Lagria (Lagria) indicola Bates, 1879 Njď

Zhou, Yong & Chen, Bin, 2023, A study on the genus Lagria from China with one new species and new distributional records (Coleoptera: Lagriinae), Zootaxa 5254 (3), pp. 413-424 : 418

Lagria (Lagria) indicola Bates, 1879 Njď ḣųƤ

( Figs. 2H–I , 3C–D , 4E–F )

Lagria indicola Bates, 1879: 483 (type locality: Pakistan, Murree); Borchmann 1915: 65 (key).

Lagria subcostata Fairmaire, 1896: 59 (type locality: Himalaya? homonym, not Reitter 1880: 254); Merkl 1991: 5 (recorded from Nepal). Synonymized with L. subcostata Reitter 1880 by Borchmann 1909: 714.

Lagria costatula Borchmann, 1909: 714 (replacement name). Synonymized with L. indicola by Borchmann 1915: 68.

Diagnosis. Body slender, head and pronotum small, together equal to 0.24× length of whole-body; black except reddish brown elytra; antennae elongate, male antennomere 11 as long as 4 preceding antennomeres combined; elytra with longitudinal costae.

Redescription. Male ( Fig. 3C ). Body length 8.5 mm. Body slender, slightly widening in posterior half, slightly convex; shiny, black except brown elytra. Dorsal surface with dense, long yellow hairs.

Head slightly transverse, narrower than prothorax; mouthparts moderately projecting, maxilla with apical palpomere broad, cone-shaped; labrum and clypeus with anterior margin emarginate, labroclypeal membrane visible; frontoclypeal suture distinct, arc-shaped; preorbital swelling not developed; frons between eyes uneven, sparsely punctate, gradually descending to clypeus; eyes large, strongly bulging, obviously higher than frons between eyes, deeply emarginated in the middle, with anterior margin deeply emarginated, interocular distance equal to eye diameter; vertex sparsely punctate; temples contracted posteriorly, 2/3 as long as eye in dorsal view; antennae slender, surpassing half body when directed backward, antennomeres elongate, antennomere 3 to 10 gradually becoming longer, antennomere 11 slightly curved in apical half, subequal to combined length of 4 preceding antennomeres.

Prothorax 1.20× times as wide as long, widest at base, constricted at middle. Pronotum sparsely, finely punctate, with a shallow longitudinal impression on disc; anterior angles rounded, posterior angles projecting; anterior margins weakly emarginated, posterior margins straight, lateral margins not bordered in dorsal view; prosternum in front of coxae as wide as procoxal cavity; prosternal process thin, not elevated. Scutellum broadly triangular, with rounded apex.

Elytra slender, with some longitudinal costae extending from base to apex, widest before posterior 1/3; elytral length 2.25× as long as combined maximum width and 6.25× as long as pronotum; humeral callosity obtuse, not elevated; punctures small, interspaces smooth, equal to 2–4 puncture diameters, denser in basal half and between two costae; epipleuron entire, gradually narrowing towards apex; elytral margin visible in dorsal view except humeral area. Mesosternal process tiny, slightly elevated; metasternum transversely convex.

Legs slender and weak, not modified; metatarsomere 1 longest, subequal to combined length of 2–4.

Abdomen normal, ventral surface moderately convex, ventrites 1–4 with oblong impression on both sides.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 2H–I ) simple, curved in profile. Parameres broad, rounded apically.

Female ( Fig. 3D ). Body length 8.8 mm. Body stout, obviously wider than male. Eyes quite small, interocular distance equal to 2.60× eye diameter; temples parallel-sided, rounded posteriorly, 1.5× longer than eyes in dorsal view; antennomeres stout, antennomere 11 equal to 3 preceding antennomeres combined. Pronotum with an longitudinal, oblong impression in the middle. Elytral costae more convex.

Variability. Male body length 7.5–8.5 mm (n = 2). Female body length 8.0–9.0 mm (n = 5); pronotum sometimes with two small pits on each side of longitudinal impression.

Material examined (2 JJ 5 ♀♀). China: Xizang: 2 JJ 5 ♀♀ ( CQNU), 1 st label: “ 2013-VII-28 / WBĠssƌ ữḦ / AEH ” (Xizang, Gyirong County, Jiangcun Village / Yong Zhou leg.), 2 nd label: “ 28.49N / 85.22E / 3080 m ” .

Distribution. China (new country record): Xizang; India, Nepal, Pakistan.

Remarks. Lagria (Lagria) indicola and 11 allied species have similar color pattern, i.e., the dark body (usually black) with brown or yellow elytra. This large complex contains:

L. (L.) hirta (Linnaeus, 1758) , L. (L.) nigricollis Hope, 1843 , L. (L.) atripes Mulsant & Guillebeau, 1855 , L. (L.) laticollis Motschulsky, 1860 , L. (L.) rufipennis Marseul, 1876 , L. (L.) indicola , L. (L.) ophthalmica Fairmaire, 1891 (all of these belong to Borchmann’s (1936) Lagria hirta -group), L. (L.) lata Fabricius, 1801 , L. (L.) grenieri C. Brisout de Bameville, 1867 , L. (L.) theryi Pic, 1938 , and Lagria (Apteronympha) rubida Graells, 1858 , L. (Ap.) rugosula Rosenhauer, 1856 ( Merkl 2006; Lopez-Perez 2007; Bensusan et al. 2009; Labrique & Merkl 2015; Prisniy & Merkl 2015; Merkl 2020; Ruzzier & Martínez-Muñoz 2021).

These species occur mainly in the Palaearctic region ( Olson 2001) and most of them are widely distributed throughout Eurasia, except for L. (L.) hirta , L. (L.) lata , L. (Ap.) rugosula which are also found in Africa, while L. (L.) theryi is endemic to Africa. Due to the quite similar shape and color pattern, overlapped distribution and lack of remarkable male characteristics, members of the complex are usually morphologically confused ( Merkl 2004). Shape and proportions of male antennomeres and aedeagus are vital diagnostical features to distinguish them. Four species of the complex are now recorded from China (more are expected): L. (L.) indicola , L. (L.) nigricollis , L. (L.) ophthalmica and L. (L.) rufipennis . Compared with the other three, L. (L.) indicola can be easily recognized based on its more elongate antennomeres, shorter terminal male antennomere and longitudinal costae on the elytra. Furthermore, this species is now limited to western China. Morphological differences among these four members are expected to be described in the future.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Diagnostic features. A–G. Tibiae and aedeagus of Lagria (Lagria) medogensis sp. nov.. A. Male protibia; B. Male mesotibia; C. Male metatibia; D. Female mesotibia, arrows indicating tiny denticles; E. Female metatibia; F. Aedeagus, lateral view; G. Aedeagus, ventral view; H–I. Aedeagus of Lagria (Lagria) indicola. H. Lateral view; I. Ventral view.

FIGURE 3. Dorsal view of habitus. A–B. Lagria (Ammocera) bhutanicola. A. Dorsal view of male; B. Dorsal view of female; C–D. Lagria (Lagria) indicola. C. Dorsal view of male (right middle leg missing); D. Dorsal view of female (hairs of dorsal surface missing; pronotum not symmetrical, probably caused by abnormal development).

FIGURE 4. Habitat of Lagria species. A–B. Habitat with blooming plants and living female adult of Lagria (Ammocera) bhutanicola (Xizang, Yatung County, WBûḵƌ); C–D. Field environment and living female adult of Lagria (Ammocera) unicolor, specimens were collected on grasses and bushes by sweeping method (Xizang, Mêdog county, WBḆṉƌ); E–F. General habitat and living male adultof Lagria (Lagria) indicola, specimens were collected in theopen grassyfield (photographed by Dr. Wenbo Yi; Xizang, Gyirong County, WBĠssƌ).