Ponyalis alternata ( Pic, 1927 )

Fang, Chen, Yang, Yuxia, Yang, Xingke & Liu, Haoyu, 2024, Taxonomic review of the genus Ponyalis Fairmaire, 1899 (Coleoptera, Lycidae), with descriptions of six new species from China, ZooKeys 1203, pp. 325-354 : 325-354

Ponyalis alternata ( Pic, 1927)

Figs 1 , 2 A, B , 3 A – C

Lyponia alternata Pic, 1927: 5; Bocak 1999: 96, figs 41, 78.

Ponyalis alternata : Kazantsev 2002: 205; Li et al. 2015 a: 16.

Material examined.

China: 2 ♂ 1 ♀ ( MHBU), Guangxi, Wuming, Damingshan , 20. V. 2011, 1100 m, leg. H. Y. Liu .

Differential diagnosis.

This species can be readily identified from all other Ponyalis by the combination of the following characters: pronotum uniformly black and elytra red (Fig. 2 A, B ); male antennomere I flattened dorsally, III long-triangular, IV wide-triangular, lamellae of V – X extended along whole length of corresponding stem and tapered laterally, lamella of VI short and 1.3 × longer than joint itself (Fig. 2 A ); elytral primary costae much stouter than the secondary ones in whole length, cells transverse (Fig. 2 A, B ); phallus widened at middle part, projected distad at apical margin and narrowly rounded at apex in ventral and dorsal views (Fig. 3 A, B ).

Descriptive notes.

Male (Fig. 2 A ). Antennae reaching elytral mid-length when inclined, antennomere I flattened dorsally, III long-triangular, 1.3 × as long as wide, IV wide-triangular, approximately as long as wide, lamellae of V – X extended along whole length of corresponding stem and tapered laterally, 1.1–2.9 × longer than the corresponding antennomere itself, XI fusiform and 4.2 × as long as wide.

Aedeagus: phallus stout, 2.4 × as long as wide, moderately widened at middle part and arcuate at lateral margins, moderately projected distad at apical margin and narrowly rounded at apex in dorsal and ventral views, with acute latero-apical angels, between which the distance much smaller than maximal width of trunk (Fig. 3 A, B ); almost even in width and weakly bent dorsally, truncate at ventro-apical 1 / 4 in lateral view (Fig. 3 C ).

Female (Fig. 2 B ). Similar to male, but body stouter, antennomeres III – V all nearly triangular, lamellae of VI – X 1.1–1.8 × as long as its corresponding antennomere itself, XI fusiform and 3.0 × as long as wide.

Distribution

(Fig. 1 ). China (Guangxi), Vietnam.

Remarks.

Bocak (1999) provided illustrations of basal antennomeres of male antenna and ventral view of aedeagus for this species. Here we present the images of habitus of both sexes and aedeagus in ventral, dorsal and lateral views to make its morphology better known.

Figures

Figure 1. Distribution map of Ponyalis in the world.

Figure 2. Habitus, dorsal view: Ponyalis alternata (Pic, 1927) (A, B); P. fukiensis (Bocak, 1999) (C, D). A, C males B, D females. Scale bars: 2.0 mm.

Figure 3. Aedeagi of Ponyalis alternata (Pic, 1927) (A – C); P. fukiensis (Bocak, 1999) (D – F); P. himalejica (Bourgeois, 1885) (G – I); P. gracilis (Bocak, 1999) (J – L). A, D, G, J ventral views B, E, H, K dorsal views C, F, I, L lateral views. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.