Liroetis ephippiatus ( Laboissière, 1930 )

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 : 542

Liroetis ephippiatus ( Laboissière, 1930)

( Figs 14–20 , 25 , 34, 39 )

Cneorane ephippiata Laboissière, 1930: 346 (original description).

Cneorane ephippiata : Gඋൾඌඌංඍඍ & Kංආඈඍඈ (1963):547 (key), 549 (noted); Wංඅർඈඑ (1973): 503 (catalogue); Bൾൾඇൾඇ (2010): 473 (catalogue); Mൾൽඏൾൽൾඏ (2011): 366 (transferred to Liroetis ).

Liroetis ephippiata : YൺඇǤ et al. (2015): 247 (key), 248 (noted).

Zangia signata Jiang, 1990: 142 , 144 (original description). New junior subjective synonym.

Zangia signata : JංൺඇǤ (1992): 659 (noted); Bൾൾඇൾඇ (2010): 490 (catalogue); YൺඇǤ et al. (2015): 274 (key), 275 (noted).

Liroetis postmaculatus Lopatin, 2004: 191 (original description). New junior subjective synonym.

Liroetis postmaculatus : YൺඇǤ et al. (2015): 247 (key), 249 (noted).

Liroetis postmaculata : Bൾൾඇൾඇ (2010): 478 (catalogue).

Type localities. Cneorane ephippiata : ‘[ China:] Yunnan: Montzé, Hauts Plateaux; Kouang Si Hien à 100 kil. E. S. E. de Yunnan-Fou’; Zangia signata : ‘[ China:] Yunnan: Yunlong’; Liroetis postmaculatus : ‘ China, Yunnan, 5–8 km WSW of Dali’.

Type material examined. Cneorane ephippiata : Sඒඇඍඒඉൾඌ: 1 ♀ ( Figs 14–16 ), ‘MUSEUM PARIS / YUNNAN / KOUANG SI HIEN, 2100 m / 100 K ESE DE YUNNAN-FOU / (PÈRE ROSSILLON) / P GUERRY 1924 [w, p] // SEPTEMBRE [w, p] // COTYPE [red letters, w, p] // Cneorane / ephippiata / m [h] / V. Laboissière – Dét. [w, p]’ ( MNHN); 1 J 1 ♀, ‘MUSEUM PARIS / YUNNAN / KOUANG SI HIEN, 2100 m / 100 K ESE DE YUNNAN-FOU / (PÈRE ROSSILLON) / P GUERRY 1924 [w, p] // SEPTEMBRE [w, p]’ ( MNHN); 1 ♀, ‘MUSEUM PARIS / YUN- NAN / KOUANG SI HIEN, 2100 m / 100 K ESE DE YUNNAN-FOU / (PÈRE ROSSILLON) / P GUERRY 1924 [w, p]’ ( MNHN); 1 J, ‘ TYPE [red letters, p] J [w, h] // Hts plateaux / Mongt-dgi [w, h] // yunnam [sic!, w, h] // Cneorane / ephippiata / m [h] / V. Laboissière -- Dét. [w, p] // Le Moult vend. / via Reinbek / Eing Nr 1, 1957 [w, p]’ ( ZMUH).

Zangia signata : Hඈඅඈඍඒඉൾ:J ( Fig. 25 , only photograph seen), ‘[Yunnan, Yunlong, Mt. Zhiben / 2500 m / Chinese Academy of Sciences] [in Chinese, w, combined p and h] // [1981.VII.24 / Collector: Xue-Zhong Zhang] [in Chinese, w, combined p and h] // HOLOTYPE [r, p] // Zangia / signata sp. n. / [identifier:Sheng-Qiao Jiang] [partly in Chinese, w, combined p and h]’ ( IZAS). Pൺඋൺඍඒඉൾඌ: 1 ♀, ‘[Yunnan, Yunlong, Mt. Zhiben / 2500 m / Chinese Academy of Sciences] [in Chinese,w, combined p and h] // [1981.VII.24 / Collector: Xue-Zhong Zhang] [in Chinese, w, combined p and h] // ALLOTYPE [g, p] // Zangia signata / Det. Jiang 1990 [w, p]’ ( IZAS); 1 J 1 ♀, ‘[Yunnan, Lushui, Laowo / 2430 m / Chinese Academy of Sciences] [in Chinese, w, combined p and h] // [1981.VI.19 / Ch 81-63 / Collector: Shu-Yong Wang] [in Chinese, w, combined p and h] // Zangia signata / Det. Jiang 1990 [w, p]’ ( IZAS); 1 ♀, ‘[in Chinese, w, p and h] // ‘[in Chinese, w, p and h] // Yunnan Yunlong / 2430m 24.VI.1981 / X. Z. Zhang / IZAS CHINA [w, p] // NHM(E) / 2004–153 / S. GE [w, p] // Zangia signata Jiang / Det.:Li-Jie ZHANG [w, p] // PARATYPE of / Zangia signata / Jiang, 1990 / J. Bezděk det., 2018 [r, p]’ ( BMNH).

Liroetis postmaculatus : Type material not examined.

Additional material examined. CHINA: Yඎඇඇൺඇ: Ningjing Shan, Wei- -Shi, 2200 m, 12.–13.vi.2006, 3 JJ 1♀. V. Major leg. ( JBCB); Ningjing Shan, Wei-Shi, 27°12′N 99°17′E, 2200 m, 12.vi.2006, 2 ♀♀, V. Major leg. ( JBCB); Ningjing Shan, Mekong River, 2100 m, 5.–9.vi.2001, 1 ♀. V. Major leg. ( NMPC); Dali env., Cangshan Mts., 2100 m, 22.v.2002, 9 JJ 8 ♀♀, A. Konstantinov & M. Volkovitsh leg. ( USNM); road to Bichuan, 1500 m, 8.vi.2002, 1 ♀, A. Konstantinov & M. Volkovitsh leg. ( USNM); Dali env., Cangshan Mts., E slope of Zhonghe Shan Mt., 25°41.7′N 100°08.3′E, 2150 m, 13.vi.2007, 1 ♀, J. Hájek & J. Růžička leg. ( NMPC); Lunnanchou, without additional data, 1 J 1 ♀ ( NMPC); ‘Yunnan’, without additional data, 2 ♀♀ ( NMPC).

Diagnosis. Colouration. Head and pronotum orange, scutellum black. Elytra variable: 1) yellow with black margins, suture and transverse median band, 2) black with one pale spot behind humeral callus and additional preapical pale spot, 3) black with large pale preapical spot on each elytron. Antennae and legs brown to black. Ventral side variable from yellowish brown to black.

Body length. JJ: 6.5–7.1 mm, ♀♀: 7.1–7.8 mm (J ♀: 6.1–8.5 mm based on the original descriptions).

Male ( Fig. 17 ). Antennae 0.85 times as long as body. Pronotum 1.61 times as wide as long, lustrous, covered with extremely fine punctures, anterior margin with complete border. Middle part of posterior margin of abdominal ventrite IV slightly impressed, with semicircular median incision. Last abdominal ventrite with longitudinal impression narrowed in middle, lateral parts of ventrite with shallow transverse impression. Metatibial spur very short, robust.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 29 ). Median lobe of aedeagus 3.5 times as long as wide; apical part narrow, subparallel, constricted in apical third, basal two thirds wide, subparallel, apically terminated with two divergent processes, apex folded down, with narrow median furrow visible only in apical fifth. Lateral view: ventral side rounded in basal third, apical part straight except for folded apex; lateral elevation absent. Dorsal process 2.14 times as long as wide, 0.75 times as long as median lobe of aedeagus; apex transversely cut, subapically slightly constricted, middle part extremely bulbous. Lateral view: dorsal process with hook-like apical part, middle part bulbous.

Female. Metatibial spur absent. Last abdominal ventrite with extremely large U-shaped incision ( Fig. 15 ). Sternite VIII strongly modified, in ventral view transversely U-shaped, posterior half forming vertical lamela with two large hook-like processes; tignum short, 0.3 as long as sternite VIII ( Fig. 39 ). Spermatheca with small globular nodulus, cornu C-shaped, gradually narrowing towards apex ( Fig. 34 ).

Differential diagnosis. Liroetis ephippiatus has an unique combination of characters within the entire genus: elytra black with two or four large pale spots, head and pronotum orange, underside black (or brownish black), very peculiar structure of aedeagus ( Fig. 29 ) and female with large U-shaped incision on last abdominal ventrite.

Host plants. Caprifoliaceae : Leycesteria sp. , Lonicera sp. (JංൺඇǤ 1990, 1992).

Distribution. China: Yunnan (Lൺൻඈංඌඌංජඋൾ 1930, Gඋൾඌඌංඍඍ & Kංආඈඍඈ 1963, JංൺඇǤ 1990, Lඈඉൺඍංඇ 2004, present paper).

Comments. The examination of relevant specimens showed that the species is very variable in elytral colouration. Dark forms with black elytra and large preapical pale spot were described twice independently as Liroetis postmaculatus and Zangia signata .

The primary type specimens of Liroetis ephippiatus and Zangia signata were compared with the description of L. postmaculatus provided with the drawing of very characteristic aedeagus. Undoubtedly, all three taxa are conspecific and are synonymized here.

Figures

Figs 14–20. Liroetis ephippiatus (Laboissière, 1930). 14–16 – Female, syntype (8.5 mm). 14 – dorsal view; 15 – ventral view; 16 – labels. 17 – Male (6.8 mm). 18–20 – Female, paratype of Zangia signata Jiang, 1990 (7.2 mm). 18 – dorsal view; 19 – ventral view; 20 – labels.

Figs 21–25. Type specimens of Liroetis, dorsal view. 21 – L. coeruleus (Jiang, 1990), male, holotype; 22 – L. latispinus (Chen, 1976), male, holotype; 23 – L. nigricollis (Jiang, 1990), male, holotype; 24 – L. pallidulus (Jiang, 1990), male, holotype; 25 – L. ephippiatus (Laboissière, 1930) (holotype of Zangia signata Jiang, 1990, male).

Figs 32–41. Spermatheca (Figs 32–36) and sternite VII (Figs 37–41) of Liroetis. 32, 37 – L. aeneipennis Weise, 1889; 33, 38 – L. coeruleipennis Weise, 1889; 34, 39 – L. ephippiatus (Laboissière, 1930); 35, 40 – L. leechi Jacoby, 1890; 36, 41 – L. nigricollis (Jiang, 1990). Scales 0.25 mm for Figs 32–36, 0.5 mm for Figs 37–41.

Figs 26–31. Aedeagus of Liroetis, dorsal and lateral views. 26 – L. aeneipennis Weise, 1889; 27 – L. coeruleus (Jiang, 1990); 28 – L. coeruleipennis Weise, 1889; 29 – L. ephippiatus (Laboissière, 1930); 30 – L. leechi Jacoby, 1890; 31 – L. nigricollis (Jiang, 1990). Fig. 27 reproduced from JංൺඇǤ (1990). Scale 0.5 mm.