Gamepenthes versipellis (Lewis, 1894)

Arimoto, Koichi & Arimoto, Hisayuki, 2020, The genus Nipponodrasterius Kishii (Coleoptera, Elateridae, Agrypninae), a junior synonym of the genus Gamepenthes Fleutiaux (Coleoptera, Elateridae, Elaterinae), with review of the Japanese Gamepenthes species, ZooKeys 1004, pp. 109-127 : 109

Gamepenthes versipellis (Lewis, 1894) Figures 1D , 2E , 3G , 3I , 4C, D , 7D

Megapenthes versipellis Lewis, 1894: 47 (original description; type locality: Chiûzenji in Tochigi Prefecture and Kashiwagi in Nara Prefecture, Honshu, and Junsai, Sapporo and Otaru in Hokkaido, Japan).

Gamepenthes versipellis (Lewis, 1894); Kishii 1958: 29 (changed generic status).

Megapenthes versipellis aberrant form nigerrimus Nakane, 1958: 86 (original description; type locality: Mt. Osore-zan, Aomori Prefecture, Honshu, Japan).

Megapenthes versipellis aberrant form sexpunctatus Nakane, 1958: 86 (original description; type locality: Mt. Osore-zan, Aomori Prefecture, Honshu, Japan).

Megapenthes versipellis aberrant form octopustularus Nakane, 1958: 87 (original description; type locality: Mt. Osore-zan, Aomori Prefecture, Honshu, Japan).

Megapenthes versipellis aberrant form interruptus Nakane, 1958: 87 (original description; type locality: Mt. Osore-zan, Aomori Prefecture, Honshu, Japan).

Megapenthes versipellis var. shirozui Kishii, 1958: 31 (original description; type locality: Mt. Kujyû-san, Ôita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan).

Note.

The species exhibits elytral color variation. Based on this, Nakane (1958) and Kishii (1958) described four forms and one variant.

Material examined.

1 female, Japan, Hokkaido, Samani District, Samani Town, Mt. Apoi-dake, 9 VIII, 1974, H. Miyauchi leg. [GV001]; 1 male, Japan, Honshu, Nagano Prefecture, Mt. Kisokomaga-take, 31 VII 1976, Ryôji Toyoshima leg. [GV002]; 1 male, Japan, Honshu, Nagano Prefecture, Mt. Yatsuga-take, 26 VII 1979, Katsuhiko Kitagawa leg. [GV003]; 1 male, Japan, Honshu, Gifu Prefecture, Ôno District, Shôkawa Village, Ogamigô, 12 VIII 1995, N. Yuzawa leg. [GV004]; 1 male, Japan, Honshu, Nara Prefecture, Yoshino District, Kamikitayama Village, Mt. Ôdaigahara, 14 VII 1985, Hisayuki Arimoto leg. [GV005]; 1 male, 3 females, Japan, Honshu, Nara Prefecture, Yoshino District, Totsukawa Village, Asahi, Mt. Syakaga-take, 1450 m, 4 VIII 2019, Hisayuki Arimoto leg., from flowers of Tilia japonica [male: GV006; females: GV007-GV009]; 2 males, Japan, Honshu, Nara Prefecture, Kamikitayama Village, Amagase, 11 VII 2004, Hisayuki Arimoto leg. [GV010, GV011]; 1 male, Japan, Honshu, Nara Prefecture, Tenkawa Village, 23 VII 1989, H. Nomura leg. [GV012]; 1 female, Japan, Honshu, Hyôgo Prefecture, Shisô City, Haga Town, Tokura, Mt. Hyôno-sen, 1 VII 2015, S. Sugimoto leg. [GV013]; 1 female, Japan, Shikoku, Ehime Prefecture, Mt. Ishizuchi-san, 26 VII 1979, Kiyoshi Matsuda leg. [GV014]; 1 male, 2 females, Japan, Kyushu, Miyazaki Prefecture, Nishiusuki District, Gokase Town, Mt. Shiraiwa-yama, 1347 m, 32°34'13.7"N, 131°06'51.6"E, 30 VII 2011, Kôichi Arimoto leg. [male: GV015; females: GV016, GV017].

Diagnosis.

Body robust (EI: 226-243, BI: 206-222). Prothorax black in male; female with pronotum and hypomeron red, prosternum black. Each elytron with pale orange U-shaped marking basally; basal marking partly reduced in some. Antennomere II shorter than wide in male, slightly longer than wide in female; III shorter than wide in male, longer than wide in female; IV robust (1.48-1.72 times longer than wide in male, 1.66-1.75 times longer than wide in female), longer than II-III combined (1.72-1.99 times as long as II-III combined in male, 1.08-1.14 times as long as II-III combined in female). Prosternal process weakly inclined dorsad (17-26°). Metacoxal plates not narrowed outwards, with outer edge wide. Apical edge of elytra serrate. Apex of parameres beyond pre-apical expansions widely triangular (apex length 0.5-0.6 times width of parameres at expansion).

Measurements.

Male (8 spec.). BL: 6.60-7.53; BW: 1.92-2.19; MAE: 1.07-1.19; MBE: 0.709-0.831; OI: 141-154; PL: 1.98-2.33; PML: 1.73-1.96; PAW: 1.10-1.22; PW: 1.92-2.19; PI: 103-110; PWI: 172-184; EL: 4.30-5.03; EW: 1.88-2.11; EI: 229-243; BI: 206-222. Female (9 spec.). BL: 7.08-9.24; BW: 2.03-2.60; MAE: 1.12-1.30; MBE: 0.753-0.907; OI: 142-149; PL: 2.20-2.77; PML: 1.89-2.38; PAW: 1.15-1.39; PW: 2.03-2.60; PI: 106-112; PWI: 176-191; EL: 4.64-6.04; EW: 2.02-2.58; EI: 226-241; BI: 207-219.

Distribution.

Japan: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu. Russia: Kunashir Island. This species was also recorded from China and Oriental region ( Cate 2007). Schimmel (2003, 2004, 2006) and Schimmel and Tarnawski (2009) recognized 18 species from China and Indochina: however, G. versipellis had not been confirmed from the area. Therefore, the records of G. versipellis from China and the Oriental region were probably based on misidentifications of allied species, such as G. hubeiensis Schimmel, 2003, G. holzschuhi Schimmel, 2003, G. kresli Schimmel & Tawnawski, 2009, G. sausai Schimmel, 2003 and G. sichuanensis Schimmel, 2003.

Figures

Figure 1. Gamepenthes spp., male, habitus, dorsal view A G. ornatus [GO 003] B G. pictipennis [GP 010] C G. similis [GS 003] D G. versipellis [GV 006] E G. yoshidai [GY 001].

Figure 2. Gamepenthes spp., color variation A G. pictipennis, male [GP 003] B G. pictipennis, male [GP 012] C G. pictipennis, male, holotype of Nipponodrasterius alpicola D G. pictipennis, female [GP 010] E G. versipellis, female [GV 007].

Figure 3. Gamepenthes spp. A-F right basal antennomeres G, H left metacoxal plate I, J apices of elytra A G. ornatus, male [GO 003] B G. ornatus, female [GO 009] C G. pictipennis, male [GP 010] D G. pictipennis, female [GP 011] E G. similis, male [GS 003] F G. similis, female [GS 006] G, I G. versipellis [GV 011] H G. pictipennis [GP 010] J G. pictipennis [GP 003].

Figure 4. Gamepenthes spp., head and prothorax A G. ornatus, male [GO 003] B G. ornatus, female [GO 002] C G. versipellis, male [GV 006] D G. versipellis, female [GV 007] E G. pictipennis, male [GP 010] F G. yoshidai, male [GY 001] A-D dorsal view E, F lateral view.

Figure 7. Gamepenthes spp., male, aedeagus, ventral side A G. ornatus [GO 006] B G. pictipennis [GP 006] C G. similis [GS 008] D G. versipellis [GV 003] E G. yoshidai [GY 002].