Prismognathus platycephalus ( Hope, 1842 )

Wan, Xia, Bartolozzi, Luca & Yang, Xingke, 2007, Taxonomic notes on some Chinese species of Neolucanus Thomson and Prismognathus Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), Zootaxa 1510, pp. 51-56 : 53

Prismognathus platycephalus ( Hope, 1842)

( Figs. 5–6, 10–11 )

Lucanus platycephalus Hope, 1842: 83 .

Prismognathus platycephalus: Boileau, 1913: 234 . Dorcus platycephalus Arrow, 1950: 168 .

Prismognathus branczicki Nonfried, 1905: 11 . New synonym.

Material examined. Holotype male of Lucanus platycephalus (in OXUM) labeled: 1) Kasya Hills; 2) platycephalus Hope ; 3) Type Col: 246, Lucanus platycephalus Hope , HOPE DEPT. OXFORD; 4) TYPE, HOPE, Proc. Ent. Soc. 1842, p. 83. Holotype male of Prismognathus branczicki (in ZMHB) labeled: 1) Holotypus; 2) branczicki Coll. Nonfried , China.

Remarks. The true identity of Prismognathus branczicki ( Fig. 5 ) was unclear before the holotype was critically examined. This species was described based on a single specimen from Ou-Hou, Southwest China. The sex of the holotype was not provided in the original description and no illustration was given, but the length of mandibles (5 mm on a total size of 26 mm) clearly indicated that the holotype was male. The female mandibles are probably shorter than 5 mm if the body length is 26 mm, based on the general ratio of the mandibles, head, pronotum, and elytra of Prismognathus species. Mizunuma & Nagai (1994) depict a female specimen erroneously called the “ holotype ” of P. branczicki . We located the actual holotype in the Nonfried collection at ZMHB.

Prismognathus platycephalus (Hope) ( Fig. 6 ) is a well-known species inhabiting India, Nepal, and China (Yunnan). Morphological characters and sympatry reveal that P. branczicki is a junior synonym of P. platycephalus . The two specimens share important characters as follows: the mandibles are unique in Prismognathus , which curved inwards with three small apical teeth; the canthi triangle with sharp apical angle; the pronotum is almost square; the elytra are very shiny, wider than pronotum. Also, the male genitalia are very similar: the permanently everted internal sac is long, about as twice long as the total length of the parameres and phallobase; stout, covered with thick, dark, short setae (this character in particular is different from other species of Prismognathus ). Moreover, there is no exaggerated morphological variation among the males examined, which is different from most of known species in the genus Prismognathus . The lack of allometric variation of the mandibles and ocular canthi in males of P. platycephalus overlaps with the state of these characters observed in the holotype of P. b r a n c z i c k i, further confirming the synonymy.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 11. 1 – Holotype of N. aterrimus; 2 – Allotype of N. aterrimus; 3 – Male of N. montanus; 4 – Holotype of N. montanus; 5 – Holotype of P. branczicki; 6 – Holotype of P. platycephalus; 7 – Aedeagus of N. montanus, ventral view; 8 – Aedeagus of N. montanus, lateral view; 9 – Female genitalia of N. montanus, ventral view; 10 – Aedeagus of P. platycephalus, ventral view; 11 – Aedeagus of P. platycephalus, lateral view. Figs. 1 – 6, scale bars = 10 mm; Figs. 7 – 11, scale bars = 1 mm.