Aphodius (Liothorax) plagiatus sinoplagiatus, Angus & Maté & Angus & Král, 2024

Angus, Robert B., Maté, Jason F., Angus, Elizabeth M. & Král, David, 2024, Towards a revision of the Palaearctic species of Aphodius Hellwig, 1798, subgenus Liothorax Motschulsky, 1860 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Aphodiinae), ZooKeys 1207, pp. 205-299 : 205-299

Aphodius (Liothorax) plagiatus sinoplagiatus subsp. nov.

Figs 22 j, k , 26 f, g , 30 c

Type material examined.

Holotype ♀ Amdo / 1884 / Przevalsky (printed label), Zaidam / Burch Budde / 1-11 - 000 // Aphodius / plagiatus / var. (handwritten) ( ZIN) . Paratypes: 1 ♂, data as holotype (originally on the same pin) ( ZIN) ; 1 ♂ China Qinghai / N. Qinghai Hu / Gangca . Roadside / pool Printed label and a further label with the same data in Chinese. 37 ° 18 ' N, 100 ° 11 ' E / 3370 m. 5. vi. 2013, / R. B. Angus, F. L. Jia & Y. Zhang. // A. plagiatus (L.) / Chromosome prep. / 6. vi 2013. / R. B. Angus // JFM 130815017 (printed labels) ( NHMUK) ; 1 ♀ Cina-Gansu / Dingxi / 7.8 – 12.8 1996 / E. Kučera leg. // Ex coll. David Král / ( NMP) .

Differential diagnosis.

Aphodius (L.) plagiatus sinoplagiatus differs from A. (L.) p. plagiatus by its very glossy varnished appearance, the slightly larger aedeagus (length ca 1.25–1.4 mm) with abruptly widened paramere apices (Fig. 22 j, k ), and above all by the strikingly larger spermatheca, length ca 0.42 mm (Fig. 26 f, g ), as against ca 0.36 mm in A. (L.) p. plagiatus (Fig. 26 a – e ).

Description.

Length: 4.1–4.4 mm (♂), 4.1–4.6 mm (♀), width 1.8–2.0 mm (♂), 1.8–2.0 mm. Head: glossy black, sparsely double punctate, clypeus bulging upwards, frontoclypeal suture without tubercles, straight over middle ¾, effaced laterally. Outer angles of anterior emargination rounded.

Pronotum: highly arched transversely, lateral margins not visible from above medially. Surface sparsely double punctate, the larger punctures slightly stronger than on head, the Gansu male more heavily punctate. Basal margin largely unbordered, the raised margin extending ca ¼ of the way in from the hind angles.

Elytra black, highly polished (varnished), as scutellum. Metaventrite (♂ and ♀) as in the nominal subspecies. Legs mid- to dark brown, longer mesotibial spur longer than basal segment of mesotarsus.

Aedeagus (Fig. 22 j, k ) length 1.25–1.4 mm, outer apical membranous part abruptly widened.

Spermatheca (Fig. 26 f, g ) length ca 0.42 mm.

Etymology.

sinoplagiatus is an adjective indicating its Chinese distribution.

Remark.

The aedeagus of 2 ♂♂ from near Beijing (Fig. 22 i ) resembles that of L. p. sinoplagiatus in its widened paramere apices, but is smaller, length ca 1.1 mm.

Figures

Figure 22. Aphodius plagiatus group aedeagi a – c A. plagiatus plagiatus, GB, Studland, Dorset, aedeagus with extruded endophallus a, b SEM images a whole aedeagus b endophallus in more detail c stacked photograph of endophallus d – g A. discoides, neotype (Aphodius bytinskisalzi, holotype, IS, Kuneitra) d, e, e ’ SEM images f, g stacked photographs h – n cleared preparations mounted on slides h A. p. plagiatus, GB, Norfolk i A. p. sinoplagiatus? “ China, Pekin ”, Fry collection i ’ teeth on neck of endophallus in the region marked with an arrow in i j, k A. plagiatus sinoplagiatus ssp. nov., paratypes j CH, Gangca k CH, Tsaidam l Aphodius jakutorum Balthasar, lectotype, RU, East Siberia m A. rodrigoi sp. nov., holotype, SP, Aranjuez, dissected aedeagus m ’ endophallus m ” endophallic teeth in area indicated by arrow in m ’ at higher magnification n A. discoides, TR, Karacadag n ’ teeth on neck of endophallus, in area indicated by arrow in n at higher magnification o A. discoides, black specimen from TR, Karakurt, o ’ teeth on neck of endophallus, in area indicated by arrow in o at higher magnification p, p ’ A. rusakovi p paratype, RU, Orenburg p ’ RU Volgograd obl. Fastov, paramere, lateral q – v SEM images and stacked photographs q, r A. rutilipennis, CY, with endophallus inflated q SEM image q ’ (bottom right of plate) dorsal surface of endophallus in area indicated by arrow in q at higher magnification, to show the hair-like setae r stacked photograph of the same specimen s, s ’ A. chellala sp. nov., paratype with endophallus extruded s stacked photograph s ’, s ”, s ” ’ SEMs of the same specimen s ”, s ” ’ at higher magnifications t, u L. chellala sp. nov., holotype with the endophallus extruded t stacked photograph u SEM image v – z photographs of cleared specimens mounted in DMHF on slides v, w A. rutilipennis v CY w TR w ’ teeth on neck of endophallus, in area indicated by arrow in w at higher magnification x A. chellala sp. nov., paratype, AG, Taguin (La Smala) x ’ teeth on neck of endophallus, in area indicated by arrow in x at higher magnification y, z A. kraatzi y KZ, Syr Darya z AF, Kabul z ’ teeth on neck of endophallus, in area indicated by arrow in z at higher magnification Scale bar 1: 1 mm (a, d, f – t, v – z); 0.4 mm (n ’, o ’, s ”, w ’, x ’, z ’); 0.17 mm (e ’, m ”, q’ s ” ’). Scale bar 2: 1 mm (b, c, e, g and s ”).

Figure 26. Spermathecae a – e A. plagiatus plagiatus a CZ, Dobre Pole b GB, Norfolk c KZ, Karaganda d, e RU, Transbaikal, Ulan Ude f, g A. p. sinoplagiatus, CN f Gansu g holotype, CN, Qinghai h, i A. discoides, TR h Kizil dag, i Muʂ j A. rutilipennis CY, Limassol distr k A. rutilipennis?, GR Thesaloniki l A. chellala, paratype, AG, Chellala m, n A. rusakovi m paratype, RU, wet but not covered n KZ, Syr-Darja o – s A. kraatzi o, p SK q RU, Astrakhan r RU, Lenkoran s AF, Kabul t A. niger, GB, Hampshire, New Forest u A. muscorum HU, Hortobágyi v A felix, paratype, IT w, x A. bameuli, paratypes, FR y A. krelli, sp. nov., IT z A. bellumgerens sp. nov., paratype, IT a ’, b ’ A. alberti sp. nov., TR paratypes c ’ A. isikdagensis, paratype, TR Ḉamildere d ’, e ’ A. wilsonae, SP d ’ paratype, SP, Madrid e ’ SP, Soria. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

Figure 30. Mitotic chromosomes, arranged as karyotypes a, b A. plagiatus plagiatus, ♂, GB, Dorset, Studland a plain (Giemsa stained) b the same nucleus C-banded c A. plagiatus sinoplagiatus, ♂, CH, Qinghai, Gangca, plain d, e A. rutilipennis, ♂, CY, Zakaki Marshes d plain e C-banded f – h A. kraatzi ♀, SK f, g nucleus without B-chromosomes f plain g C-banded h, i nucleus with 1 B-chromosome h plain i C-banded. Scale bar: 5 μm.