Cymbiodyta lishizheni Jia & Lin

Jia, Fenglong & Lin, Renchao, 2015, Cymbiodyta lishizheni sp. nov., the second species of the genus from China, Zootaxa 3985 (3), pp. 446-450 : 446-447

Cymbiodyta lishizheni Jia & Lin sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–11, 15 , 18 )

Type material: Holotype ♂ ( SYSU), CHINA: Jiangxi Province, Jing’an County, Guanyinyan, 20.vii.2014, 29.04°N, 115.14°E, 690 m, Ren-Chao Lin lgt. (Labeled in both Chinese and English). Paratypes (49): 41 specs. ( SYSU, SEMC, NMPC) same data as holotype; 8 specs., CHINA: Jiangxi Province, Jing’an County, Sanzhaolun town, Baishuidong (translation: labeled in Chinese), 22.vii.2014, 29.04°N, 115.11°E, 660 m, Ren-Chao Lin lgt.

Diagnosis. The species is easily distinguished from C. marginella (Fabricius) , the only Old World known species outside of China, bythe coarsely punctate striae on the elytra ( Figs. 1, 2, 6 ). It can be separated from the other known Chinese species of the genus, C. orientalis Jia & Short, 2010 , by (1) its smaller size (3.2–3.3 mm), (2) its broader and more extensive paler elytral margins ( Figs. 1–2 ), (3) the more extensive femoral pubescence, and (4) the aedeagus with median lobe bottle-shaped, more strongly narrowed towards apex ( Fig. 15 ); in C. orientalis Jia & Short , the median lobe is not so strongly narrowed towards the apex ( Figs. 16–17 ).

Description. Body length 3.2–3.3 mm, body width 2.3 mm. Dorsum blackish brown, with margins of pronotum and elytra broadly paler ( Figs. 1–2 ), occasionally dark brown; anterior margin of pronotum usually with narrow paler band ( Fig. 2 ), sometimes without such paler band ( Fig. 5 ); posterior quarter of elytra paler ( Figs. 1–2 ) or dark brown ( Fig. 6 ). Body oval, convex. Head black with narrow reddish yellow clypeal spots in front of eyes ( Fig. 2 ) or completely black.

Maxillary palpomeres reddish yellow, not darkened apically ( Fig. 4 ). Ventral surface generally light brown to dark brown to brown; legs light brown to rufous, tarsi light brown to rufotestaceous. Head. Labrum with fine punctures, slightly emarginate anteriorly. Clypeus subtruncate anteriorly, frontoclypeal suture clearly detectable, punctures on posterior part somewhat stronger than those on anterior part. Eyes separated by ca. 4.5x the width of one eye. Maxillary palps ca. 3/ 4x as long as width of head, second palpomere slightly swollen, apical palpomere almost symmetrical, apical palpomere shorter than penultimate ( Fig. 4 ). Mentum depressed anteriorly, with strong scattered punctures. Thorax. Pronotum ca. 3.5x as wide as long, rather strongly narrowed in front, posterior corner broadly round ( Fig. 2 ); anterior margin smooth, with a very fine transverse groove, posterior margin without such groove; size and density of ground punctation similar to that of the head, lateral punctures a little finer than on disc, surface between punctures smooth, without microsculpture; systematic punctures present but indistinct. Elytra with ground punctation denser than on pronotum; sutural stria present in posterior half, continuing anteriorly as a row of punctures to the base of elytra ( Figs. 1, 6 ); with nine punctate striae, which become gradually more impressed posteriorly; strial punctures becoming coarser laterally, the outer ones very coarse; distinct scutellar stria between sutural and first stria consisting of only 5 to 7 strong punctures ( Fig. 6 ), systematic punctures on 3, 5, 7, 9 intervals present but indistinct, only slightly larger than surrounding ground punctation. Prosternum weakly convex, not carinate. Mesoventrite with a low transverse ridge medially, which does not bear an elevated tooth or projection ( Fig. 7 ). Metaventrite with somewhat raised, more convex middle portion, which does not project anteriorly between mesocoxae; with hydrofuge pubescence except for a posteromedian glabrous area on raised middle portion.Profemora pubescent on basal two-thirds, hairline somewhat oblique ( Fig. 9 ); meso- and metafemora with hairline not oblique, pubescent on basal third-fourths ( Figs. 10–11 ) Abdomen. Abdomen with five exposed ventrites, covered in dense uniform pubescence; first abdominal ventrite without carina, fifth ventrite arcuate, not emarginate apically ( Fig. 8 ). Aedeagus. Total length of aedeagus 0.45–0.48 mm. Length of parameres/length of phallobase 0.66–0.67 mm. Median lobe bottle-shaped, strongly narrowed towards apex, broader and shorter than parameres. Parameres much narrower basally, slightly bent externally ( Fig. 15 ).

Etymology. Named after Shizhen Li, a biologist and pharmaceutical scientist during the Ming Dynasty, 430 years ago, in honor of his contribution to the Chinese biological taxonomy.

Habitat. This species occurs on wet rock seepages, similar to the habitat of C. orientalis Jia & Short ( Jia, 2014) . At the same locality, a few specimens of Oocyclus fikaceki Short & Jia were also collected.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality.

Remarks. When C. orientalis Jia & Short was described, only six females were known from a small temporary pool with some grass, fallen leaves and decomposed grass and branches ( Jia & Short 2010). This temporary pool was formed by water flowing from a cliff not far away from the pool. From 2010 to 2013, many specimens of C. orientalis Jia & Short were collected on the wet cliff. It seems likely that the type specimens were washed down from the cliff and arrived at the temporary pond with water flow.

Most New World species of the genus for which we have ecological information are known to occur in water (both lentic and lotic), wet leaf litter, at the edge of water and debris etc. and this is also true of the Palaearctic C. marginella (Fabricius) ( Smetana 1974) . The habitats of the two species occurring in China, C. orientalis Jia & Short and C. lishizheni sp. nov., are apparently wet rock, with specimens occasionally moved to running or stagnant water. Populations of the two species were rather dense on the wet rock, but specimens are only rarely collected in stagnant and running water.

The following key adapted from Jia & Short (2010) that allows identification of all species of genus Cymbiodyta occurring in Old World.

1. Elytra with 10 rows of punctate striae (e.g. Figs. 1–2 ). Southern China...................................................................... 2

- Elytra without rows of punctate striae (except sutural stria). Palearctic species ........................ marginella (Fabricius)

2. Size 3.2–3.3 mm. Elytra with very broad pale lateral margin and posterior third paler in color. Anterior femora pubescent on basal two-thirds, hairline oblique; meso- and metafemora with hairline not oblique and pubescent on basal third-fourths. Aedeagus with median lobe more strongly narrowed towards apex ( Fig. 15 ) ................................ ......................................................................................................................................................... lishizheni Jia & Lin

- Size 3.4–3.7 mm. Elytra with narrow pale lateral and posterior margins. Anterior femora with slightly rounded hairline, pubescence extending to just over basal half, mesofemora moderately oblique, pubescent on basal two-thirds along anterior margin and only the basal half along the posterior margin; metafemora hairline strongly oblique, with almost basal two-thirds pubescent on anterior margin and only basal third on posterior margin. Aedeagus with median lobe not so narrowed towards apex as above ( Fig. 16–17 ) ............................................. orientalis Jia & Short

Figures

FIGURE 18. Habitat of Cymbiodyta lishizheni Jia & Lin.

FIGURES 1 – 8. Cymbiodyta lishizheni Jia & Lin. 1. dorsal habitus; 2. lateral habitus; 3. ventral habituts; 4. head; 5. pronotum; 6. posterior portion of elytra; 7. meso- and metaventrite; 8. abdomen.

FIGURES 9 – 17. 9. C. lishizheni, profemur; 10. C. lishizheni, mesofemur; 11. C. lishizheni, metafemur; 12. C. orientalis, profemur; 13. C. orientalis, mesofemur; 14. C. orientalis, metafemur; 15. C. lishizheni, aedeagus. 16. C. orientalis, aedeagus of specimen from Danxiashan, Guangdong; 17. C. orientalis, aedeagus of specimen from Jinggangshan, Jiangxi.