Prosopocoilus simianshanus Huang & Chen

Huang, Hao & Chen, Chang-Chin, 2011, Notes on Prosopocoilus Hope (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Lucanidae) from China, with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 3126, pp. 39-54 : 41-49

Prosopocoilus simianshanus Huang & Chen new species

Type material. Holotype ( Figs. 2 , 13, 26, 30 ): CHINA: Chongqing: 3, Jiangjin County, Mt. Simianshan, 1200- 1400m, 15.VII.2007, L.-J. Wang leg., deposited in the Shanghai Entomological Museum, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China. Paratypes: CHINA: Chongqing: 7 3, 2 ƤƤ, same data as holotype, all deposited in Chang-Chin Chen’s collection; 43 3, 35 ƤƤ, reared by J. Hao from the living adults collected from the type locality, 70 paratypes (39 3, 31 ƤƤ) in Chang-Chin Chen’s collection, 2 paratypes (13, 1Ƥ) in Natural History Museum, London, 4 paratypes (2 3, 2 ƤƤ) in Hao Huang collection (Qingdao, China), 2 paratypes (1 3, 1 Ƥ) in Luca Bartolozzi’s collection (Firenze, Italy).

Holotype description ( Figs. 2 , 13, 26, 30 ). Body length measured from apex of mandible to terminal tip of elytra: 41 mm.

Color and pubescence: Both dorsal and ventral surfaces of the entire body black, opaque and glabrous.

Head finely microsculptured and smooth on dorsal surface, about 1.5 times as wide as long. Vertex depressed gradually in a triangular area defined by the anterolateral angles and the middle of the posterior margin of the head. Frontal margin wave shaped, protruding and rounded medially as an intermandibular projection. Frons depressed around the intermandibular projection. Labrum defined posteriorly by a transverse labral suture, transverse, about 3 times as wide as long; frontal margin straight, with a shallow central split, and with two lateral splits. Canthus occupying half of the outer margin of the eye. Preocular margin straight. Anterolateral angle of the head a sharp obtuse angle. Postocular margin slightly convex. Mentum microsculptured, trapezoidal, with anterolateral angles rounded. Submentum clearly defined and microsculptured. Gula smooth. Maxilla with the tip of the lacinia not hooked. Labium with the ligula deeply bifurcate and setose. Mandible about twice as long as the head, rather straight from the base to the anterior 1/5 point and strongly incurved at apex, with a triangular subbasal tooth at the basal 1/8 point, and with a shorter anterior tooth at the apical 1/4 point; a subapical horizontal tooth present, forming an apical fork with the apex of the mandible; inner margin between the anterior tooth and the subbasal tooth continuously serrate. Antennal club with three pubescent antennomeres; antennomere 7 with the width slightly greater than that of antennomere 6 and sharply pointed at tip, not lamellate as antennomeres 8–10.

Pronotum finely micropunctate and smooth on the surface; as long as and markedly wider than head; widest at the posterior 1/3 point, forming a protruding lateral angle; lateral margin minutely crenulate, weakly convex from the anterior angle to the lateral angle, concave at the posterior 1/3, and rounded at the posterior angle.

Elytra micropunctate and opaque on the surface, with no striations or large punctures, markedly wider than head and slightly narrower than pronotum.

Legs: Protibia with three distinct teeth and a small denticle along the lateral margin; apex bifurcate with the branches pointed at tip. Mesotibia with a distinct lateral spine. Metatibia nearly smooth on the lateral margin.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 26, 30 ): Ventral plate of the 9th abdominal segment with the basal part almost parallel sided, and without a longitudinal membranous stripe along the midline of the posterior expansion. Aedeagus in dorsal view about 5 times as long as wide. Basal piece rather oblong and elongate in dorsal or ventral view, nearly twice as long as parameres, with dorsal plates well marked; ventral surface mostly membranous near the caudal margin. Paramere triangular and sharply pointed at apex in lateral view, lamellate and rounded at apex in dorsal or ventral view, without a basal process on the ventral surface. Penis (not counting the basal struts and the caudal membranous pouches) elongate, about 0.6 times as long as paramere, membranous along the middle and sclerotized along the lateral margins ventrally; membranous dorsal surface forming a pair of caudal pouches but not forming any dorsal pouch when being fully inflated; pair of processes on the dorsal end of the cross bar about 0.6 times as long as the sclerotized part of the penis; flagellum (permanently everted internal sac) slightly longer than aedeagus, broader and belt-like at basal 1/4, narrower and belt-like from the basal 1/4 point to the apical 1/5 point, and thread-like at the apical 1/5.

Male paratypes ( Figs. 3–4 ). Body length measured from apex of mandible to terminal tip of elytra: 24–51 mm.

Variation. Three forms can be generally defined by the shape of the mandible: 1) the larger-sized form with body length greater than 38 mm, mandibles twice as long as head and slender, with the anterior tooth behind the subapical tooth well developed; 2) the medium-sized form with body length 28–37 mm, mandibles are about 1.5 times longer than head and robust, with the anterior tooth and subapical tooth obsolete; and 3) the smaller-sized form with body length less than 28 mm, mandibles shorter than the head, with only a plate-like inner tooth.

Female paratypes ( Fig. 10 ). Body length measured from apex of mandible to terminal tip of elytra: 22– 28mm.

Color and pubescence: Both dorsal and ventral surfaces of the entire body black, opaque and glabrous.

Head punctate on dorsal surface, with the punctures on the posterior surface markedly smaller than on the anterior surface, and with the punctures in the areas around the eye denser and partly fused. Vertex with a pair of large and poorly-defined lateral bulges. Frontal margin concave with the intermandibular projection weakly marked. Labrum defined posteriorly by a transverse labral suture, about 3 times as wide as long and flat at tip. Canthus occupying 2/3 of the outer margin of the eye. Preocular margin nearly straight. Anterolateral angle of the head obtuse and poorly defined. Postocular margin slightly convex. Mentum densely punctate, rectangular, about 1.8 times as wide as long, and rounded at anterolateral angles. Submentum clearly defined and sparsely punctate. Gula smooth. Maxilla with the tip of the lacinia hooked. Labium with the ligula deeply bifurcate and setose. Mandible half as long as head, evenly incurved, and with a median inner tooth. Antennal club with three pubescent antennomeres; antennomere 7 with the width slightly greater than that of the antennomere 6 and sharply pointed at tip, not lamellate as antennomeres 8–10.

Pronotum densely punctate on the surface; without central depression; about 1.5 times as wide as long, widest at the posterior 1/3 point forming a clear lateral angle; lateral margin minutely crenulate, weakly convex from the anterior angle to the lateral angle, concave at the posterior 1/3, and rounded at the posterior angle.

Elytra densely micropunctate and opaque on the surface except for the sutural area, sparsely punctate and weakly shiny on the sutural area, almost as wide as the pronotum.

Legs: Protibia rather straight to slightly incurved, with 3–5 distinct teeth mostly at the apical 2/3 along the lateral margin; apex shallowly bifurcate with the branches narrowly separated and blunt at tip. Mesotibia and metatibia straight, each with a distinct lateral spine in addition to the terminal spurs and spines.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 35 ): Last abdominal tergite semicircular, with a broad membranous area along the midline. Last abdominal ventrite with a large membranous area at middle. Hemisternite flat or broadly rounded at apex, with the inner apex as far as the outer apex. Spermatheca membranous and specialized, with a pair of lateral branches near apex; each lateral branch coral-like and irregular in shape. Spermathecal duct nearly parallel sided, wider than that of P. yangi . Spermathecal gland and its duct nearly half as long as spermathecal duct.

Distribution. Southern Chongqing (Mt. Simianshan, the type locality).

Etymology. This species is named after its type locality, Mt. Simianshan.

Diagnosis. Prosopocoilus simianshanus is similar to P. piceipennis (Westwood, 1855) , but can be distinguished from it by the following combination of characters: male mandible straighter; apical fork of the mandible widely opened; subbasal tooth of the mandible closer to the base; lateral angle of the pronotum more anterior; lateral margin behind the lateral angle concave; elytra blacker, without a pale brown tinge. A comparative study of the male genitalia showed that P. piceipennis is not very similar to P. simianshanus .

This new species is also similar to Prosopocoilus denticulatus Boileau, 1901 ( Fig. 5 ), but can be distinguished from it by the following combination of characters: male mandibles more distinctly incurved apically; subbasal tooth of mandibles triangular; head markedly narrower; lateral margin of the pronotum more rounded at anterior part and concave behind the lateral angle of the pronotum; body with dorsal surface black, not brown. A compared study of male and female genitalia showed that P. denticulatus ( Figs. 28, 32 ) is not very similar to P. simianshanus .

This new species is similar to Prosopocoilus yangi , but can be distinguished from it by the following characters: male mandibles with subapical tooth; subbasal tooth of the male mandibles triangular; major median tooth of the male mandible located more anteriorly, with the inner margin behind the median tooth continuously serrate; male pronotum widest at the lateral angles; female protibia straighter, nearly smooth on the outer margin at posterior part; female pronotum less transverse; female elytra more opaque and more convex in lateral view; proximal region of the basal piece in male genitalia shorter; penis stronger, with the flagellum markedly longer; hemisternite of the female genitalia with the inner apex not protruding beyond the outer apex; spermathecal duct markedly wider. A comparison in male and female genitalia showed P. yangi to be very similar to P. simianshanus .

Further research showed that P. cyclommatoides from northern Vietnam and southern China ( Figs. 6–8 , 15, 19 , 23, 27, 31 , 36 ) is also similar to P. simianshanus . Prosopocoilus cyclommatoides , P. yangi and P. simianshanus may constitute a group characterized by the following male and female genitalic characters: penis elongate, with the flagellum divided along width into three parts – a broad basal belt-like part, a narrow median belt-like part and an apical thread-like part ( Figs. 29-31 ); spermathecal duct rather narrow and even in width throughout; spermatheca with a pair of coral-like branches ( Figs. 34–36 ) near apex. This group is characterized in external morphology by an appearance of some longitudinal winkles along the anterior transversal line of the male prosternum ( Figs. 13–15).

It is a pity that most species outside China have not been examined, especially the genitalic characters. Further research will clarify the relationships between this small Chinese species group and the similar species in northern India and southeastern Asia, such as P. boreli , P. passaloides and P. t i g r i n u s Didier 1928.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Prosopocoilus species, habitus in dorsal view. 1 — P. yangi, male (Jinfoshan, Chongqing); 2 — P. s i m i a n - shanus, male holotype; 3 – 4 — P. simianshanus, male paratypes; 5 — P. denticulatus, male (Dayaoshan, Guangxi); 6 – 8 — P. cyclommatoides, males (Dayaoshan, Guangxi); 9 — P. y a n g i, female (Jinfoshan, Chongqing); 10 — P. simianshanus, female paratype; 11 — P. cyclommatoides, female (Dayaoshan, Guangxi); 12 — P. spencei, female (Hekou, Yunnan). Scale bars = 1 cm.

FIGURES 29 – 33. Penis and internal sac in ventral view. 29 — P. y a n g i (Jinfoshan); 30 — P. simianshanus (holotype); 31 — P. cyclommatoides (Dayaoshan); 32 — P. denticulatus (Dayaoshan); 33 — P. spencei (Longzhou, Guangxi). Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 34 – 37. Female genitalia consisting of sclerotized part in white background, central conjunction of 9 th tergites in black background (ct 9), whole genitalia in black background, and spermatheca and spermathecal gland taken from another specimen. 34 — P. y a n g i; 35 — P. simianshanus; 36 — P. cyclommatoides; 37 — P. spencei. Abbreviation: ag, accessory gland; mo, median oviduct; sd, spermathecal duct; sg, spermathecal gland; s, spermatheca; bs, branch of spermatheca. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 17 – 20. Prosopocoilus species, head, pronotum and proleg of female in dorsal view. 17 — P. y a n g i; 18 — P. s i m i a n - shanus; 19 — P. cyclommatoides; 20 — P. spencei.