Morimospasma Ganglbauer, 1890

Xie, Guanglin, Zou, Xia & Wang, Wenkai, 2014, Note on the genus Morimospasma Ganglbauer with description of two new species from China (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae), Zootaxa 3873 (4), pp. 441-450 : 442

Morimospasma Ganglbauer, 1890

Morimospasma Ganglbauer, 1890: 78 ; Aurivillius, 1922: 70; Breuning, 1942: 130; Gressitt, 1951: 348; Breuning, 1961: 318; Chiang et at., 1985: 102; Hubweber et al., 2010: 268.

Type species: Morimospasma paradoxum Ganglbauer, 1890 .

Diagnosis. Frons wider than high. Eye coarsely faceted, inner side deeply emarginate, lower lobe narrow. Scape approximately as long as or slightly shorter than third antennomere, with a developed cicatrix at apex. Pronotum wider than long, with a large central protuberance; lateral spine developed, swollen basally. Elytra connate, nearly oval; surface with tubercles of different size, some of them arranged in rows; apical portion strongly declivous, apices separately rounded. Hind wing reduced, scalelike ( Fig. 63 ). Procoxal cavity closed posteriorly, mesocoxal cavity open at side; mesosternal process broad, not tuberculate; metasternum short. Mesotibia with an oblique groove near external apex; claw divaricate.

Distribution. China: Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Zhejiang, Anhui.

Biology. Little is known about the biology of this genus. According to the first author’s observation in the field, adults of M. paradoxum Ganglbauer occur from April to August in Hubei, and can be attracted by light trap. Mating and oviposition behaviour on fallen trees of Pinus L. and Castanea Mill. was observed in a field wood pile in the mornings in May and July ( Figs 69, 71–72 ). In close vicinity the male actively approached the female from the rear when the antennae of both sexes stretched transversely toward side. The male held the female with front legs, adjusted the body axis parallel to that of the female, attempted to copulate by bending the abdomen ventrally and stretching out and drawing back the genitalia repeatedly, and finally copulated with the female. When the copulation was disturbed, the male usually terminated initiatively the mating process. Before ovipositing, the female gnawed at the bark surface, cut oviposition slits with mandibles, and then oviposited in the slits.

Figures

FIGURES 63 – 74.. Habitus of Morimospasma spp .. 63. male hind wing of M. paradoxun Ganglbauer. 64 – 68. female antennomeres 1 – 3. 64. M. paradoxun Ganglbauer. 65. M. tuberculatum Breuning. 66. M. nitidituberculatus Hua. holotype. 67. M. jiangi sp. nov.. paratype. 68. M. dalaolingensis sp. nov.. holotype. 69. M. paradoxun Ganglbauer. 70. M. dalaolingensis sp. nov.. 71. egg laying marks of M. paradoxun Ganglbauer on Castanea Mill .. 72. Field wood pile. 73. Spermatheca of M. jiangi sp. nov., with spermathecal gland destroyed. 74. Spermatheca and bursa copulatrix of M. dalaolingensis sp. nov., with spermathecal gland destroyed. Scales: 0.5 mm.