Anthocomus (Anthocomus) abdominalis Pic, 1903

Tshernyshev, Sergei E., 2021, A review of the genus Anthocomus Erichson, 1840 (Coleoptera, Cleroidea Malachiidae) species of Inner Asia, Zootaxa 4969 (3), pp. 511-525 : 515-516

Anthocomus (Anthocomus) abdominalis Pic, 1903

Anthocomus abdominalis Pic, 1903: 106 (“ Chine Chang-Haï”); Wittmer 1940: 101, 104; 1995: 374;

Anthocomus (Paremballus) abdominalis: Evers 1949 (1945–48): 59–60;

Anthocomus (Anthocomus) abdominalis: Mayor 2007: 438 .

Remarks. This species was described from female possessing a distinctive colouration, red-brown abdomen. According to the monochromous dark coloured upperside, the species belongs to a group of black-coloured Anthocomus . Main typical characters of the species are: legs uniformly black, head, pronotum and elytra black with strong blue metallic luster, palpae dark brown, impression in elytral apices of male red inside. Original description by Pic (1903: 106) is as follows: “ Anthocomus (? Paremballus) abdominalis ♀. Allongé, alutacé sur l’avant-corps, un peu brillant sur les élytres, orne d’une fine pubescence couchée grise, avec quelques poils obscurs soulevés, ceux-ci courts; insecte bleuâtre avec l’abdomen rougeâtre; prerniers articles des antennes en dessous et genoux maculés de testacé, poitrine verte et métaIlique; tête impressionnée entre les antennes, celles-ci assez robustes, subdentées, à 3 e article un peu plus long que 4 e, 4 e plus large que 5 e, dernier allongé; prothorax presque droit sur les côtés, un peu plus étroit que les élytres qui sont très longs, subtronqués au sommet; tibias postérieurs longs, arqués, peu épais. Long. 4–5 mill. Chine: Chang-Haï. Reçu de M. A. Théry.—Espèce bien distincte par sa forme longue jointe à sa coloration”.

Evers (1949) studied a batch of beetles (including 15 ♂♂ and 4 ♀♀) collected in April of 1937 and 1938 by J. Klapperich and H. Höne in Shanghai and “Kuatun, Fukuen Province of China ”. Kuatun is situated c. 130 km northwest of Shaowu, at an elevation of c. 2000 m, in the midst of wooded hills (Stefen & Fieler 2004), now Guadun town, Fujian Province, Republic of China ( Yang et al. 2014). These specimens resembled Pic’s diagnosis of A. abdominalis and all had a red abdomen. The male, described and special characters discussed by Evers (1949), is true Anthocomus Erichson belonging to the group of black-coloured species.

Distribution. The species was collected from Southeast China, near Shanghai (31°13′N; 121°28′E) and Guadun (27°40′N; 117°40′E).