Miridiba imitatrix ( Brenske, 1899 )

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 : 32-34

Miridiba imitatrix ( Brenske, 1899)

Figs 44–46

Holotrichia imitatrix Brenske, 1899: 178 (type loc.: Darjeeling, India).

Holotrichia imitatrix – Dalla Torre 1912: 203 (catalogue). — Chang 1964: 146, 149–150, figs 46–47 (species list; in key).

Neodontocnema imitatrix – Arrow 1948: 51 (combination). — Frey 1971: 222–223, fig. 35 (in key). — Sabatinelli 1983: 123, 214, fig. 8 (species list).

Miridiba imitatrix – Nomura 1977: 88 (combination). — Smetana & Král 2006: 222 (catalogue). — Coca-Abia 2008: 680. — Bezděk 2016: 272 (catalogue).

Diagnosis

External morphology of adult ( Fig. 44 ). Body size 21.5 mm. Dorsal surface glabrous, at most, with short setae in each puncture hardly visible. Clypeus concave, with anterior edge moderately emarginate at middle. Frons very sloping, strong carina sunk at middle. Pronotal anterior margin sloped forward with a row of punctures, glabrous or, at most, some short setae at sides, with a slight concavity at each lateral end; posterior margin glabrous, finely flanged except at middle; lateral margins smooth, glabrous, convergent and elevated at anterior half, moderately sinuate at posterior half; anterior angles acute, not projected forward; posterior angles obtuse and rounded. Prosternal process cone-shaped. Scutellum glabrous, with punctures except on sides. Elytra with punctures regularly distributed, less densely punctate than pronotum; epipleuron with pubescence in basal half. Foretibia in male with insertion of inner spur equidistant between second and third outer tooth, with strong dorsal carina. Meso- and metatibia with transverse carina interrupted at middle; inner margin of dorsal surface with spines. Prepygidium regularly punctate, with conspicuous pubescence in lateral view. Pygidium with short and decumbent pubescence, longer on apex; irregularly punctate, punctures thinner and denser at dorsal margin; apex pointed with thick and rough punctures; apical margin thicker and moderately raised. Ventrite 5 moderately depressed at posterior half, which has strong punctures; longer pubescence on depressed area. Anterior margin of ventrite 6 bulging at middle, bulge without pubescence. Male genitalia. Parameres ( Fig. 45 ) glabrous; dorsal branches thin and elongated, starting below collum; distal margin of collum bilobed in dorsal view, raised in relation to dorsal branches. Ventral branches joined at proximal end forming a semi-circle, apices thin and slightly curved outwards. Endophallus ( Fig. 46 ) with spines arranged helicoidally around internal walls of sac and soft sensillae at distal end. Apophysis of temones ( Fig. 46 ) widened and joined at distal end. Female unknown.

Material examined

Lectotype (here designated)

INDIA • 1 ♂; “ imitatrix Brsk ”; “ Sikkim Darjiling” [Darjeeling, a city of India]; “fühler 9 gl” [antenna 9-segmented]; “Coll. Brenske”; “ SYNTYPE Holotrichia imitatrix Brenske 1899 labelled by MFNB 2017”; “ Neodontocnema Holotrichia imitatrix Br det G. Frey 1969” [ Holotrichia det. G. Frey 1969 printed, Neodontocnema imitatrix Br handwritten]; “ Lectotype Miridiba imitatrix ( Brenske, 1899) Chuan-bu Gao & Coca-Abia, det. 2018”; MFNB.

Remarks

Brenske (1899) did not indicate how many specimens used in describing Holotrichia imitatrix . We have studied a male specimen conserved in the Brenske collection (MFNB) labelled as syntype and identified as Neodontocnema imitatrix by Frey (1971). Although Brenske (1899) specified that this specimen was a female, probably based on the short antennal club, it is a male.As stated above, this confusion is attributable to the absence of sexual dimorphism in the antennal club. One syntype specimen of M. imitatrix found in MFNB is designated as the lectotype herein. Miridiba imitatrix is very similar to M. tuberculipennis (Moser, 1913) . Still, it is possible to distinguish them by the metatibial transverse carina, the apex of the pygidium, ventrite 6 and male genitalia. The antenna 9-segmented and parameres with two dorsal and two ventral branches separated from each other, allow us to include it in morphotype I “ Trichophora ”.

Distribution

India (West Bengal).

Figures

Figs 44–46. Miridiba imitatrix (Brenske, 1899), lectotype (MFNB). 44. Habitus in dorsal view. 45. Parameres in dorsal (A), ventral (B) and lateral (C) views. 46. Endophallus and temones in dorsal view. Scale bars: 44 = 5.0 mm; 45–46 = 1.0 mm.