Paroosternum saundersi ( Orchymont, 1925 )

Ek, Martin Fiká Č & Jia, Fenglong, 2011, On the identity of Anchorosternum sinense (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Megasternini), Zootaxa 3121, pp. 66-68 : 66-67

Paroosternum saundersi ( Orchymont, 1925)

Oosternum Saundersi Orchymont, 1925: 289 . Type locality: Singapore.

Paroosternum saundersi: Hansen (1991: 261, transferred from Oosternum to Paroosternum) . Anchorosternum sinensis Jia, Wu , & Pu, 2001: 157, new synonym. Type locality: China, Guangxi province, Nanning. Anchorosternum sinense: Hansen (2004: 61, corrected spelling) .

Type material examined: Paroosternum saundersi : Holotype: 1 unsexed spec. (coll. Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium): “ Singapore / Saunders // Moulton don. // A. d’Orchymont det. / Oosternum / saundersi m. / coll. A. d´Orchymont // TYPE // Paroosternum / saundersi / M. Hansen det.”

Anchorosternum sinense : Neotype (here designated, Figs. 1–3 ): female (Institute of Entomology, Life Science School, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China): Guangxi, Nanning, 1975.6.19. collected by Zhihe Huang [transcribed from the Chinese]. The specimen bears a pink label: “ NEOTYPE / Anchorosternum / sinensis / Jia & Fikáċek 2011 ”.

Additional material examined: INDONESIA: East Sumatra: 1 male ( NMPC): Riau province, Bulit Tigapuluh N. P., 0°50′S 102°26′E, 18.–25.i.2000, lgt. D. Hauck. LAOS: Vientiane: 1 female ( NMPC): Houayang N. P. ( LAO 08-2b), 18°05.88′N 102°40.52′E, 180 m a.s.l., 2.vi.2008, lgt. Solodovnikov & Pedersen. MYANMAR: Tanintharyi: 1 male ( NMPC): Tenasserim, lgt. Helfer. VIETNAM: Hoa Binh: 1 male, 2 spec. ( IRSNB): “Hoa Binh” [labeled as paratypes, but actually not a part of type series according to the original description].

Taxonomic notes. The neotype of Anchorosternum sinense corresponds with the holotype of Paroosternum saundersi in all external characters of diagnostic importance mentioned by Hebauer (2006): (i) prosternal plate bears simple median carina; (ii) elytral intervals 2 and 4 distinctly narrower apically than intervals 1 and 3; (iii) preepisternal plate of mesothorax widest posteriorly, widely contacting metaventral process and bearing coarse punctation; (iv) pronotum without microsculpture on interstices. In addition, the genitalia illustrated in the original description of Anchorosternum sinense ( Fig. 4 ) agree well with the genitalia of Paroosternum saundersi in all details ( Fig. 5 ). Hence, we consider Anchorosternum sinense as a junior subjective synonym of Paroosternum saundersi .

Distribution and biology. Paroosternum saundersi is widely distributed through tropical SE Asia and is usually collected from mammal excrement (typically, cow dung) as it was also the case in the specimens on which the description of Anchorosternum sinense was based.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. 1 – 3: Anchorosternum sinense Jia, Wu & Pu, 2001, neotype (1: dorsal view, 2: ventral view, 3: locality label). 4: genitalia drawing from the original description of Anchorosternum sinense. 5: genitalia of Paroosternum saundersi (specimen from Sumatra).