Prosopocoilus gracilis ( Saunders, 1854 )

Zhong, Fang, Bai, Ming, Ge, Yang & Wan, Xia, 2014, Taxonomic revision of Prosopocoilus gracilis (Saunders, 1854) and its allied species from China (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), Zoological Systematics 39 (1), pp. 136-148 : 138-140

Prosopocoilus gracilis ( Saunders, 1854) ( Figs 1 , 5–17 , 43–48 )

Cladognathus gracilis Saunders, 1854 . Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 3(2): 47.

Hemisodorcus gracilis: Roon, 1910 . Coleop. Cat., par 8: 32.

Prosopocoilus gracilis: Benesh, 1950 . Pan-Pacif. Ent., 26(2): 16–17.

Epidorcus gracilis: Séguy, 1954 . Revue Fr. Ent., 21(3): 192.

Length 16–48 mm. Width 7–15 mm. Color. Reddish to dark brown ( Figs 5–17 ). Head. Almost inverted trapezoidal, 1.8 times wider than long. Anterior margin at middle strongly concaved, with forming a large, deep, triangularly frontal depression in males. Vertex strongly raised, almost V-shaped. In females, the frontal depression very small and quite shallow mainly covered with densely large punctures; vertex slightly raised. Male mandibles. About 1.2–3.3 times the total length of head and pronotum in males. Mandibles of large males strongly curved inwards, the apex sharp with a sub-apcial vestigial tooth ( Figs 9–12 ) or completely absent in most of specimens. A large triangular tooth situated anteriorly (about at 1/3–1/2 position on each mandible); at the front of this tooth, 2–5 denticles sparsely presented near to the apex; behind of it, 5–12 denticles regularly serrated to the mandibular base. Size of this tooth and the amount of denticles gradually reduced following to the body size diminishing in males, exceptionally, only a large tooth presented without any denticles ( Fig. 16 ). Mentum. Almost trapezoidal, front angles rounded with small punctures in males. That of female with larger and denser punctures, containing sparsely brown setae. Pronotum. 2.0 times wider than long, as wide as that of head. Front angles relatively acute. Lateral margins curved, strongly divergent on the anterior 2/3 and then convergent on the posterior 1/ 3 in males, almost uniformly convex in females. Hind angles obtusely rounded. Elytra. 1.4 times longer than wide, as wide as that of pronotum. Disc dim and reddish. Punctures presented densely along the elytra suture. Legs. Front tibiae slender, laterally serrated with 5–7 small teeth. Middle and hind tibiae simply with a very small spine. Aedeagus ( Figs 43–48 ). Slender, the ventrally triangular teeth of PA small and short (about 1.0 mm from its point angle to outer margin of PA). PES about 2.0 times the length of Tegmen. BP about 1.8 times the length of PA. Female genitalia ( Fig. 61 ). HS strongly sclerotized with sub-round apex, irregular plate-liked, somewhat bifurcated at base. Paired sclerites of sternite 9 relatively narrow. SD slightly widened where it joins BC. S almost elongate oval-shaped. SG slender with expanded apex.

Lectotype designation. Saunders (1854) wrote: “All the species described in this paper in the Collection at the British Museum, and most of them will also be found in the Collection of F. S. Parry, Esp., as well as my own collection”. During our study of these specimens, we found one male with old “Type” label in MNHN ( Fig. 1 ) and one male with old “cotype” label in BMNH, which meant the male in MNHN should be the described specimen by Saunders. Considering that Parry’s collection partly in BMNH and MNHN, we designated the male with “Type” label in MNHN as Lectotype and other males with same data as paralectotypes. Also, the male with “cotype” label in BMNH and one male in OXUM were designated as paralectotypes .

Type material examined. Lectotype of Prosopocoilus gracilis (Saunders) , ♂, in MNHN, labelled: Lectotype (red label) / Type sp. (pale label) / Mr. Fortune, China (handwritten) / Ex. Museo Parry. Paralectotypes: 5♂, 6♀, in MNHN, labelled: Mr. Fortune, China (handwritten) / Ex. Museo Parry. [The Lectotype and paralectotypes were designated by Dr. Stéphane Boucher and Dr. Xia Wan]. Paralectotype ♂, in BMNH, labelled: cotype / 11383 / China Bor / Fortune / Fry. coll. 1905-100 / Hemisodorcus gricilis Saund. Co-type (handwritten) / BMNH(E) #604729. Paralectotype ♂, in OXUM, labelled: Cladognathus gracilis n. n. Saund., Trans. Ent. Soc. n. s. r. 3, pl. 3. f. 3, N. China (handwritten) / Type, Saunders, Trans. Ent. Soc., 1854, p.47, t.3, f.3 (handwritten), coll. Hope Oxford / Type col. 271, Cladognathus gracilis Saund. (handwritten), Hope Dept Oxford. [The two paralectotypes were designated by Dr. Xia Wan].

Additional material examined. China, Jiangsu, Yixing , 21 July 1923, 6♂, collector unknown . Fujian, Chong’an, Sangang , 30 July 1979, 1♂, Si-Mei Zhang leg. ; Chong’an , 11 July 1986, 1♂, Zhong-Fu Zheng leg. Chongqing, Mt. Jinyun , 3♂, 3♀, alt. 800 m, 13 June 1994, You-Wei Zheng leg. Yunnan, Mengla, alt. 620 m, 11 May 1991, collector unknown; Malipo , 10–26 July 1993, 9♂, collector unknown (in NZMC) . Fujian, Mt. Wuyi , 3♂, 23 July 2010, Fang Zhong and Xiao-Yan Hu leg. ; same locality, 2♂, 30 July 2012, Yu-Yan Cao leg. Guangxi, Wuming , 20 July 2011, 8♂, 3♀, Fang Zhong and Sheng-Cheng Yang leg. ; Mt. Daming , 22 July 2011, 6♂, Xiao-Yan Hu leg. Guizhou, Mt. Leigong , 2♂, 26 July 2011, Fang Zhong and Sheng-Cheng Yang leg. (in MAHU).

Distribution. China (Jiangsu, Fujian, Zhejiang, Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan).

Remarks. Specimens of P. gracilis (Saunders) from Yunnan are little different in body color and aedeagus. They look more reddish ( Fig. 17 ). Their aedeagi more slender in BP, the ventrally triangular teeth of PA very small ( Figs 46–48 ). However, it is difficult to determine that the ten specimens should belong to a new taxon considering that geographic variations could be more or less different in morphology in Lucanidae unless many specimens can be found and studied. Possibly, these differences reflect that the species is undergoing highly sophisticated pressures from sexual selection, habitat fragmentation and niche competition among different geographic populations.

In addition, it must be pointed out that the name “ P. gracilis ” was firstly used by Kriesche in 1921 to name a small male from Sumatra. Didier & Séguy (1952: pl. LXXX) illustrated P. gracilis Kriesche with 7 males and 1 female. However, the males looked highly similar to P. piceipennis and P. gracilis (Saunders) . At least, smaller males were not corresponding with Kriesche’s description. Perhaps, Didier & Séguy (1952) wrongly diagnosed the species of P. gracilis Kriesche in their illustration. Benesh (1960) also gave the wrong quotation and recognition of their illustration. Bomans (1978) proposed P. gracilis Kriesche, 1921 as a junior synonym of P. flavidus ( Parry, 1862) based on type examination. Our studies supported Bomans’ opinion. In this paper, all the species name “ P. gracilis (Saunders) ” was wrote simply as P. gracilis .

Figures

Figs 1–4. Labels, type specimens in MNHN. 1. Lectotype of Prosopocoilu gracilis (Saunders). 2. Holotype of Prosopocoilus piceipennis. 3. Holotype of Prosopocoilus tonkinensis. 4. Lectotype of Prosopocoilus denticulatus. Scale bars = 10mm.

Figs 5–17. Prosopocoilus gracilis. 5–12, 14–17. ♂ 13. ♀ 5–7. Specimens from Fujian, Mt. Wuyi. 8. Specimens from Zhejiang, Mt. Tianmu. 9–13. Specimens from Guangxi, Wuming. 14–16. Specimens from Guangxi, Mt. Daming. 17. Specimens from Yunnan, Malipo. 5–6, 8–10, 15–17. Large. 7, 11–12. Medium-sized. 14. Small. 16. With one tooth. Scale bars = 10mm.

Figs 43–60. Aedeagus in ventral view, dorsal view and lateral view. 43–48. Prosopocoilus gracilis (Saunders). 43–45. Specimen from Fujian. 46–48. Specimen from Yunnan. 49–51. Prosopocoilus similis. 52–54. Prosopocoilus piceipennis. 55–57. Prosopocoilus crenulidens. 58–60. Prosopocoilus denticulatus. Scale bars = 1mm.

Figs 61–63. Female genitalia. 61. Prosopocoilus gracilis. 62. Prosopocoilus crenulidens. 63. Prosopocoilus denticulatus. Scale bars = 1mm.