Miridiba coromandeliana (Blanchard, 1850)

Gao, Chuan-bu & Coca-Abia, María Milagro, 2021, Revision of the genus Miridiba Reitter, 1902 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae): genital morphotypes and new taxonomic data, European Journal of Taxonomy 749, pp. 1-94 : 23-24

Miridiba coromandeliana (Blanchard, 1850)

Ancylonycha coromandeliana Blanchard in Milne-Edwards et al., 1850: 139 (type loc.: Coromandel, India).

Holotrichia conferta Sharp, 1903: 467 (type loc.: Ootacamund, India).

Holotrichia coromandeliana – Dalla Torre 1912: 202 (catalogue).

Neodontocnema coromandeliana – Arrow 1948: 51 (combination). — Frey 1971: 224 (in key). — Sabatinelli 1983: 123 (species list).

Holotrichia conferta – Dalla Torre 1912: 202 (catalogue). — Arrow 1948: 51 (as synonym of N. coromandeliana ).

Neodontocnema conferta – Frey 1971: 222, 224, fig. 38 (in key). — Sabatinelli 1983: 213–214, fig. 3 (species list) (as synonym of N. coromandeliana ).

Miridiba coromandeliana – Nomura 1977: 88 (combination). — Coca-Abia 2008: 677, 684, figs 10–11 (type material; in key).

Diagnosis (from Coca-Abia 2008)

Head glabrous, except for vertex with thin pubescence, clypeus with anterior margin moderately emarginate at middle. Pronotum glabrous on disc, at most, with short setae in each puncture hardly visible; anterior margin elevated with a perpendicular anterior face, without a concavity at each lateral end and with short pubescence; anterior angles blunt and not projected. Epipleuron with pubescence except on apex. Foretibia with gently developed dorsal carina. Meso- and metatibiae with spines on dorsal surface; transverse carina interrupted and complete, respectively, placed behind middle. Pygidium with scattered punctures and sparse pubescence, conspicuous on apex. Male genitalia: dorsal branches of paramere ventrally with granules each one bearing a short seta. Apices of ventral branches S-shaped in lateral view, with granules and setae at dorsal and ventral sides.

Material examined

Lectotype of H. conferta (here designated)

INDIA • ♂; “Ootacamund; C.A. Barber leg.”; “ Holotrichia conferta Type D.S. ♂”; “Type”; “Sharp Coll. 1905-313”; “Lectotype Miridiba conferta ( Sharp, 1903) Chuan-bu Gao and M. Coca-Abia det. 2019”; BMNH .

Paralectotype of H. conferta (here indicated)

INDIA • 1 ♂; same collection data as for lectotype; BMNH .

Other material of M. coromandeliana

INDIA • 1 ♂; “Cotype”; “Ootacamund”; “ C.A. Barber leg.”; “S. India 1903-78”; “ Ancylonycha coromandeliana Bl. Compared with type G.J.A.”; BMNH • 1 ♂; “Co-type”; “ Ootacamund C.A. Barber ”; “ S. India 1903-78”; BMNH .

Other material of M. conferta

INDIA • 2 ♂♂; Nilgiri Hills ; 21 Feb. 1922; Andrewes leg; Gao det.; BMNH .

Remarks

Coca-Abia (2008) studied Miridiba coromandeliana and designated a lectotype and a paralectotype. Features of morphotype I “ Trichophora ” are present in M. coromandeliana . Hence, this species is included in this genital morphotype. On the other hand, Holotrichia conferta Sharp 1903 was synonymized with N. coromandeliana , type species of Neodontocnema ( Arrow 1948) . Frey (1971) and Sabatinelli (1983) deemed that both taxa were valid species by considering them separately in identification keys of Neodontocnema , while without giving any further justification. In the original description of H. conferta, Sharp (1903) mentioned an old specimen in the British Museum labelled “Madras” and several other specimens in the Cambridge Museum, British Museum and D. Sharp collections. Two male specimens of the Sharp collection have been found in BMNH, which are labelled as the type and cotype. Both specimens of H. conferta show features of external morphology and male genitalia that characterize M. coromandeliana ( Coca-Abia 2008: fig. 10). Then, we confirm the synonymy of H. conferta with M. coromandeliana ( Arrow 1948) , and designate them as lectotype and paralectotype of Miridiba conferta .

Distribution

India (Coromandel, Western Ghats).