Acalolepta sexplagiata, Vitali, 2024

Vitali, Francesco, 2024, Taxonomic notes about some Indo-Australian Lamiini (Coleoptera Cerambycidae), Faunitaxys 12 (43), pp. 1-11 : 4-8

Acalolepta (Dihammus) longicornis timorlautensis ( Breuning, 1935)

5a. Male, Holotype ( CFV).

5b. Female, Paratype ( CFV) .

Examined material

- 1 ♂, Moluccas, Tanimbar Is., Yamdena I., Lorolun village , 20 km NE of Saumlaki, 150 m, 26-XII/ 13-XII-2006, S. Jakl lgt., in CFV ; 1♂, ditto, XII-2006, B. Oboril lgt., in CFV ;

- 1 ♂, ditto, 15/ 20-XII-2006, B. Oboril lgt., in CFV ;

- 2 ♀, Indonesia, Tanimbar Is., VI / VII-1802, W. Dohert lgt., in MNHNP ;

- 1 ♀, ditto, VI-1996, in CGC .

variability of the male, which now results to be between 31 and 34 mm (26-43 mm in female).

Further examined specimens show an extremely fine but complete dorsal pubescence. Thus, as previously supposed ( Vitali, 2018), the lack of the dorsal pubescence is actually an artifact due to the caducity of the dorsal pubescence of this taxon. This phenomenon occurs in other insular species such as Acalolepta noctis Goussey, 2007 , Batocera gerardhoullieri Houllier & Le Piouff, 2020 and Trirachys inhirsutus (Matsushita, 1932) .

Acalolepta (Dihammus) longicornis barsevskisi n. ssp.

( Fig. 7)

ZooBank: https://zoobank.org/ 36C100EC-CBD9-45AF-ACF8-8E617CCB5981

Holotype, ♂, Indonesia, Babar , Tepa vill., VIII-2023, local collector, in DUBC.

Differential diagnosis. – Body size: 40 mm.Similar to A.longicornis timorlautensis , it differs in the pubescence, ash-grey on the vertex and white around the margin of the eyes. This pubescence is always ochreous in all examined specimens of timorlautensis, well corresponding to Breuning’s description.

Other characters, as the larger body size (40 mm vs. 31–34 in males timorlautensis), the lighter ochreous pubescence of antennae, the lesser abundance of pubescence on antennomere III and tibiae, the missing ochreous pubescence on the elytral base and femurs, are probably due to this specimen but they are not peculiar of this form.

Acalolepta longicornis barsevskisi n. ssp. is, however, a weak subspecies,enough characterised,but little different from timorlautensis, corresponding to the fact that Babar is an island located at only~ 130 km from Yamdena.

Etymology. – I am honoured to dedicate this species to Prof. Arvīds Barševskis (Daugavpils University, Latvia), who sent me in study this specimen, for his great contribution to the knowledge of the Oriental Cerambycidae .

Distribution. – This form is endemic to Babar ( Moluccas, Indonesia).

Acalolepta dispar ( Pascoe, 1866)

( Fig. 8 -9)

Orsidis dispar Pascoe, 1866: 308 ( Malaysia, Sarawak) or. comb.

Orsidis unicolor Fisher, 1935: 605 ( Malaysia, Sabah, Mt. Kinabalu) n. syn.

Examined material

Orsidis dispar Pascoe, 1866

- SYNTYPE ♂, Borneo, Sarawak, ex. coll. F. Pascoe, in BMNH ( Fig 8) ;

- 1 ♂, Malaysia, Sabah, Mt. Trus Madi , 2-IV-2008, loc. coll., in CFV ; - 1 ♀, Borneo, Kalimantan, Mt. Bawang , in CGC .

Orsidis unicolor Fisher, 1935

- HOLOTYPE ♂, B. N. Borneo / Mt. Kinabalu , / Kenokok / 3,300 ft. / 23 rd April 1929 [printed] // H. M. Pendlebury coll. / F.M.S. Museums. [printed] // Type No / 57517 / USNM [printed], in USNM;

Remarks. – Breuning (1935) originally described this taxon as a species, but Vitali (2018) considered it as subspecies of A.longicornis (Thomson 1857) . The opportunity to purchase additional material allowed integrating the knowledge of this form with the body size

- 1 PARATYPE, B. N. Borneo / Mt. Kinabalu, / Kenokok / 3,300 ft. / 24 th April 1929 [printed] // Ex. F.M.S. / Museums. / BM 1955-354 [printed] // NHMUK 013387096 [QR Code], in BMNH (Fig, 9);

- 1 ♂, B. N. Borneo / Mt. Kinabalu, / Kenokok / 3,300 ft. / 26 th April 1929 [printed] // NHMUK 013387099 [QR Code], in BMNH.

Acalolepta opposita ( Pascoe, 1866) - 1 ♂, Malaysia, Sabah, Crocker Range , 23-III-2016, loc. coll., in CFV .

Remarks. – The examination of the types of Orsidis dispar ( Fig. 8) and O. unicolor (Fig. 9) has confirmed the suspicion that these Bornean species are synonyms.

In fact, Fisher (1935) compared his new species O. unicolor to the description of O. dispar evidencing differential characters (elytral pubescence and dense puncturing of head) absent in the description of O. dispar and present in both species. Breuning (1944c), who could not have access to any of the types, decided to prudently accept both species, stating fanciful differences, i.e., elytral apex punctured in dispar or head with only some points in unicolor . Actually, these characters are absent in both species and even contrary to the original descriptions.

Acalolepta dispar and A. opposita form a group of Sunda species characterised by very dense puncturing on the head and pronotum. Their systematic position is uncertain since they are apparently related to the true Acalolepta but also to the genera Mimorsidis Breuning 1938 and Dohertyorsidis Breuning 1961 .

Metopides Pascoe, 1866

Pilohammus Vitali, 2019 n. syn.

Examined material

Metopides paradoxus Hüdepohl, 1992

- 1 ♂, Indonesia, West Kalimantan, Mt. Bawang , VII.2019, C. Nock lgt., in CFV ( Fig. 10) .

Acalolepta mixta (Hope, 1841)

- Monochammus mixtus SYNTYPE ♂, mixta / Hope N. A. [handwritten on a white label] // TYPE / Hope / Ann. Nat. / Hist. 1842 / P. 428 / Coll. Hope Oxon. [handwritten on a white label with red borders] // TYPE COL 1823 1 / 3 / Monohammus / mixtus Hope / HOPE DEP: OXFORD, in OUMNH;

- Dihammus bispinosus HOLOTYPE ♂ Quang-Tri Annam [handwritten by Pic in a yellowish label) // Dihammus / bispinosus / mihi Typ. / det Breuning [handwritten by Breuning and printed on a white label] // type (handwritten on a yellow label] // Museum Paris / Coll. M. Pic [printed on a white label] // HOLOTYPE (printed on a red label], in MNHNP;

- Acalolepta bispinosipennis HOLOTYPE ♀, Celebes M. [printed on a whitish label] // Acalolepta / bispinosipennis / mihi Typ. / Breuning dét. [handwritten by Breuning and printed on a white label] // TYPE [printed on a red label], in MNHNP;

- Acalolepta sumbawana HOLOTYPE ♀, Sumbawa / Collfs [printed on a whitish label] // Acalolepta / sumbawana / mihi Typ. / Breuning dét. [handwritten by Breuning and printed on a white label] // TYPE [printed on a red label], in MNHNP;

- Acalolepta savoensis HOLOTYPE ♂, Savu I. / VIII-[18]96 / [P.] Everett [printed on a whitish label] // Acalolepta / savoensis / mihi Typ. / Breuning dét. [handwritten by Breuning and printed on a white label] // TYPE [printed on a red label], in MNHNP;

- 1 ♀, N[ew] Galles // Acquisition / du Muséum 1925 / 3386 // 15528, in MNHNL ;

- 1 ♀, Solomon Is., Bellona, 7.III.1998, on a dry tree in daytime, C. A. Casadio lgt., in CFV .

Acalolepta ampliata (Gahan, 1888)

- 1 ♂, Iles Salomon, Orsidis ampliatus Gah., Acquisition du Muséum 1922, 2231, 14795, in MNHNL ;

- 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal, Honiara reg., Lunga river env., 5–15 km south of Barana vill., 20-XI/ 15-XII-2013, St. Jakl lgt., in CFV ;

- 1 ♀, Malaita, Auki, Ngdaifiy village , 26-III-1998, C. A. Casadio lgt., in CFV ;

- 1 ♀, Savo Island (Centr. Prov.), Sasiaka village, 18/ 25-VII-2008, local collector, in CAW ;

- 1 ♂ Temotu, Reef , I-2005, loc. coll. lgt., in CPL ;

- 3 ♂, 1 ♀, Temotu, Santa Cruz , 9-XII-2004, in CFV .

Acalolepta nivosa (White, 1858) - 1 ♀: Sri Lanka, Kandy , VIII-1989, in CGD ;

- 1 ♂, Pakistan, Kohat , Darra Adam Kehl, VII-2022, ex coll. A. Filatov, in CFV .

Remarks. – The subgenus Pilohammus (type species: Monohammus mixtus Hope, 1841 ) was erected for those Acalolepta species showing the scape provided with scattered recumbent setae of contrasting colour and male protibiae with a simple furrow ( Vitali, 2019). Additional characters were the pronotal disc depressed and provided with three elevated bulges and elytra apically truncated and parallel-sided in both sexes. This subgenus included Acalolepta mixta and A. ampliata and seemed naturally widespread in Australia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, though the former species was sometimes intercepted in eastern Asia ( Vitali, 2017c). The existence of further species belonging to this subgenus was hypothesized in Papua New Guinea ( Vitali, 2019).

A closer examination of Metopides revealed that this genus shares the same characters of Pilohammus , especially the peculiar pubescence of the scape.

These peculiar recumbent setae are present on the scape and legs of Metopides ( Fig. 10b), Acalolepta ampliata (Fig. 11) and A. mixta (Fig. 12). In A. ampliata , they also cover antennomeres III–IV or V. Furthermore, the apex of the femora and the base of the tibiae are covered with light pubescence as in Metopides . However, neither Breuning (1944b) nor HÜDEPOHL (1992) remarked on these characters.

These peculiar setae are also present on legs and scape of Acalolepta nivosa but they are little visible on the scape since they show about the same colour of the ground pubescence (Fig. 13b). The setae on legs are instead clearly visible and analogue to those of Metopides . This species also shows small lower eye-lobes, relatively short antennae, flattened elytra, rounded elytral apex and pronotum with three bulges (Fig. 13a). The apex of femurs and the base of tibiae are covered with yellow pubescence as in Metopides . Consequently, A. nivosa finds a better classification into the genus Metopides .

A. mixta shows four elytral spines and the most transverse pedicel, looking to be the most evolved species of the group. The elytral spines seem, however, a synapomorphic character, since they are common to several genera that evolved spined species in the Australian fauna, e.g., Acalolepta , Pachydissus and Trirachys .

Interestingly, Hüdepohl (1992) remarked that Breuning’s key (1943a) was misleading since Metopides does not show any mesosternal tubercle and thus, it is close to Acalolepta . According to HÜDEPOHL, Metopides differs from Acalolepta in the scape deeply incised at the apex, the thinner lower eye-lobes, and the wrinkled pronotum and frons. Actually, these features are more or less present in many Acalolepta species. In contrast, the characters of the scape, protibiae, pronotum and elytral shape reveal that Pilohammus is more related to Metopides than to Acalolepta .

Other characters separating Metopides from Pilohammus , i.e., smaller lower eye-lobes, shorter antennae, less flattened elytra and rounded elytral apex, seem to constitute a gradation without forming a clear separation between these species. Thus, Metopides should be considered as senior synonym of Pilohammus .

In conclusion, Metopides includes at least the following five species:

Metopides occipitalis Pascoe, 1866 (type-species)

Metopides paradoxus Hüdepohl, 1992

Metopides mixtus (Hope, 1841) n. comb.

Metopides ampliatus (Gahan, 1888) n. comb.

Metopides nivosus (White, 1858) n. comb.

Distribution. – Currently, Metopides shows a distribution from Pakistan to the Solomon Islands, through India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and Australia. Considering this very wide distribution, the genus is likely reasonably ancient and further species might be attributed to the genus.

Jeanvoinea annulipes Pic, 1934

( Fig. 14)

Examined material

Jeanvoinea annulipes Pic, 1934

HOLOTYPE ♀, TONKIN / Chapa / 9.V.1918 / JEANVOINE [printed and handwritten on a black framed label] // Jeanvoinea / n. gen /

annulipes / n sp. [handwitten by Pic] // type [handwritten by Pic] // type [printed on a red label] in MNHNP (Fig. 13a).

Acalolepta flocculata paucisetosa (Gressitt, 1938) - 1 ♂, Vietnam, Yên Bái Mù Cang Ch ải, V-, in CWT ;

- 1 ♂ (Fig. 13b–c), 1 ♀, Laos, Hua-Phan , Mt. Phu Pane, Ban Saleui, 1/ 20-V-2014, S. Jakl lgt., in CFV ;

- 1 ♂, ditto, 1-V-2012, loc. coll., in CXG ;

- 1 ♀, ditto, 1-VII-2013, loc. coll., in CXG ,

- 1 ♀, ditto, 15.IV.2017, in CGC .

Remarks. – Pic (1934) described Jeanvoinea annulipes based on a female ( Fig. 14a), comparing it to Aristobia Thomson and evidencing the annulated knees, the origin of the specific epithet.This species was in all likelihood unknown to Breuning (1944a), who provided a scarcely characterised description and, especially, did not add the description of the male, actually well-known at that time.

In fact, though both Pic (1934) and Breuning (1944a) did not remark on this significant detail, the holotype of Jeanvoinea annulipes shows a scape covered with scattered recumbent setae of contrasting colour. The same character and the typical annulated knees are also present in Monochamus flocculatus Gressitt, 1935 ( Figs 14b–c).

Gressitt (1938) transferred this last species to Dihammus , but Breuning (1944e) considered doubtful this taxonomic position. Nonetheless, he did not remark on the similarity with Jeanvoinea . Afterwards, Breuning (1961a) transferred it to Acalolepta , but Weigel (2012) re-transferred it to Monochamus , due to the open cicatrix of the scape. Actually, the genus Monochamus is characterised by a close cicatrix.

The examination of the holotype of Jeanvoinea annulipes has revealed that this species is nothing other than the female of Monochamus flocculatus . In particular, since Gressitt (1935) described M. flocculatus from the Taiwanese subspecies, Jeanvoinea annulipes is synonym of the continental subspecies paucisetosus Gressitt, 1938. The species epithet flocculatus has to be conserved but it must be used for the Taiwanese subspecies of Jeanvoinea annulipes .

Consequently, the following taxonomic changes are introduced:

Jeanvoinea annulipes Pic, 1934

= Dihammus flocculatus paucisetosus Gressitt, 1938 n. syn. Jeanvoinea annulipes annulipes Pic, 1934

= Dihammus flocculatus paucisetosus Gressitt, 1938: 154 .

= Acalolepta flocculata paucisetosa Breuning, 1961a: 372 .

= Acalolepta floculata paucisetosus [sic]: Hua et al., 2009: 331 missp.

= Monochamus flocculatus Weigel, 2012: 410 .

Jeanvoinea annulipes flocculata (Gressitt, 1935) n. comb.

= Monochamus flocculatus Gressitt, 1935: 188 or. comb.

= Dihammus flocculatus Gressitt, 1938: 154 .

= Dihammus flocculatus flocculatus Gressitt, 1951: 400 .

= Acalolepta flocculata flocculata Breuning, 1961a: 372 .

= Acalolepta floculatus [sic] Hua et al., 2009: 331 missp.

An updated description of the genus Jeanvoinea , including the description of the male, is added below:

Description. – Body relatively stout, covered with a dense golden and dark brown pubescence forming strongly changing patterns according to the direction of the light. Frons not trapezoidal; antennae annulated at base, with some recumbent setae but not evidently fringed; scape gently bowed, covered with scattered recumbent setae of contrasting colour, its apex rounded with open cicatrix; antennomere III longer than scape or than IV; antennomeres III–IV inflated and flattened in male, normal in female. Pronotum with a strong lateral spine. Elytra strongly uneven, without humeral spine or granules at base. Procoxal cavities posteriorly closed; prosternum regularly rounded; mesosternum strongly rounded anteriorly. Mesotibiae distinctly furrowed; apex of femora and base of tibiae covered with yellow pubescence; claws divergent (“divariqués” according to Breuning).

Differential diagnosis. – Jeanvoinea annulipes shows recumbent setae on the scape and legs analogous to those of Metopides ( Fig. 14b). Theelytral shape and proportions are also analogous to those of Metopides , while the scape is bowed similar to Metopides paradoxus and M.ampliatus . Moreover, closely observing Metopides species, all show knees covered with light pubescence. Interestingly, the same character can be observed in Acalolepta subbasicornis (Breuning, 1960) and Trachystolodes tonkinensis Breuning 1943 , both widespread in Indochina, but the scape does not show recumbent light-coloured setae in these species.

Nonetheless, Jeanvoinea also shows a completely different elytral surface (strongly uneven and covered with bronze metallic pubescence) and antennomeres III–IV inflated and flattened in males. Thus, Jeanvoinea is more related to Metopides than to Acalolepta but it deserves to constitute a peculiar genus, possibly derived from Metopides .

Distribution. – Jeanvoinea annulipes is presently known from continental China, Vietnam, Laos and India (nominotypical form) and Taiwan ( ssp. flocculata ). Except for Vietnam, all countries are new records for this species, which was never recorded from Laos under A. flocculata paucisetosa either ( Hua et al., 2009).