Limonius Eschscholtz, 1829

Arimoto, Kôichi & Suzuki, Wataru, 2020, First record and two new species of the genus Limonius Eschscholtz (Coleoptera Elateridae, Dendrometrinae) from Taiwan, Zootaxa 4742 (1), pp. 89-104 : 91-92

Genus Limonius Eschscholtz, 1829

Limonius Eschscholtz, 1829: 33 (original description); Curtis, 1838: No. 694 (subsequent designation of type species, Elater minutus Linneaus, 1758 ); Westwood, 1838: 26 (subsequent designation of type species, Elater bructeri Fabricius, 1801 ); Stierlin, 1865: 192 (misspelling as “ Simonius ”).

Cidnopus Thomson, 1859: 106 (original description; type species: Elater nigripes Gyllenhal, 1808 ; by monotypy); Etzler, 2019: 313 (treated as a junior synonym).

Dendrometrus Gistel, 1848 : XI (unjustified replacement name); Sánchez-Ruiz, 1996: 108 (synonymized).

Kibunea Kishii, 1966: 46 (original description; type species: Limonius eximius Lewis, 1894 ; by original designation); Sánchez- Ruiz, 1996: 108 (synonymized).

Micrathous Lane, 1971: 24 (original description; type species: Athous brevis Van Dyke, 1932 ; by original designation); Etzler, 2019: 314 (synonymized).

Neoathousius Schimmel & Platia, 1991: 881 (original description; type species: Neoathousius lobelia Schimmel & Platia, 1991 ; by original designation); Etzler, 2019: 314 (synonymized).

Nothodes LeConte, 1861: 171 (original description; type species: Limonius dubitans LeConte, 1853 ; by monotypy); Etzler, 2019: 314 (treated as a junior synonym).

Solskyana Dolin, 1978: 45 (original description; type species: Limonius villiger Solsky, 1881 ; by original designation); Etzler, 2019: 314 (synonymized).

Diagnosis. Head depression triangular; supra-antennal carina in profile strongly prominent anteriad. Antennae serrated from antennomere IV; III almost as long as or slightly longer than II. Pronotum with a shallow median longitudinal depression; hind angles with apex broad and round, unicarinate; the carina short, extending to the base. Posterior margin of hypomeron without large emargination, weakly sinuate. Lateral lobe of prosternal spine at ventral view anteriorly strongly expanded and rounded. Scutellum convex above. Abdomen with micro-serrated external margin. Tarsomeres simple. Female bursa copulatrix without sclerotized structures.

Distribution. Nearctic region: 29 species (Etzler, 2019). Palearctic region: 50 species (Leseigner & Metlik, 2007; Tscherepanov, 1957; Etzler, 2019). Oriental region ( Taiwan): two species. New record from Taiwan.

Etzler (2019) recognized 50 species from the Palearctic region. Cate (2007) and Etzler (2019) treated Limonius substriatus Gebler, 1833 as a valid name, while Tscherepanov (1957) synonymized L. substriatus under Oedostethus tenuicornis (Germar, 1824) (= Hypnoidus tenuicornis ). Etzler (2019) also did not mention Limonius poneli Leseigneur & Mertlik, 2007 . In this paper, we follow the treatments of Tscherepanov (1957) and Leseigneur & Mertlik (2007). Consequently, the total number of Palearctic species is unchanged.

Bionomics. There is no ecological information about the Taiwanese species. These species probably visit flowers since their congeners have frequently been collected by sweeping the flowers of trees (e.g., Arimoto, 2014).