Lutera nigrita Ohaus, 1930

Xu, Hao & Zhao, Ming-Zhi, 2024, Synonymic notes in the Southeast Asian genus Lutera Westwood, 1875 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae), Zootaxa 5523 (5), pp. 531-542 : 538-541

Lutera nigrita Ohaus, 1930

( Figs. 19–30 , 32–35, 37–40, 42–45 , 46 )

Lutera nigromaculata (nec Ohaus, 1900): Ohaus 1905: 97 (a male from Camarines, Philippines); Ohaus 1918: 39 (catalogued, partim); Ohaus 1934: 112 (catalogued, partim); Kuijten 1988: 87, figs. 20–24 [redescription and illustration based on specimens from the Philippines]. (misidentification).

Lutera nigromaculata var. nigrita Ohaus, 1930: 140 (type locality: Mt. Banahao, Luzon Is., Philippines); Ohaus 1934: 112 (catalogued).

Parastasia nigrita (Ohaus) : Machatschke 1972: 45 (catalogued, raised to species status).

Lutera nigrita Ohaus : Wada 1998: 360 (in key), figs. 5–9 habitus; Krajčík 2007: 79 (catalogued); Krajčík 2012: 150 (catalogued); Wada 2015: 9 (figs. 8–12 color variations).

Type material examined. Lutera nigromaculata var. nigrita Ohaus, 1930 , holotype, by monotypy, ♀ ( MFNB, Figs.21–24 ): “ Luzon, Mt. Banahao , 16.6.1914, leg. G. Boettcher // ♀ // R. [sic!] nigromaculata Ohs. v. nigrita Ohs. // Type // Zool. Mus. Berlin” .

Other material examined (27♂♂, 47♀♀). Origin unknown: 1♀ ( MFNB, Figs. 19–20 ), Tonkin, Lakhon [unreliable data] // Lutera nigromaculata , Type Ohs. ♀. // Zool. Mus. Berlin //! Ohaus (1900) described this species on a single ♀ with 2 transverse series of spots on pronotum, conseq. these 5 are no [sic!] types. P. Kuijten Leiden 1986; PHILIPPINES: 1♂ ( MFNB), Camarines Sur Maes C. // Lutera nigromaculata Ohs. Cotype // Zool. Mus. Berlin // [Kuijten’s handwriting, indicated genital apparatus lost] ; 2♀♀ ( MFNB), Mt. Banahao, Luzon vi.1914 G. Boettcher // Lutera nigromaculata Ohs. Cotype // Zool. Mus. Berlin ; 1♀ ( MFNB), S. Luzon Mt . Isarog Böttcher S. / Camarin. iv. 16 [reverse side] // Lutera nigromaculata Ohs. Cotype // Zool. Mus. Berlin ; 1♂ ( MFNB), Mt. Makiling , Laguna, P.I., V.1. [19] 32, 400 ft. elev. // F.C. Hadden Collection // Ohaus determ., Lutera nigromaculata Ohs. // Zool. Mus. Berlin ; 3♂♂ ( MFNB), Mt. Banahao , 11 VI 1914, Boettcher // Luzon ; 2♂♂ ( MFNB), Mt. Banahao, Luzon , VI 1914, G. Boettcher leg. ; 8♀♀ ( MFNB), Luzon, Mt. Banahao , 11 VI 1914, leg. G. Boettcher ; 1♂ ( MFNB), Mt. Banahao , 10. 6 1914, leg. G. Boettcher ; 2♂♂ ( MFNB), Mt. Banahao , 11 VI 1914 , Boettcher // Luzon , // Zool. Mus. Berlin ; 2♂♂ ( MFNB), Mt. Banahao , 10 VI 1914, G. Boettcher // Luzon ; 1♂ ( MFNB), Mt. Banahao , 10. 6 1914 , Boettcher // Luzon ,; 1♂ ( MFNB), Luzon, Mt. Banahao , 9 VI 1914, leg. G. Boettcher ; 6♀♀ ( MFNB), Luzon, Mt. Banahao , 10 VI 1914, leg. G. Boettcher ; 5♀♀ ( MFNB), Mt. Banahao , 11 VI 1914 , Boettcher // Luzon ; 12♀♀ ( MFNB), Luzon, Mt. Banahao , 10. 6. 1914, leg. G. Boettcher ; 1♀ ( MFNB), Mt. Banahao , 11 VI 1914 , Boettcher // Luzon ,; 1♀ ( MFNB), Mt. Banahao , VI 1914, G. Boettcher leg. ; 1♀ ( MFNB), Luzon, Mt. Banahao , 11. 6. 1914, leg. G. Boettcher ; 1♀ ( MFNB), Luzon, Mt. Banahao , 9 VI 1914, leg. G. Boettcher ; 1♂ ( MFNB), Luzon, Mt. Banahao , 11 VI 1914, leg. G. Boettcher ; 1♂ ( ZMPC), Luzon, Aurora , Dingalan , IV.2018 ; 2♀♀ ( ZMPC), Luzon, Aurora, Dingalan, Sierra Madre Mountains Range , VII.2018 ; 2♂♂ ( ZMPC), Mindoro, Mt. Halcon , 2021.VI ; 2♂♂, 2♀♀ ( ZMPC), W. Visayas Region, Negros Occidental, Don Salvador Benedicto , IV.2017 ; 3♂♂ ( ZMPC), Mindanao, Lanao del Sur, Wao, VI.2018 ; 1♂ ( ZMPC), Mindanao, Lanao del Sur, Wao, III.2017 ; 2♂♂ ( ZMPC), Mindanao, Davao del Sur, Kapatagan , VII.2018 ; 1♀ ( ZMPC), Mindanao, Davao del Sur, Kapatagan , VIII.2021 ; 1♀ ( ZMPC), Mindanao, Davao del Sur, Kapatagan , II.2022 ; 1♂ ( ZMPC), Mindanao, North Cotabato, Kidapawan, Ilomavis , Mt. Apo , VI.2018 ; 1♀ ( ZMPC), Mindanao , Compostela Valley [current Davao de Oro Province], VI.2018 ; 1♀ ( CJPC) Mountain Prov. , Bontoc, 2022.VII .

Measurements. Body length 14.5–18.3 mm, width 8.4–10.6 mm.

Variability. Body of this species usually yellow with black maculae on dorsal surface, but this color pattern is also variable ( Figs. 25–30 ), and Wada (2015) presented a totally black individual. Male genitalia displayed as Figs 32–35, 37–40, 42–45 . Parameres symmetric, the width of apices and concavity of ventral margin vary slightly in profile across different local populations.

Differential diagnosis. This species resembles Lutera boettcheri Ohaus, 1916 , but is usually smaller in size. Parameres short and simple, in contrast with long parameres and sinuate dorsal margins in L. boettcheri (see figures in Wada 2015).

Distribution. The Philippines (Luzon Island to Mindanao Island).

Remarks. The Philippine specimen from Camarines, Luzon Island (possibly the male bearing label of “ Camarines Sur ” in the MFNB) was the first known individual of Lutera nigrita , but Ohaus (1905) misidentified it as a male of the Indo-Chinese species L. nigromaculata and attributed the difference in color pattern to sexual dimorphism. Interestingly, Ohaus (1930) made the same misidentification again when more conspecific beetles were available to him, including some females collected near Mount Banahao. All were treated as L. nigromaculata except for one black specimen with yellow spots ( Figs. 21–24 ), which he named as the variety L. nigromaculata var. nigrita , now considered as a valid species. Paulian (1959) recognized that the specimens from Indo-China and the Philippines represented different species and that Ohaus (1905, 1930) had confused them. Consequently, Machatschke (1972) removed Camarines from the distribution range of L. nigromaculata and raised the variety to species rank. Kuijten (1988) tried to clarify this confusion, but the holotype of L. nigromaculata , the sole specimen of this species at that time, had unfortunately disappeared. In contrast, five specimens of L. nigrita deposited at MFNB (see Figs. 19–20 ) were incorrectly labeled as type or cotype of L. nigromaculata . As Kuijten (1988) pointed out, the type status of these specimens is obviously invalid because L. nigromaculata was originally described from a single specimen and the color patterns of this series clearly differ from the original description of L. nigromaculata by Ohaus (1900). The validity of these two species was later verified by the authentic holotype of L. nigromaculata rediscovered by Mary Liz Jameson at MNHN ( Wada 1998). The two species can be easily distinguished by their black body markings: L. nigromaculata has several isolated, rounded spots in generally stable positions, whereas L. nigrita has typically irregular markings with significant variability.

Figures

FIGURE 46. Known distribution of Lutera nigromaculata Ohaus, 1900 (black dots) and L. nigrita Ohaus, 1930 (black triangles). Type localities are underlined, and the open dot in Nepal is a record from Wada (1998) without precise location.

FIGURES 17–24. Type specimens of Lutera spp. 17–18, female holotype of L. nigromaculata Ohaus, 1900 and labels (©MNHN); 19–20, inauthentic type of L. nigromaculata in MFNB (photograph by Bernd Jäger); 21–24, female holotype of L. nigrita Ohaus, 1930 (in dorsal and lateral view), head, and labels (photograph by Bernd Jäger, MFNB).

FIGURES 25–30. Lutera nigrita Ohaus, 1930 with different color patterns.25, 27, Dingalan; 26, Don Salvador; 28, Compostela; 29, Kapatagan; 30, Wao.

FIGURES 31–45. Male genitalia of Lutera species (31–35, dorsal view; 36–40, lateral view; 41–45, ventral view;). 31, 36, 41, L. nigromaculata Ohaus, 1900 from Thailand; 32–35, 37–40, 42–35, L. nigrita Ohaus, 1930: 32, 37, 42, from Luzon Island; 33, 38, 43, from Mindoro Island; 34, 39, 44, from Negros Island; 35, 40, 45, from Mindanao Island