Ophionea (s. str.) ishiii Habu, 1961

Figure 13

Ophionea (Setophionea) ishiii ishiii Habu, 1961: 118 . Loc. Typ.: Nago, Okinawa Island, Loochoos.

Ophionea (Setophionea) ishiii hoashii Habu, 1961: 122 . Loc. Typ.: Batuan, Mindanao. syn. nov.

Casnoidea (s. str.) leytensis Baehr, 1996: 1064 . Loc. Typ.: Leyte. syn. nov.

Material: 1 ♂, 1 ♀: “ Philippines, Mindanao, Araibo, Pantukan, Compostela valley, 900 m, Candalaga Mts., 7°16’35.3N, 126°10’12.8E, 15– 20.10.2019, Anichtchenko A. leg.” (AAc) ; 1 ♂: “ Philippines, Eastern Visayas, Samar, Marabut, June 2015 ” (DUBC) ; 8 ex: “ Gutalac, Zamboanga del Norte, Mindanao, Dec. 2014 ” (DUBC) ; 1 ex: “ Panamokan, Bukidnon, Mindanao, Sept. 2014 ” (DUBC) ; 1 ex: “ Intavas, Bukidnon, Mindanao, Aug. 2014 ” (DUBC) ; 1 ex: “ Masara, Compostela Valley, Mindanao, Sept. 2014 ” (DUBC) ; 2 ex: “ Panamokan, Bukidnon, Mindanao, XI.2014 ” (RSc) ; 1 ex: “ Dominorog, Bukidnon, Mindanao, IX.2019 ” (RSc) ; 1 ex: “ Gutallac, Zamboanga del Norte, Mindanao, XI.2020 ” (RSc) ; 1 ex: “ Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, Mindanao, XII.2019 ” (RSc) .

Distribution. Japan, Taiwan, Philippines (Leyte, Mindanao, Samar), Indonesia (Java) (Habu 1961).

Systematic notes: Ophionea ishii and its ssp. hoashii were described by Habu (1961), but with a larger series of specimens, we could not determine a stable difference (length of apical white spot of elytra) between them. Furthermore, Terada and Wu (2014) have shown that in another species of Ophionea there is great variability in the size and position of the posterior elytral spot. Therefore, for these reasons we think that this character lies within intraspecific variability, not allowing to separate two different populations at the subspecific level. We propose the new synonymy Ophionea (Setophionea) ishiii ishiii Habu, 1961 = Ophionea (Setophionea) ishiii hoashii Habu, 1961 junior synonym.

Casnoidea leytensis Baehr, 1996: 1064 was described from the Philippines, but Baehr (1996) admitted that he did not directly know O. ishii, and did not even mention the ssp. hoashii . We examined the holotype (female) of this species, labelled “ Leyte Visca N Baybay, cultiv. land. 1991, leg. Schawaller et al., 28.ii.1991 ” (SMNS), and compared it with the photographs of the holotype of Ophionea ishiii hoashii Habu, 1962, labelled “III, 14. 1957, Magallanes, Butuan, Mindanao Philippine, N. Hoashi” (NIAES). In Baehr’s (1996) key to the species, the difference should be “Pilosity on prothorax and elytra distinct, whole surface of elytra pilose” in O. leytensis vs. “Surface of prothorax and elytra barely pilose, extremely sparse pilosity on elytra present only laterally and apically” in O. hoashii . A very recent study by Anagha and Sabu (2024) proposes a new key to the species of Ophionea, but the data concerning these taxa are directly taken from Baehr’s study, and do not add any additional data or observation.

In fresh specimens, the hairs on the elytra are clearly visible, especially laterally and in the apical half of elytra; however, these hairs fall very easily and many specimens may appear almost hairless. Furthermore, we observed no differences in aedeagal structures. Therefore, we propose the new synonymy: Ophionea (Setophionea) ishiii ishiii Habu, 1961 = Casnoidea (s. str.) leytensis Baehr, 1996 junior synonym

Anagha and Sabu (2024) state that O. interstitialis Schmidt-Göbel, 1846 is found in the Philippines; however, in our opinion, this should be referred to O. ishiii . This species and O. interstitialis are indeed very similar and the characters used in the various keys are unstable (we saw specimens of O. ishiii from the Philippines with one seta on interval 5). There is a possibility that these will be synonyms, but in order to make a final decision, it is necessary to study additional material.

Thus, the species shows a relatively wide distribution, including Japan, Taiwan (Terada & Wu 2016), the Philippines and Indonesia (Java).