Necrophilus sichuanensis Nikolaev, 2003

Růžička, Jan & Pütz, Andreas, 2009, New species and new records of Agyrtidae (Coleoptera) from China, India, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (2), pp. 631-650 : 636-639

Necrophilus sichuanensis Nikolaev, 2003

( Figs. 1 , 25, 26 )

Necrophilus sichuanensis Nikolaev, 2003: 149 .

Necrophilus chinensis Zhou, 2005 in ( ZHOU et al., 2005: 63 ), syn. nov.

Type material examined. Necrophilus sichuanensis : HOLOTYPE J, PARATYPE ♀: ‘ 12.08.2002 S Sichuan / N of Eryizuxian, NW / of Mianning, 4000 m / I. Belousov I. Kabak [leg., collector’s names in Cyrillic, p, red label] // Holotypus [or Paratypus] / Necrophilus / sichunensis / Nikolajev 2003 [p, red label] // ZOOLOGICAL / INSTITUTE RAS / ST.PETERSBURG [p, light brown label]’ ( ZMAS).

Necrophilus chinensis : PARATYPES: 1 J 5 ♀♀, ‘[text in Chinese characters, p] // PARATYPE / Necrophilus / chinensis / Det. Zhou, H-Z 2002 [p, red label with black frame] // Necrophilus / chinensis Zhou / [chinese characters] Zhou HZ [hw] // CHINA: Sichuan, N Jiulong county, / 3825m, streamside Salix scrub. / 11-14. vii. 2001 Pitfall trap J21 / Leg. Yu Xiaodong + Zhou Hongzhang [p] // Received iii.2005 from Zhou / direct pinned and without / paratype designation (see / Coleopt. Bulletrin [sic!] 59(10:62-69). / remounted + labelled by J. Cooter [p]’ (4 ♀♀ JCHC, 1 J 1 ♀ JRPC).

Additional material examined. CHINA: SICHUAN PROVINCE: Kanding county and Jiulong county border, Mugang Ling mts , the central part, 29°13–24′ N 101°39–45′ E, 4100–4800 m, 23.-30.vi.2001, L. & R. Businský leg., 1 ♀ ( JSPC) ; same data, 1 ♀ ( JRPC) ; Jiulong-Zhou Shan mts , pass N of Jiulong [ca. 29°16′ N 101°31′ E], 4400–4500 m, 13.–21.vi.2004, R. Fabbri leg., 1 J ( JSPC) ; same locality, 3900 m, 3.-5.vii.2007, Heinz leg., 1 ♀ ( JRPC) ; NNE Eryizuxiang , SW slope, 28°47.7′ N 101°58.6′ E, 3818 m, v.2004, M. Häckel & R. Sehnal leg., 3 JJ 1 ♀ ( JSPC) ; Sanya (= Eryizuxian ), 28°47.7′ N 101°58.6′ E, 3800 m, 10.vi.2005, R. Sehnal & M. Trýzna leg., 2 JJ ( JSPC) ; Jinping Shan mts, W Mofanggou , 28°13′ N 101°43′ E, ca. 3600 m, 28.v.–4.vi.2005, R. Sehnal & M. Trýzna leg., pitfall traps, mixed mountain forest, 6 JJ 6 ♀♀ ( JRPC) ; same data, 23 JJ 20 ♀♀ ( JSPC) ; same data, 32 spec. ( MTDC) ; W Zhier (= Zi’er ), 28°20.886′ N 101°28.361′ E, 4241 m, 5.vi.2006, R. Sehnal & M. Trýzna leg., pitfall traps, small fragment of mixed mountain forest with dominant Abies in small valley, 18 JJ 3 ♀♀ ( JRPC) ; same data, 76 spec. ( MTDC) ; same data, 15 JJ 9 ♀♀ ( JCHC) ; same data, 7 JJ 5 ♀♀ ( JSPC) ; mts. 10 km NW Dongzi , 28°34′ N 100°46′ E, 4500 m, 21.–24.vi.2006, J. Kaláb leg., alpine meadows, screes, 1 J 1 ♀ ( JCHC), same data, 1 J 1 ♀ ( JSPC) .

Taxonomic note. Necrophilus sichuanensis was described from two localities in the southern Sichuan province (N Eryizuxian, 4000–4300 m; NW Lajajia, 4200–4300 m) ( NIKOLAEV 2003). Necrophilus chinensis was described from several places in the Sichuan province, Jiulong county, 29°17′ N 101°28′ E, 3735–4300 m ( ZHOU et al. 2005). Both descriptions were written almost simultaneously: the paper of NIKOLAEV (2003) was published on 7 April 2003; the paper of ZHOU et al. (2005) was received by the editor on 15 August 2003 and published on 19 April 2005.

Comparison of the holotype and one paratype of N. sichuanensis (from the environs of Eryizuxian) with a series of paratypes of N. chinensis showed no significant differences in external morphology. The only difference noted is a slightly different shape of the aedeagus, which is slightly more slender and elongated in the holotype of N. sichuanensis than in paratypes of N. chinensis and most of the additional specimens examined. In our opinion, this difference falls within an intraspecific variability. Consequently, N. chinensis is considered here as a junior subjective synonym of N. sichuanensis .

Complementary description. Populations at different altitudes show continual and overlapping differences in TBL with TBL decreasing with altitude (samples from two populations with large series of specimens: Mofanggou, 3600 m: JJ 11.0– 11.5 mm, ♀♀ 11.5–12.0 mm; W of Zhier, 4241 m: JJ 9.5–10.5 mm, ♀♀ 10.5–11.5 mm).

Female: sternum VIII weakly emarginate (or rarely truncate) posteriorly, spiculum ventrale short, stout, truncate anteriorly ( Figs. 26 ). Ventro-medial sclerite of female genitalia unsclerotized medio-anteriorly and rounded, irregularly unsclerotized posteriorly ( Fig. 25 ).

Distribution. Endemic species, known only from China: Sichuan province ( Fig. 27 ; NIKOLAEV 2003, ZHOU et al. 2005, this paper).

Figures

Figs. 1–2. Habitus: 1 – Necrophilus sichuanensis Nikolaev, 2003 (J, TBL 10 mm, West of Zhier; JRPC); 2 – N. rupinensis Schawaller, 1986 (♀, TBL 12 mm, Salween – Irrawaddy divide and Taron river; JSPC).

Figs. 16–26.16–18 – female tergum VIII, dorsal view; 19–21, 26 – female ventrite VIII, ventral view; 22–25 – female ventro-medial sclerite, ventral view. 16, 19, 22 – Necrophilus rupinensis Schawaller, 1986 (♀, Salween – Irrawaddy divide and Taron river; JSPC); 17, 20, 23 – N. rupinensis (♀, Annapurna Himal mts; SMNS); 18, 21, 24 – N.rupinensis (♀, Langtang; SMNS); 25, 26 – Necrophilus sichuanensis Nikolaev, 2003 (♀, West of Zhier; JRPC).

Fig. 27. Known distribution of Apteroloma belousovi sp. nov., A. jelineki sp. nov., A. sp., Ipelates schuelkei sp. nov., Necrophilus rupinensis Schawaller, 1986, N. sichuanensis Nikolaev, 2003 and Pteroloma forsstromii (Gyllenhal, 1810) in China.