Entomoscelis erythrocnema Jacobson

Mikhailov, Yuri E., 2019, Review of leaf beetles from the genus Entomoscelis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, Zootaxa 4619 (2), pp. 285-296 : 290

Entomoscelis erythrocnema Jacobson

Entomoscelis erythrocnema Jacobson, 1893: 241

This species was described by Jacobson (1893) from the middle part of Zerafshan river valley in present day Uzbekistan and is the only endemic species to Central (Middle) Asia, while Chinese endemics refer to Eastern Asia.

E. erythrocnema can be readily distinguished from all other congeners in the region by having bicoloured legs with red tibia and black femora ( Fig. 1h ) and aedeagus of peculiar shape ( Fig. 11 ). In comparison with the more common E. adonidis it is smaller (length of males 6.0– 6.1 mm, females 7.0– 7.5 mm), with a longitudinal discal stripe on elytra slightly reduced and black stripe medially on pronotum distinctly narrowed anteriad ( Fig. 1h ).

Lopatin (2010) recorded E. erythrocnema only from the valleys and low mountains not higher than 1000 m a.s.l. of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, although I found specimens from Northern Afghanistan as well in his collection deposited now in ZIN (see records below). The records of E. erythrocnema for Kazakhstan by A. Warchalowski (2010) and for Southern Asia by Ge at al. (2009) I consider erroneous as they are not well documented. This species occurs in the territory restricted by the three countries Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Northern Afghanistan (first reported here) ( Fig. 3 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1a–h. Entomoscelis spp., habitus, dorsal view. a, E. pilula Lopatin, male, West Kazakhstan, Aktyubinsk Area, Aktolagai plateau; b, E. pilula, female, the same locality; c, E. pilula, female, paratype, Azerbaijan, Baku; d, E. adonidis (Pallas), male, Eastern Kazakhstan, 30 km NNW Kurchum; e, E. sacra, male, South Kazakhstan, 40 km NW Turkestan; f, E. sacra, male, Slovakia, Kamenica; g, E. suturalis Weise, female, Jordan, Petra; h, E. erythrocnema, male, Tajikistan, 40 km W Khujand. Scale bar—1.0 mm.

FIGURE 3. Distribution map of Entomoscelis in Central Asia. Abbreviations: AF—Afghanistan, KG—Kyrgyzstan, TD— Tajikistan, TM—Turkmenistan, UZ—Uzbekistan. For Kazakhstan only a part of localities on the eastern borders are shown, others are given on Figure 2.

FIGURES 4–11. Aedeagi of Entomoscelis spp. in dorsal and lateral view. 4, E. adonidis (East-Kazakhstan Area, west piedmonts of Narymsky mt. range)—variability in one locality; 5–6, E. sacra (South Kazakhstan, 40 km NW Turkestan)—variability in one locality; 7, E. sacra (Russia, Bashkortostan, former Belebeyevsky uezd Ufimskoi gubernii); 8, E. pilula (West Kazakhstan, Aktyubinsk Area, Aktolagai plateau); 9, E. pilula (West Kazakhstan, Northern Ustyurt, chink Donguztau), 10, E. suturalis (Turkey, env. of Gülsehir); 11, E. erythrocnema (Tajikistan, 40 km W Khujand). Scale bar—1.0 mm.