Notoxus peguensis Pic, 1914

Kejval, Zbyněk, 2011, Taxonomic revision of the Oriental species of Notoxus (Coleoptera: Anthicidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (2), pp. 627-673 : 654-656

Notoxus peguensis Pic, 1914

( Figs. 31–34 , 65 )

Notoxus peguensis Pic, 1914: 19 .

Type locality. Myanmar, Bago Division, Bago (see below).

Type material. NEOTYPE, J [torso, lacking head and pronotum], ‘ Pegu [p] // Notoxus distigma ? Fairm [h] // distigma [h; partly illegible] // Notoxus peguensis Pic, 1914 NEOTYPE Z. Kejval des. 2011 [p; red label]’ (coll. Pic, MNHN).

Additional material examined. MYANMAR: BAGO DIVISION: 1 ♀, ‘ Pegu [p] // distigma Fairm [h]’ ( MNHN). KACHIN STATE: 3 JJ 1 ♀, Myitkyina, Sumpra Hotel, at light, 26.–27.v.1999, R. Schuh & H. Schillhammer leg. ( NHMW, ZKDC).

Redescription. Female (Bago, MNHN). Body length 3.6 mm. Head and pronotum reddish; elytra pale reddish, somewhat darker on suture and with paired, vaguely outlined dark brown spot dorso-laterally close behind mid-length. Legs and antennae reddish.

Head and pronotum rather densely punctured. Elytra moderately glossy, punctures in basal half somewhat coarser and distinctly sparser than those on pronotum, dot-like, with smooth margins. Body setation mostly moderately long, subdecumbent to decumbent; pronotum with numerous, distinctly longer erect setae; setation of elytra generally somewhat more raised, decumbent in basal half, with numerous, longer, more raised setae, especially posteriorly. Antebasal setose band of pronotum widely interrupted dorso-medially.

Head wide, with large eyes; tempora strongly and nearly evenly narrowing posteriad; pronotal disc evenly convex; pronotal horn moderately long, rather robust / wide, with wider apical and 3–4 distinctly spaced lateral lobules laterally on each side; horn crest at most very slightly indicated posteriorly, dorsal surface of horn rather evenly vaulted and densely covered by distinct rugules. Elytra conspicuously elongate, 2.2 times as long as wide; humeri distinctly protruding; omoplates and postbasal impression indistinct; elytral apices simply rounded.

Male (neotype). Elytral apices clearly modified, truncate, gland opening quite distinct, situated near protruding apical tubercle as in Fig. 65 . Legs simple. Abdominal sternum VII moderately emarginate postero-medially; tergum VIII widely rounded in dorsal view, its posterior side impressed and conspicuously setose ( Fig. 32 ); aedeagus as figured ( Figs. 33, 34 ).

Variation. Body length (J ♀) 3.1–3.3 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Notoxus peguensis is undoubtedly very close to N. noctivagus , N. suturalifer and N. sodalis sp. nov., as suggested by similarity of male characters. It resembles especially N. noctivagus by rather moderately emarginate male sternum VII (cf. Figs. 31 versus 27) and apically strongly and evenly narrowed parameres (cf. Figs. 33 versus 29), but differs by less deep apical incision of tegmen and mainly by more robust, rather widely rounded, subapically impressed and conspicuously setose male tergum VIII (cf. Figs. 32 versus 28).

Distribution. Myanmar ( PIC 1914).

Remarks. PIC (1914) described N. peguensis from an unstated number of specimens collected in or near Bago (formerly Pegu), which is the capital of the Bago Division in southern Myanmar. The only syntype found in Pic’s collection in MNHN bears the data: ‘ Pegu Indes [h] // type [h] // TYPE [p; red label] // peguensis Pic [h]’. However, the specimen has been completely destroyed by pests (only small fragments of thoracic sterna and legs remain), and provides no useful identification characters.

Notoxus peguensis was described as follows (freely translated from French): ‘Rather elongate, setation longer and raised, yellowish brown with grey eyes, elytra with piceous black spots behind middle and before apex, suture vaguely brownish. Pronotum globose, pronotal horn rather robust, distinctly denticulate, granulose dorsally, horn crest indistinct, not raised; elytra not very long, subparallel, not truncate apically. Body length 4 mm. Close to N. assamensis Krek. , less elongate and with different markings of elytra’ ( PIC 1914). Pic’s description of the body colouration and the morphology of the pronotal horn (robust, granulose dorsally, with indistinct crest) support placement of N. peguensis near N. suturalifer and N. noctivagus . This is further confirmed by (i) fragments of the pronotum and elytra found in beetle debris gathered in the box corners, belonging most likely to the type, (ii) identity of another two male and female specimens from ‘Pegu’ pinned in the same box (these two specimens bear otherwise quite different labels and do not seem to belong to the type series).

There is no evidence of existence of other syntypes of N. peguensis . Moreover, since, members of the relevant species-group are rather uniform and difficult to recognize by external characters, a neotype is designated from one of the above mentioned specimens from Pegu in order to stabilize the nomenclature of this genus according to Article 75.3.1 of the Code (ICZN 1999). These two specimens fully agree with the original description and bear the same locality data.

The neotype of N. peguensis bears a ‘ Notoxus distigma ’ identification label. This Afrotropical species was described by FAIRMAIRE (1893) from an unstated number of specimens originating from Kayes in southwestern Mali of today. Searching Fairmaire’s collection in MNHN, I was able to find only two female specimens mounted on quite identical cards (bold line near base), and labelled: ‘ Notoxus Distigma Fairm Senegal [h]’ or ‘ Notoxus distigma Fairm. Badoumbe. [h].’ Despite differences in the locality data, these specimens may represent syntypes of N. distigma , since FAIRMAIRE (1893) described some species also from Badoumbe which is located in the same region as Kayes. Having compared the type specimens of N. distigma and N. peguensis , I surprisingly failed to find any substantial external differences and had initial doubts about the origin of the specimens of the former species. However, N. distigma is surely native to western Africa, based on the presence of a closely related species, N. pericarti Bonadona, 1984 from Tchad (‘Farcha, dans le Bas-Chari’). It may even be identical with this species, because the distinguishing characters given by BONADONA (1984), i.e. larger body-size, absence of humeral and apical dark spots on the elytra, are undoubtedly variable and useless for species identification; however, this question is beyond the scope of the present paper. Nevertheless, it seems that N. noctivagus species-group comprises both Oriental and Afrotropical species and displays a disjunct distribution.

Figures

Figs. 31–34. Notoxus peguensis Pic, 1913 (Bago): 31 – sternum VII; 32 – tergum VIII; 33 – aedeagus in dorsal view; 34 – the same, lateral view. Scale (0.5 mm): A – Figs. 31, 32; B – Figs. 33, 34.

Figs. 61–75. 61–64 – elytra: 61–62 – Notoxus noctivagus Krekich-Strassoldo, 1916 (61 – Karadj, 62 – Punjab); 63–64 – N. variabilis Krekich-Strassoldo, 1913 (63 – syntype, 64 – Mulshi). 65–67 – elytral apices: 65 – N. peguensis Pic, 1914 (Myitkyina); 66 – N. psammophilus Telnov, 2007 (Cam Ranh Bay); 67 – N. variabilis (Mulshi). 68 – N. ales Telnov, 2007 (Ban Nape), laterobasal fovea of sternum III; 69–70 – N. ravana sp. nov.: 69 – laterobasal fovea of sternum III; 70 – apex of elytron. 71–72 – N. ales (Ban Nape): 71 – male sternum VII; 72 – punctation of elytra (basal half). 73 – N. impavidus sp. nov., the same. 74 – N. donckieri Pic, 1908 (Phuyen Binh), male protibia. 75 – N. hilaris sp. nov., the same.