Nepalota guangdongensis PACE , 2004

Assing, Volker, 2015, On the Nepalota fauna of China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Athetini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 47 (1), pp. 207-248 : 232-233

Nepalota guangdongensis PACE, 2004

( Figs 86-95 , Map 2 )

Nepalota guangdongensis PACE, 2004: 508 ff.

Nepalota rougemonti PACE, 2011: 171 ; nov.syn.

Nepalota ruficollis PACE, 2011: 170 f.; nov.syn.

Type material examined: Holotype ♀: " CHINA Guangdong Pr., Ding Hu Shan Biosphere R. , 6 V.1998 J. Fellowes / Rougemont Collection / Holotypus Nepalota guangdongensis m., det. R. Pace 1998 / Nepalota guangdongensis sp. n., det. R. Pace 1998 / Nepalota guangdongensis Pace , det. V. Assing 2015 " ( IRSNB).

Additional material examined China Yunnan 2♂♂, 3♀♀, NNE Pingbian , 23°01'N, 103°42'E, 1500 m, subtropical broad-leaved forest, litter sifted, 26.VIII.2014, leg. Assing & Schülke (cAss,cSch). Jiangxi:1♂, 1♀, 1 ex., Jinggang Shan, Shuangxikou, 26°31'N, 114°11'E, 410 m, river valley, moist litter in a sparse forest near a river sifted, 24.IV.2011, leg. Fikáček et al. ( NMP, cAss) ; 1♂, 1 ex., Jinggang Shan , Xiping, 26°34'N, 114°12'E, 915 m, sparse tree-bamboo bush, moist leaf litter accumulated above bank of a stream sifted, 24.IV.2011, leg. Fikáčeketal. ( NMP,cAss). Guangdong:2♂♂, 1♀, 11 exs., W Qixing, Heishiding nature reserve, 23°28'N, 111°54'E, 190-260 m, primary lowland forest, moist leaf litter near streams sifted, 1.-3.V.2011, leg. Fikáček & Hájek (MNHNP, cAss) .

Comment: Nepalota guangdongensis was described from a single female from " China, Guandong Pr., Ding Hu Shan, Biosphere R." ( PACE 2004). The spermatheca of the holotype is somewhat deformed. However, based on the general spermathecal and the identical external characters, there is no doubt that the above material is conspecific with the holotype.

The original description of N. rougemonti is based on a single male collected in " Guangxi, Diding", that of N. ruficollis on two males and one female from two localities in Guangxi ( PACE 2011). The whereabouts of the type material of N. rougemonti and N. ruficollis is currently unknown. According to PACE (2011), it is deposited in the IRSNB, where it was looked for, but not found by the curator in charge (GÉRARD, e-mail 3 Feb., 2015).

In the section on N. rougemonti, PACE (2011) states that the species is distinguished from N. ruficollis only by the shape of the aedeagus; the colour photographs ( PACE 2011: figures 18 and 19) do not show any external differences. An examination of the above material revealed that the median lobe of the aedeagus resembles the illustration provided by PACE (2011: figures 80-81) for the aedeagus of N. rougemonti . There are, however, slight differences in the shape of the ventral process (lateral view) and in the shapes of the internal structures. Similar differences were observed also in the above material from Guangdong, undoubtedly an artefact resulting from the killing and/or preservation method(s) used. The same evidently applies to the aedeagus of the type material of N. ruficollis (see PACE 2011: figures 77-78). The spermatheca of the above material is identical to that of N. ruficollis ( PACE 2011: figure 79) and, as mentioned, to that of N. guangdongensis . As can be inferred from the above records, N. guangdongensis is widespread and not uncommon across South China. It appears most unlikely that three externally identical species of highly distinctive coloration should occur sympatrically in this region. Therefore, it is concluded that the condition of the median lobe of the aedeagus as illustrated by PACE (2011) for N. ruficollis represents an artefact and that the type material of N. guangdongensis , N. ruficollis and N. rougemonti is conspecific. Hence the synonymies proposed above.

In view of the misleading illustrations of the aedeagus and the incomplete description of external and secondary sexual characters in PACE (2004, 2011), a redescription and new illustrations are provided.

Redescription: Body length 3.7-4.1 mm; length of forebody 1.5-1.7 mm.

Coloration: head blackish; pronotum yellowish-red; elytra reddish-yellow with a more or less extensive darkish spot reaching lateral margins, but not suture and posterior margins; abdomen reddish, with segment VI sometimes somewhat infuscate; legs pale-yellowish; antennae dark-reddish, apically and basally more or less extensively paler.

Head ( Fig. 86 ) transverse; dorsal surface with shallow microreticulation and with very fine and moderately dense punctation. Eyes moderately large, slightly longer than postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna ( Fig. 87 ) slender, approximately 1.2 mm long; preapical antennomeres weakly transverse; antennomere XI longer than the combined length of IX and X, but shorter than the combined length of VIII-X.

Pronotum ( Fig. 86 ) 1.30-1.35 times as broad as long and 1.3-1.4 times as broad as head, without sexual dimorphism; disc with shallow microreticulation and with fine and rather dense punctation.

Elytra ( Fig. 86 ) approximately 0.90-0.95 times as long as pronotum; punctation dense and moderately fine; interstices with distinct microreticulation and somewhat subdued shine. Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen with shallow transverse microsculpture; anterior portions of tergites III-VII impunctate; posterior portions of tergites III-V with moderately sparse, those of tergites VI-VII with sparse punctation; pubescence predominantly composed of thin setae; tergites III and VII without sexual dimorphism.

♂: tergite VIII ( Fig. 88 ) oblong and with distinctly convex posterior margin; sternite VIII ( Fig. 89 ) oblong, somewhat longer than tergite VIII, and strongly convex posteriorly; median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 90-91 ) approximately 0.45 mm long, ventral process apically not deeply incised, acute (ventral view), and of distinctive shape in lateral view; internal sac with long dark structures; paramere ( Fig. 92 ) slightly longer than median lobe (0.48 mm), with slender and rather short apical lobe.

♀: tergite VIII ( Fig. 93 ) approximately as long as broad and with distinctly convex posterior margin; sternite VIII ( Fig. 94 ) weakly transverse and with broadly convex posterior margin, middle of posterior margin weakly concave; spermatheca ( Fig. 95 ) approximately 0.38 mm long.

Comparative notes: This species is readily distinguished from other Nepalota species particularly by the conspicuous coloration and by the shape of the ventral process of the aedeagus, which is bifid only at its apex.

Distribution and natural history: Nepalota guangdongensis is now known from Yunnan, Jiangxi, Guangxi, and Guangdong provinces ( Map 2 ). Thus, the species is evidently widespread across South China. The material from Yunnan was collected together with N. fellowesi and N. crocea .

Figures

Map 2: Distributions of Nepalota gansuensis PACE (circles) and N. guangdongensis PACE (stars) in China, based on examined (filled symbols) and reliable literature records (open symbols).

Figs 86-95: Nepalota guangdongensis PACE: (86) forebody; (87) antenna; (88) male tergite VIII; (89) male sternite VIII; (90) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (91) apical portion of median lobe of aedeagus in ventral view; (92) paramere; (93) female tergite VIII; (94) female sternite VIII; (95) spermatheca. Scale bars: 86: 0.5 mm; 87-95: 0.2 mm.