Limonius sapphirus Arimoto & Suzuki, 2020

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 : 92-96

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4742.1.5
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3016F563-FDAC-44FD-B6A5-44E1E8DFCFB4
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3681231
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/FC3C87A4-327F-B317-83CE-BA3CBB7BFAE1
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Limonius sapphirus Arimoto & Suzuki
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Limonius sapphirus Arimoto & Suzuki , sp. n.

( Figures 1–4 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 , 7A View FIGURE 7 )

Etymology. In reference to the body shining in blue and green like sapphire jewelry.

Type material. Holotype. Male ( LSA001 ), near Mt. Lala, Taoyuan City to Taipei City, Taiwan, 1 V 1978, Toshio Kobayashi leg. Paratype. Female ( LSA002 ), Mt. Lala , Taiwan, 20–24 V 1980, Hiroshi Makihara leg.

Diagnosis. Body surface with metallic luster; elytra interspaces between punctures larger than puncture diameter. Body light blue, but elytra darker in male; body light blue, but head and prothorax light green in female. Frons in profile weakly depressed apically; supra-antennal carina in dorsal view broadly rounded, but almost straight apically. Antennae extending beyond the posterior apices of pronotum by apical three antennomeres in male, by apical antennomere in female; antennomere III slightly longer than II; IV distinctly longer than wide, longer than II–III combined, longer than V. Prothorax widening posteriad; lateral carina of prothorax weakly prominent just behind anterior angles. Anterior lobe of prosternum in profile weakly inclined. Mesial edge of hypomeron carinate anterolaterad. Prosternal spine with subapical tooth; sides at ventral view roundly expanded and anteriorly strongly prominent. Scutellum almost as long as wide or slightly shorter than wide, strongly convex; posterior margin broadly rounded, but apex almost transverse. Mesepisternum not reaching mesocoxal cavity.

Measurements. Male. BL: 8.35, BW: 2.39, MIE: 0.90, MAE: 1.24, OI: 139, PL: 2.30, PML: 2.18, PW: 2.07, PI: 111, EL: 5.44, EW: 2.39, EI: 228, BI: 237. Female. BL: 9.35, BW: 2.87, MIE: 1.00, MAE: 1.35, OI: 135, PL: 2.60, PML: 2.50; PW: 2.34, PI: 111, EL: 6.09, EW: 2.87, EI: 212, BI: 234.

Description. Body surface generally with metallic luster and smooth, but ventral side of prosternal spine with micro-structure ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 ), elytra partly rough; interspaces between punctures generally larger than puncture diameter, but head depression and scutellum interspaces between punctures smaller than puncture diameter ( Figs. 1D View FIGURE 1 , 2B, C View FIGURE 2 ). Color. Male. Body light blue, but elytra darker ( Fig. 1A, C View FIGURE 1 ). Female. Body light blue, but head and prothorax light green ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 ). Labrum black. Antennae black, but external part of antennomeres IV–XI brown. Mandible black, but apical and internal parts orange. Maxilally palpomeres black, with brown tinge. Anterior edges of head and pronotum, mesial margin and posterior part of hypomeron, anterior lobe of prosternum, prosternal spine, mesothorax, posterior margins of each abdominal segment black. Scutellum black with blue tinge. Legs black, partly orange; claws orange. Tergites and sternites VIII‒X and aedeagus yellow-brown. Pubescence. Body covered with intermixed white and orange setae dorsally, with white setae ventrally. Antennae with yellow to brown setae. Setae of legs white becoming yellow apically.

Head depressed longitudinally medially; the depression becoming narrow and shallow posteriad ( Fig. 1D, E View FIGURE 1 ). Frons in profile weakly depressed apically ( Fig. 1F View FIGURE 1 : green line); supra-antennal carina in dorsal view broadly round- ed, but almost transverse apically ( Fig. 1D View FIGURE 1 ), in profile strongly prominent anteriad ( Fig. 1F View FIGURE 1 : arrow). Antennomeres I and IV–XI longer than wide; II globular, shortest; III obconical, slightly longer than II; IV–X serrate; IV longer than II–III combined, longer than V. Male. Antennae extending beyond pronotum posterior lateral apices by apical three antennomeres ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ); antennomere IV 1.31 x as long as wide, 1.98 x as long as III; XI 2.70 x as long as wide. Female. Antennae extending beyond pronotum posterior lateral apices by apical antennomere ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 ); antennomere IV 1.19 x as long as wide, 1.76 x as long as III; XI 2.01 x as long as wide. Mandible bidentate.

Prothorax trapezoidal, longer than wide, widening posteriad; side weakly rounded; lateral carina extending from anterior angles to hind angles of prothorax, weakly prominent just behind anterior angles ( Fig. 1E View FIGURE 1 : arrow). Pronotum posteriorly with a shallow median longitudinal depression; hind angles broad, rounded, unicarinate; the carina short, extending to the base. Hypomeron: mesial edge with elevated impunctate ridge next to pronotosternal suture, carinate anterolaterad ( Fig. 1G View FIGURE 1 : black arrow); posterior margin without large emargination, weakly sinuate. Anterior lobe of prosternum exceeding anterior angles of prothorax ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 ), in profile weakly inclined (at 15 degrees against prosternal horizontal line, Fig. 1F View FIGURE 1 : red line). Prosternal spine in profile weakly inclined (at 9–10 degrees against prosternal horizontal line, Fig. 1H, I View FIGURE 1 : red line), with subapical tooth; lateral lobe in profile with ventral margin almost straight to weakly emarginate ( Fig. 1H, I View FIGURE 1 : yellow line), at ventral view with sides roundly expanded and anteriorly strongly prominent ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 : arrows); apical margin at ventral view rounded, with weakly prominent apex ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 ). Pronotosternal sutures not grooved, anteriorly opened and appearing double ( Fig. 1G View FIGURE 1 : white arrow). Scutellum 0.95–1.00 x as long as wide ( Fig. 2B, C View FIGURE 2 ), widening posteriad, widest near posterior 1/5, strongly convex above ( Fig. 1H View FIGURE 1 : arrow), strongly inclined anterior-downwards; anterior margin almost transverse or shallowly emarginate; posterior margin broadly rounded, but apex almost transverse. Mesosternum with a median longitudinal carina posterior to mesosternal cavity; borders of mesosternal cavity weakly sinuate followed by strongly declivous ( Fig. 1H, I View FIGURE 1 : green line). Mesepisternum not reaching mesocoxal cavity ( Fig. 2D View FIGURE 2 ). Mesepimeron with deep depression for reception of femora of mid-legs ( Fig. 2D View FIGURE 2 ). Metasternum sulcate medially and behind mesocoxae. Elytral striae I and II weakly grooved; remaining striae not grooved and defined only by rows of punctures. Tarsomeres simple.

Abdomen with external margin micro-serrated ( Fig. 2E View FIGURE 2 ); ventrite V 0.54–0.55 x as long as wide. Male. Tergite VIII 0.81 x as long as wide ( Fig.3A View FIGURE 3 ). Sternite VIII with median notch rounded ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ). Tergite IX almost as long as length of tergite X ( Fig.3C View FIGURE 3 ). Tergite X 2.1 x as long as wide ( Fig.3C View FIGURE 3 ). Sternite IX rounded apically ( Fig.3D View FIGURE 3 ). Female. Terigite VIII 0.98 x as long as wide ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Sternite VIII with side almost parallel on basal half ( Fig. 4C View FIGURE 4 ); spiculum ventrale 1.9 x as long as sternite VIII ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 ), curved twice apically ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 : arrows).

Genitalia. Male. Aedeagus ( Fig. 3E, F View FIGURE 3 ). Basal piece 0.38 x total length of aedeagus. Median lobe exceeding apices of parameres; basal struts 0.31 x total length of median lobe. Parameres separated ventrally; apex beyond lateral subapical barb longer sub-triangular ( Fig. 7A View FIGURE 7 ), rounded apically, 0.11 x length of dorsal side of parameres, without setae dorsally, with some long setae ventrally. Female. Coxites two segmented at ventral side ( Fig. 4F View FIGURE 4 : arrow), with some setae; stylus with setae near apex. Vagina long; uterus with dome-shaped sac at each dorsal and ventral side ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 : white arrow; Fig. 4E View FIGURE 4 : white triangles), with two dome-shaped bulges at right side ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 : black arrow; Fig. 4E View FIGURE 4 : black triangles); bursa copulatrix thick tubular, without sclerotized structures, with two short thin sacs ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 : white triangles), with a long thin sac extending from apex of bursa copulatrix ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 : double white triangles).

Comparative notes. This species is distinct from the congeners by the whole blue to green body with metallic luster. It is relatively similar to Limonius ignicollis Lewis, 1894 in having the following characters: frons in profile weakly depressed apically; supra-antennal carina in profile strongly prominent anteriad above clypeus; antennomere III slightly longer than II; antennomere IV longer than II–III combined and longer than V; prothorax widening posteriad; prosternal spine with subapical tooth; mesial edge of hypomeron carinate anterolaterad; sides of prosternal spine at ventral view anteriorly strongly prominent; scutellum strongly convex. However it is distinguished by the following contrasting characters ( L. ignicollis in parentheses), except for body color: elytra interspaces between punctures lager than puncture diameter (elytra interspaces between punctures smaller than puncture diameter); supra-antennal carina in dorsal view broadly rounded but almost straight apically (supra-antennal carina in dorsal view broadly rounded but weakly emarginate apically); antennae extending beyond posterior apices of pronotum by apical three antennomeres in male and by apical antennomere in female (antennae extending beyond posterior apices of pronotum by apical two antennomeres in male and by apical antennomere in female); antennomere IV distinctly longer than wide (antennomere IV almost as long as wide); lateral carina of prothorax weakly prominent just behind anterior angles (lateral carina of prothorax strongly prominent just behind anterior angles); anterior lobe of prosternum in profile weakly inclined (anterior lobe of prosternum in profile strongly inclined); scutellum almost as long as wide or slightly shorter than wide (scutellum distinctly longer than wide); posterior margin of scutellum broadly rounded, but apex almost transverse (posterior margin of scutellum broadly rounded, but apex often shallowly emarginate).

Distribution. Taiwan: around Mt. Lala, located between Taoyuan and Taipei Cities.