in a species of wide distribution. Therefore, neither endemism of P. formosanus nor morphological differences between the two species are well established, but we would like to formally propose the synonymy when sufficient material got rather than synonymize them at present.

Figures

FIGURE 28. Known distribution of Platysodes Westwood, 1873 species (inset photograph shows the dead specimen of P. ma- doni Bourgoin, 1923 found at Mount Fanjingshan, Guizhou, China, provided by Ka-Chen Ou-Yang). Distribution data take from Qiu et al. (2015) and specimens examined in the present work.

FIGURES 9–17. Specimens of Platysodes Westwood, 1873. 9–12, P. formosanus Kobayashi, 1990: 9, female habitus (MYNU); 10–11, slightly greasy male and distal declivity of elytra (CKSJ); 12, parameres of holotype in apical view (MSMT; provided by Yu-Tang Wang). 13–17, P. jansoni Arrow, 1910: 13, greasy female with two maculae on elytron (BPBM; provided by James H. Boone); 14, female habitus (CKSJ); 15–16, male habitus and distal declivity of elytra (MNHN); 17, parameres in apical view (provided by Christophe Rivier). Red arrows emphasize the tomentose maculae.

FIGURES 24–27. Habitus of Platysodes Westwood, 1873 species in oblique view. 24, P. sabatinellii Qiu & Xu, new species (CKSJ); 25, P. formosanus Kobayashi, 1990 (slightly greasy, CKSJ); 26, P. jansoni Arrow, 1910 (CKSJ); 27, P. verlorenii Westwood, 1873 (greasy, CKSJ).