Liroetis flavipennis Bryant, 1954

Bezděk, Jan, 2021, Redefinition of Liroetis, with descriptions of two new species and an annotated list of species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 61 (2), pp. 529-614 : 547-552

Liroetis flavipennis Bryant, 1954

( Figs 72–82 , 108 , 118, 125 )

Liroetis flavipennis Bryant, 1954: 547 (original description). Liroetis flavipennis : Gඋൾඌඌංඍඍ & Kංආඈඍඈ (1963): 532 (key), 533 (faunistics); Wංඅർඈඑ (1973): 476 (catalogue); Tൺĸංඓൺඐൺ & Bൺඌඎ (1987): 272 (noted); Bൺඌඎ (1996): 695 (faunistics); WൺඇǤ & YൺඇǤ (2006): 164 (faunistics); Bൾൾඇൾඇ (2010):478 (catalogue); YൺඇǤ et al. (2015): 248 (noted).

Liroetis leycesteriae Jiang, 1988: 189 , 196 (original description). New junior subjective synonym.

Liroetis leycesteriae : JංൺඇǤ (1992): 658 (noted); YൺඇǤ (1992b): 339 (faunistics);ZIJൺඇǤ & YൺඇǤ (2007): 301 (faunistics); Bൾൾඇൾඇ (2010): 478 (catalogue); YൺඇǤ et al. (2015): 247 (key), 249 (noted).

Type localities. Liroetis flavipennis : ‘N. E. Burma: Kambaiti’. Liroetis leycesteriae : ‘[ China:] Yunnan: Lushui Co.’.

Type material examined. Liroetis flavipennis : Sඒඇඍඒඉൾඌ: 1 J, ‘N. E. BURMA / Kambaiti, 7000 ft [p] / 8–12/4 1934 [h] / R. MALAISE [w, p] // Type [white round label with red collar, p] // Liroetis / flavipennis / Bryant [h] / G. E. Bryant det. 195 [w, p]’ ( NHRS); 1 J ( Figs 72–74 ), ‘N. E. BURMA / Kambaiti, 7000 ft [p] / 8–12/4 1934 [h] / R. MALAISE [w, p] // Pres by / Com Inst Ent / B M 195 [p] 3–749 [w, h] // Para- / type [white round label with yellow collar, p] // Liroetis / flavipennis / Bry [h] / G. E. Bryant det. 195 [p] 3 [w, h]’ ( BMNH); 1 J, ‘Para- / type [white round label with yellow collar, p] // N. E. BURMA / Kambaiti, 7000 ft [p] / 8/4 1934 [h] / R. MALAISE [w, p] // Pres by / Com Inst Ent / B M 195 [p] 3–749 [w, h]’ ( BMNH); 1 ♀ ( Figs 75–76 ), ‘N. E. BURMA / Kambaiti, 7000 ft [p] / 12–15/4 1934 [h] / R. MALAISE [w, p] // Pres by / Com Inst Ent / B M 195 [p] 3–749 [w, h] // Para- / type [white round label with yellow collar, p]’ ( BMNH).

Liroetis leycesteriae : Pൺඋൺඍඒඉൾ: 1 J ( Figs 77–82 ), ‘[Yunnan, Lushui / Pianma 2300 m / Chinese Academy of Sciences] [in Chinese, w, combined p and h] // [1981.V.26 / Collector Shu-Yong Wang] [in Chinese, w, combined p and h] // PARATYPE [y, p] // IOZ(E)1967846 [w, p] // Liroetis / leycesteriae Jiang 1988 / Det. Jiang Shengqiao [w, p]’ ( IZAS). Additional material examined. VIETNAM: Lൺඈ Cൺං Pඋඈඏ.: Hoang Lien NP, Tram Ton, 22.3493723°N 103.7704565°E, 1915 m, 8.–11. iv.2010, 2 JJ 1 ♀, L. Papp, L. Pergovits & Z. Soltézs leg. ( HNHM).

Diagnosis. Colouration. Head and pronotum brownish orange, scutellum, elytra and underside pale brown; antennae dark brown; legs pale brown with tibiae and tarsi dark. Each elytron often with semitransparent longitudinal stripe.

Body length. JJ: 9.7–11.7 mm, ♀♀: 11.7–12.0 mm.

Male ( Fig. 72 ). Antennae 0.88 times as long as body. Pronotum 1.50 times as wide as long, lustrous, impunctate, anterior margin slightly concave with complete, well visible border, lateral margins sinuate, pronotum widest in anterior third. Posterior margin of abdominal ventrite IV with two small triangular processes separated by small V-shaped incision. Last abdominal ventrite with wide and deep longitudinal impression. Pygidium with prolonged sharp apex ( Fig. 74 ). Metatibial spur absent.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 108 ). Median lobe of aedeagus 4.08 times as long as wide; apical quarter narrower, parallel, median lobe gradually widened in second quarter, basal half wide, parallel. Lateral view: median lobe of aedeagus moderately bent; lateral elevation widely triangular, placed in anterior third of aedeagus length. Dorsal process 5.58 times as long as wide, 0.64 times as long as median lobe; subparallel, shallowly constricted in basal third, apex sharp, triangular. Lateral view: dorsal process slender and moderately bent in basal half, apical half straight and wider, apex pronounced into finger-like process.

Female. Metatibial spur absent. Sternite VIII with small rounded convexity in middle of posterior margin, surface with shallow V-shaped impression in middle of posterior part, without setation; tignum 0.55 as long as sternite VIII ( Fig. 125 ). Spermatheca with well developed sphaerical nodulus covered with fine wrinkles, cornu semicircular, gradually narrowing towards apex, spermathecal duct sinuate ( Fig. 118 ).

Differential diagnosis. The dorsally unicolour species of Liroetis flavipennis species-group are very similar to each other and most of them can be correctly identified based on the structure of aedeagus (cf. Figs 108–117 ). The males of Liroetis flavipennis are characterised also by pygidium with prolonged sharp apex ( Fig. 74 ). Similarly prolonged pygidium is known also in the males of L. lonicernis . The two taxa differ only in slightly higher/lower position of the lateral elevation on median lobe of aedeagus and in width of dorsal process (cf. Figs 108 and 110 ). These differences are, however, so minor that they might be just result of intraspecific variability and the future synonymy of both species cannot be excluded.

Host plant. Leycesteria sp. (JංൺඇǤ 1988).

Distribution. Myanmar (Bඋඒൺඇඍ 1954), China: Yunnan (JංൺඇǤ 1988), Vietnam (present paper).

Comments. The type specimens of Liroetis flavipennis and L. leycesteriae were compared and proved to be conspecific, therefore their synonymy is established.

The species of Liroetis flavipennis species-group are very similar to each other externally which leads to their frequent misidentifications. Therefore, in the Distribution section, I present only verified data. The records from China: Gansu (WൺඇǤ & YൺඇǤ 2006), Shaanxi (YൺඇǤ et al. 2015), Guizhou (ZIJൺඇǤ & YൺඇǤ 2007, YൺඇǤ 1992b, as Liroetis leycesteriae ) and India: West Bengal (Bൺඌඎ 1996) must be verified prior to their acceptance. The records from India: Sikkim and West Bengal (Tൺĸංඓൺඐൺ & Bൺඌඎ 1987) undoubtedly refer to another Liroetis species based on the drawing of aedeagus. The record of L. flavipennis from Sichuan (Gඋൾඌඌංඍඍ & Kංආඈඍඈ 1963) refer to L. sichuanensis Jiang, 1988 (see ZIJൺඇǤ et al. 2008).

Figures

Figs 72–76. Liroetis flavipennis Bryant, 1954. 72–74 – Male, syntype (10.0 mm). 72 – dorsal view; 73 – labels; 74 – apex of abdomen. 75–76 – Female, syntype (11.8 mm). 75 – dorsal view; 76 – labels.

Figs 77–82. Liroetis flavipennis Bryant, 1954 (paratype of L. leycesteriae Jiang, 1988, male, 11.4 mm). 77 – dorsal view; 78 – lateral view; 79 – ventral view; 80 – apex of abdomen; 81 – labels; 82 – head and pronotum.

Figs 108–117.Aedeagus of Liroetis, dorsal and lateral views. 108 – L. flavipennis Bryant, 1954; 109 – L. humeralis Jiang, 1988; 110 – L. lonicernis Jiang, 1988; 111 – L. medvedevi nom. nov.; 112 – L. nepalensis Chûjô, 1966; 113 – L. prominensis Jiang, 1988; 114 – L. sichuanensis Jiang, 1988; 115 – L. tibetanus Jiang, 1988; 116 – L. tibialis Jiang, 1988; 117 – L. zhongdianicus Jiang, 1988. Figs 116–117 reproduced from JංൺඇǤ (1988). Scale 0.5 mm.

Figs 118–131. Spermatheca (Figs 118–124) and sternite VII (Figs 125–131) of Liroetis. 118, 125 – L. flavipennis Bryant, 1954; 119, 126 – L. humeralis Jiang, 1988; 120, 127 – L. medvedevi nom. nov.; 121, 128 – L. nepalensis Chûjô, 1966; 122, 129 – L. sichuanensis Jiang, 1988; 123, 130 – L. tibetanus Jiang, 1988; 124, 131 – L. zhongdianicus Jiang, 1988. Scales 0.25 mm for Figs 118–124, 0.5 mm for Figs 125–131.