Lycocerus plebejus (Kiesenwetter, 1874)

Yang, Yuxia, Kopetz, Andreas & Yang, Xingke, 2013, Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes on the genera Themus Motschulsky and Lycocerus Gorham (Coleoptera, Cantharidae), ZooKeys 340, pp. 1-19 : 10

Lycocerus plebejus (Kiesenwetter, 1874) Figs 14−15

Cantharis plebeja Kiesenwetter 1874: 278.

Lycocerus plebejus : Okushima 2005: 114-116, figs 11e, 12g, 14e, 32, 90.

Cantharis rufonotaticeps Pic 1921: 29. syn. n.

Cantharis brunneonotaticeps Pic 1922: 32.

Athemus brunneonotaticeps : Wittmer 1995: 268, fig. 199.

Lycocerus brunneonotaticeps : Kazantsev and Brancucci 2007: 249. syn. n.

Type material examined.

Cantharis rufonotaticeps : Holotype ♀ (MNHN): [p]"Kiautschau \ China", [h]"rufonotaticeps \ n. sp.", [p] “HOLOTYPUS”.

Cantharis brunneonotaticeps : Holotype ♀ (MNHN): [p]"Kiautschau \ China", [h]"brunneonotaticeps \ n. sp.", [h]"Athemus? \ brunneonotaticeps \ (Pic) \ det. W. Wittmer", [p] “HOLOTYPUS”.

Additional material examined.

CHINA: Shanghai: 1♂ (NHMB): "China, Kiangsu Prov., Shanghai, 15.IV.1932, A. Bavio coll."; 1♂, 1♀ (IZAS): "China, Kiangsu Prov., Shanghai, Zi-ka-wei, 20.IV.1924". Jiangxi: 1♀ (MNHN): “Süd-China, Pingshiang, Dr. Kreyenberg". Fujian: 1♂ (NHMB): "Fukien, Chungan, Bohea Hill, 15.III.1940, coll. T. C. Maa"; 1♀ (NHMB): same data, 16.III.1940; 1♂, 1♀ (NHMB): same data, 29.III.1940; 1♂ (NHMB): "Fukien, Shaowu, Shuipeikai, 3.IV.1942, coll. T. C. Maa"; 1♂ (NHMB): "Fukien, Shaowu, Kuhsienkai, IV.1944, coll. T. C. Maa"; 1♀ (NHMB): "Fukien, Chungan, Kuatun, IV.1942, coll. T. C. Maa"; 1♂ (IZAS): Shaowu, Chengguan, 150−220m, 19.IV.1960, leg. Cheng-Lin Ma; 1♀ (IZAS): same locality, 160−210m, 17.III.1960, leg. Yong Zuo; 1♀ (IZAS): same locality, 150−190m, 18.III.1960, leg. Yong Zuo. Guangxi: 1♂ (IZAS): Guilin, Liangfeng, 17.III.1952; 1♀ (IZAS): same locality, 26.III.1952. Sichuan: 1♀ (IZAS): Mt. Emei, Baoguosi, 550−750m, 7.IV.1957, leg. Ke-Ren Huang; 1♂ (IZAS): same locality, 12.IV.1957, leg. You-Cai Yu; 1♀ (IZAS): same data, 19.IV.1957; 1♀ (IZAS): same data, 3.IV.1957.

Distribution.

China (Shandong, Shanghai, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangxi, Sichuan).

Remarks.

Having examined the holotypes of Cantharis rufonotaticeps Pic, 1921 and Lycocerus brunneonotaticeps (Pic, 1922) (originally in Cantharis ), as well as a large series of additional specimens including both sexes, we were unable to find differences justifying their separation, although some variation in the coloration of head and elytra, which has led us to consider all the examined specimens of both nominal species to be conspecific. Furthermore, we discovered that their characters are consistent with the redescription and illustrations of Lycocerus plebejus (Kiesenwetter, 1874) provided by Okushima (2005). Consequently, we synonymized Cantharis rufonotaticeps and Lycocerus brunneonotaticeps under Lycocerus plebejus , whichconfirmed Okushima’s presum that the latter occurs in China but Japan.