Lilioceris vietnamica Medvedev, 1985

Xu, Yuan, Xiong, Yun & Liang, Hongbin, 2021, A review of the neptis species group of the genus Lilioceris (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Criocerinae), Zoological Systematics 46 (4), pp. 300-316 : 313-316

Lilioceris vietnamica Medvedev, 1985 ( Figs 13–15 , 22 , 26 )

Lilioceris vietnamica Medvedev, 1985: 66 ( Vietnam, Hoang Lien Son: Sapa)

Material examined. Total 18 specimens. China: Yunnan : 1♀, Gongshan, Dulongjiang, Kongdang , roadside / 2004.X.25, N27.87696, E98.33587, 1525 m, Hongbin Liang coll. ; 1♀, Tengchong, Houqiao, Xiejie vill. on shrubs, N25.35531, E98.25419 / 1840 m, 2006.V.30, D. Kavanaugh, R. Brett coll. ; 1♀, Tengchong Jietou, Zhoujiapo , beating, 1660 m / 2006.V.16, Changmin Yin coll. ; 1♀, Longling , 1500 m / 1956.VI.27, Benshou Zhou coll. ; 1♂, Longling , 1600 m / 1955.V.20, Le Wu coll. ; 1♂, Lancang , 1600 m / 1957.VIII.7, Shuyong Wang coll. ; 1♀, Xishuangbanna, Damenglong , 650 m / 1958.IV.8, Fuji Pu coll. ; 1♂, Xishuangbanna, Meng-a , 1050–1080m / 1958.VIII.16, Fuji Pu coll. ; 1♂, Xishuangbanna, Meng-a , 1050–1080 m / 1958.VIII.18, Shuyong Wang coll. ; 1♀, Xishuangbanna, Meng-a / 1958.V.18, Fuji Pu coll. ; 1♂ 1♀, Xishuangbanna, Menghai 1200–1600 m / 1957.VIII.13, Shuyong Wang coll. ; 2♀, Xishuangbanna, Menghun , 1200 m / 1958.V.10–13, Yiran Zhang coll. ; 1♂, Xishuangbanna, Mengsong , 1600 m / 1958.VIII.18, Shuyong Wang coll. ; 1♀, Xishuangbanna, Mengsong , 1600 m / 1958.VII.26, Leyi Zheng coll. ; 1♀, Xishuangbanna, Mengzhe , 1200 m / 1958.VIII.29, Wang Shuyong coll. ; 2♂, Menghai, Bulangshan , N21.75840, E100.28055 / 1156 m, 2011.IV.28 D, H.B. Liang, K.Q. Li coll. ; 4♂ 1♀, Menghai, Menghun, Mannong Xinzhai , N21.78233, E100.50706, 1582 m / 2021.IV.2 D, H.B. Liang, Y. Xu, N. Zhang coll. ; 1♂, Menghai, Menghun, Mannong Xinzhai , N21.78233, E100.50706, 1582 m / 2021.IV.3 D, H.B. Liang, Y. Xu coll. ; 6♀, Menghai, Menghun, Mannong Xinzhai , N21.78233, E100.50706, 1582 m / 2021.IV.8 D, H.B. Liang, Y. Xu, N. Zhang coll. Tibet: 1♀, Mêdog , 1983 / Yinheng Han coll.

Diagnosis. Femora and sternites dark brown; antennomeres 5–10 slightly longer than wide; anterior margin of pronotum with large punctures, disc smooth or with two very short rows of large punctures; elytra with large punctures in base, diminishing posteriorly, absent in apical half; apex of mesoventral process strongly widened.

Redescription. BL 8.0–10.0 mm, BW 4.2–4.5 mm. Prosternum, mesoepisternum, meta-episternum, claws black, remainders brownish red.

Head ( Figs 13–14 ). HL/HW 1.4–1.7; vertex with a shallow fovea in middle, punctate and setose laterally; occiput with a shallow furrow medially, densely punctate; gena punctate and setose; frontal tubercle glabrous, raised; frontoclypeal area triangular, disc with fine punctures and setae; labrum transverse, with long setae; antennae filiform, nearly half as long as body, antennomeres 1–4 nearly globular, 2 shortest; antennomeres 1 and 2 sparsely pubescent and punctate, 3–11 densely pubescent and punctate.

Pronotum ( Figs 13 , 15A ). PW/HW 1.2–1.3, PL/PW 1.1–1.2; anterior angle strongly protruding; posterior angle not protruding; sides constricted in middle; anterior margin with large punctures, middle of disc smooth or with two short rows of punctures; anterior transverse impression indistinct, posterior transverse impression shallow, basal transverse groove distinct. Scutellum triangular and densely pubescent.

Elytra ( Fig. 13 ). EL/EW 1.5–1.7; sutural angle rounded; humeri protruding, humeral groove distinct, basal transverse impression indistinct; scutellary striole composed of 2–4 punctures; epipleura with upper margin raised, with a row of fine punctures laterally.

Mesoventrite pubescent; apical portion of mesoventral process strongly widened, convex, horizontally connected with metaventrite ( Fig. 15B ). Outer area of metaventral disc with an oblique setose patch, extending from posterior angle to middle ( Fig. 15C ); metepisternum densely pubescent.

Abdominal sternites with sparse setae and punctures; transverse impressions distinct on sternites 2–5, with dense punctures and pubescence.

Legs slender; tibiae with dense punctures pubescence and two spurs; femora with dense pubescence on dorsal surface, with sparse pubescence on ventral surface.

Male genitalia ( Figs 22A–D ). Median foramen occupying 1/6 length of median lobe ( Fig. 22A ); apex rounded ( Fig. 22B ); tegmen Y shaped, slender, basal piece of tegmen triangular, relatively broad, lateral lobes strongly scleritized, combined with second connecting membrane; internal sac membranous, with dorsal, median, and ventral sclerites moderately scleritized ( Figs 22C–D ).

Female reproductive organs ( Figs 26A–C ). Tergites 8 and 9, sternites 8 and 9 of female sclerotized, posterior areas of tergite 8 and sternite 8 with dense setae, without apodemes; spiculum gastrale long, Y shaped, slightly widened in distal part, apical margin rounded; vaginal palpi with dense setae, cylindrical and long; spermatheca greatly convoluted.

Distribution ( Fig. 30 ). China (Yunnan, Tibet), Vietnam ( Medvedev, 1985).

Host plant and habitat. This species feeds on Smilax sp. (Smilacaceae) and Dioscorea sp. (Dioscoreaceae) according to the record of Medvedev (1985). Smilax china was recorded in Yunnan ( Fig. 36 ). L. vietnamica is confined in south and southwest China and Vietnam at the elevation from 650 to 1840 m. One collecting locality in Menghai County of Yunnan Province is situated at the tropical area at elevation 1582 m ( Fig. 37 ). The climate is characteristic of high temperature, plentiful precipitation, and high humidity. The vegetation of the locality is secondary forest, and there has a lot of leaf litter on the ground. The forests are composed of tall trees, woody vines and epiphytes. The host plants Smilax sp. (Smilacaceae) share their habitat with other plants such as Bambusoideae , Moraceae , Lauraceae , Fagaceae , Dennstaedtiaceae .

Remarks. This species can be distinguished from L. neptis (Weise) by the following features: antennomeres 5–10 quadragular, slightly longer than wide; pronotal disc smooth or with two short rows of large punctures (antennomeres 5–10 cylindrical, twice as long as wide; pronotal disc with two long rows of large punctures in L. neptis ).

The species is recorded in China for the first time. Medvedev (1985) described this species from Sapa of northern Vietnam, providing a few critical characters: antennomeres 5–10 slightly longer than wide; pronotum with two short rows of large punctures; elytral punctures absent on apical half (only dark pigment visible); process of mesoventrite with a distinct tubercle. So we redescribed it here.

Funding This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (31970400), and the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research ( STEP) program (2019QZKK0501).

Acknowledgements We thank Dr. Beulah Garner and Dr. Michael Geiser for hosting the third author ( LHB) at BMNH, Prof. Hong Pang ( MBSU) and Dr. Yibin Ba ( MHU) for hosting us to examine specimens; Mr. Changchin Chen ( Tianjin: Wuqing), Ms. Ying Yan, Mr. Baoping Huang (Guangdong: Shenzhen) and Dr. Huayan Chen ( MBSU) for presenting specimens; Dr. Christoph Germann ( NHMB), Dr. Bernd Jaeger ( MNHU), Dr. Christophe Rivier ( MNHN), and Dr. Jan Bezděk ( Mendel University in Brno , Czeck) for providing the type specimen photos; Prof. Caixia Yuan (Yan-an University, Shaanxi), Prof. Hong Liu (South-Central University for Nationalities), Mr. Baoping Huang, Dr. Kaiqin Li ( KIZ) for providing photos and/or plant assemblage data; Ms. Yingqi Liu for checking specimens in BMNH; Mr. Pingzhou Zhu ( IZCAS) for his advice and suggestion on this paper; Mr. Neng Zhang (Yunnan: Kunming)for his help in the field collection .

Figures

Figure 30. Distribution map of Lilioceris spp. in East Asia.

Figures 11–14. Habitus of Lilioceris spp. 11–12. L. subpolita, ♂, Japan (Osaka: Minomo); 13–14. L. vietnamica, ♂, China (Yunnan: Menghai). 7, 9. Dorsal view. 8, 10. Ventral view. Scale bars=5.0mm.

Figures 15–19. Pronotum, mesoventral process and metaventrite of Lilioceris spp. 15. L. vietnamica, ♂, China (Yunnan: Menghai). 16. L. cantonensis, ♂, China (Zhejiang: Tianmu Shan). 17. L. fouana, ♂, China (Sichuan: Luding). 18. L. neptis, ♀, China (Hong Kong: Honghualing). 19. L. subpolita, ♂, Japan (Osaka: Minomo). A. Pronotum. B. Mesoventral process. C. Metaventral disc.

Figures 20–24. Male genitalia of Lilioceris spp. 20. L. cantonensis, China (Zhejiang: Tianmu Shan). 21. L. neptis, China (Fujian: Dehua). 22. L. vietnamica, China (Yunnan: Menghai). 23. L. subpolita, Japan (Osaka: Minomo). 24. L. fouana, China (Sichuan: Luding).A. Aedeagus, lateral view. B. Aedeagus, dorsal view. C. Dorsal sclerite, dorsal view. D. Sclerites in internal sac, lateral view. Scale bars: A–B=0.5 mm; C–D=0.2mm.

Figures 25–29. Female reproductive organs of Lilioceris spp. 25. L. fouana, China (Sichuan: Luding). 26. L. vietnamica, China (Yunnan: Jinghong). 27. L. cantonensis, China (Zhejiang: Tianmu Shan). 28. Lilioceris neptis, China (Guangxi: Guilin). 29. L. subpolita, Japan (Mont Takao). A. Dorsal view. B. Ventral view. C. Spermatheca. Scale bars: A–B=0.5mm; C=0.1mm.

Figures 34–37. 34. A couple of Lilioceris neptis Weise standing on leaf of Smilax, Shenzhen, 2020.III.17, photoed by Baoping Huang. 35. Habitat of Lilioceris neptis Weise, Shenzhen, 2020.III.10, photoed by Baoping Huang. 36. Host plant of Lilioceris vietnamica Medvedev: Smilax sp., Menghai, 2021.IV.2. 37. Habitat of Lilioceris vietnamica Medvedev, Menghai, 2021.IV.2.