Meligethes (Odonthogethes) tricuspidatus, Liu & Huang & Cline & Audisio, 2018

Liu, Meike, Huang, Min, Cline, Andrew Richard & Audisio, Paolo, 2018, New and poorly known Meligethes Stephens from China, with bionomical data on some species (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Meligethinae), Zootaxa 4392 (3), pp. 546-566 : 555-556

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4392.3.6
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B6592836-2F1E-4B9D-9DD0-CF2BBA2C1CC3
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5967061
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/144587D0-8103-727D-42A0-D6C245E5E6DA
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Meligethes (Odonthogethes) tricuspidatus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Meligethes (Odonthogethes) tricuspidatus sp. n.

( FIgS. 1f View FIGURE 1 , 2I View FIGURE 2 , 6A View FIGURE 6 )

Diagnosis. NARROWLY ELONgATE, mODERATELY TRANSvERSELY CONvEX AND mEDIUm-SIZED (2.6–2.8 mm) ( FIg. 1f View FIGURE 1 ); SImILAR IN EXTERNAL SHApE AND COLOR TO THE RARE Meligethes (Odonthogethes) luteoornatus AUDISIO, SAbATELLI & JELÍNEK, 2015 fROm YUNNAN AND ALSO CLOSELY RELATED TO M. (O.) occultus AUDISIO, SAbATELLI & JELÍNEK, 2015 fROm YUNNAN AND TO M. (O.) schuelkei AUDISIO, SAbATELLI & JELÍNEK, 2015 fROm SICHUAN AND SHAANXI (ALL IN THE M. chinensis SpECIES gROUp: LIU et al. 2017). THIS NEW SpECIES DIffERS fROm THE THREE RELATED SpECIES IN THE COmpLEX bY ITS DISTINCTIvE OvIpOSITOR, WHICH IS UNmISTAKAbLE DUE TO ITS SHARpLY TRICUSpID ApEX ( FIg. 2I View FIGURE 2 ; OvIpOSITOR Of M. luteoornatus , M. occultus AND M. schuelkei AS IN FIgS. 16f, 16K AND 17K, RESpECTIvELY, IN AUDISIO et al. 2015). ADDITIONALLY, M. schuelkei EXHIbITS A pRONOTUm TRANSvERSELY mORE CONvEX, AND mORE pARALLEL-SIDED IN THE pOSTERIOR TWO-THIRDS (FIg. 21E IN AUDISIO et al. 2015).

Description. Size (fEmALE HOLOTYpE): bODY LENgTH 2.8 mm, WIDTH 1.6 mm.

Body color and pubescence: bODY DARK bROWN, SHINY, pERIpHERAL mARgINS Of pRONOTUm (pRONOTAL CARINA) mARKEDLY pALER, YELLOWISH, WITHOUT mETALLIC HUES ON DORSAL SURfACE ( FIg. 1f View FIGURE 1 ). LEgS YELLOWISH-ORANgE, ANTENNAE YELLOWISH TO ORANgE, WITH bROWN TO DARK bROWN CLUb. PUbESCENCE ON pRONOTUm AND ELYTRA RATHER SpARSE, CREAm COLORED, mODERATELY DISTINCT, EACH INDIvIDUAL SETA NEARLY AS LONg AS ANTENNOmERE 4.

Dorsal habitus: bODY SHApE ( FIg. 1f View FIGURE 1 ) SImILAR TO THAT IN M. luteoornatus (FIg. 21g IN AUDISIO et al. 2015), mODERATELY CONvEX. CLYpEUS WITH TRUNCATE ANTERIOR mARgIN. PRONOTUm TRApEZOIDAL IN SHApE, AND ARCUATELY CONvERgENT DISTAD ( FIg. 1f View FIGURE 1 ); ELYTRA WITHOUT DISTINgUISHAbLE TRACES Of TRANSvERSE STRIgOSE SCULpTURINg. DORSAL SURfACE DIffUSELY pUNCTATE, pUNCTURES ON pRONOTUm AND ELYTRA fINE AND mODERATELY DEEp, SEpARATED fROm EACH OTHER bY CA. 1.2–1.5 DIAmETERS; SpACE bETWEEN pUNCTURES SmOOTH AND SHININg. RATIO LPR1/LELY = 0.42; RATIO WPR1/LPR1 = 2.09; RATIO WPR2/LPR1 = 2.01; RATIO WPR2/WPR1 = 0.95; RATIO LELY/WELY = 1.01; RATIO WPR1/WPRA = 1.71; RATIO WPR1/WELY = 0.90; RATIO WPR2/WELY = 0.86.

Ventral habitus: COmbINED OUTER EDgES Of ANTENNAL gROOvES ALmOST STRAIgHT AND SUbpARALLEL-SIDED ALONg mOST Of LENgTH. MEDIOLONgITUDINAL RIDgE Of mESOvENTRITE bLUNTLY CARINATE, CARINA NOT REACHINg pOSTERIOR mARgIN Of mESOvENTRITE. METAvENTRITE (fEmALE) fLATTENED pOSTERIOR TO mIDLENgTH, WITH bARELY DISTINCT AND SHALLOW mEDIOLONgITUDINAL ImpRESSION.

Appendages: ANTENNAE SHORT ( FIg. 1f View FIGURE 1 ); RATIO ANLE/HWEA = 0.76; RATIO CLLE/W10J = 1.24; RATIO L03J/W03J = 2.40; RATIO L03J/L02J = 0.90; RATIO L03J/L04J = 1.50; RATIO WFTA/LFTA = 0.27; RATIO LETI/WITI = 3.70.

Female genitalia: OvIpOSITOR DISTINCTLY SHApED ( FIg. 2I View FIGURE 2 ), ApEX mARKEDLY TRICUSpID-SHApED, THE CENTRAL vERTEX LONgER THAN LATERAL ONES, mODERATELY SCLEROTIZED; RATIO STLE/DSIA = 0.70; RATIO STLE/CGOW = 0.11; RATIO GONL/ CGOW = 1.48. BASAL pORTIONS Of gONOCOXITES TRANSvERSE, LATERALLY DIRECTED ApICES ACUTELY ROUNDED. RATIO OVPL/ GONL = 2.10.

Male: UNKNOWN.

Variation: bODY SIZES 2.8–2.9 mm (LENgTH) AND 1.60–1.70 mm (WIDTH). ONE Of THE pARATYpES AppEARS ALmOST gLAbROUS, WHICH IS LIKELY DUE TO pUbESCENCE LOSS INSIDE THE COLLECTINg vIAL CONTAININg pURE ETHANOL.

Examined material. HOLOTYpE, ♀: China: HUbEI, SHENNONgJIA NATIONAL FOREST PARK, SHENNONg pEAK SCENIC AREA, 2850–2900 m A.S.L., 31.441944° 110.2925°, 16.vI.2017, P. AUDISIO, M. LIU & M. HUANg LgT, SpARSELY fORESTED AND bUSHY AREA, bEATINg fLOWERINg Rhododendron Sp. ( ERICACEAE ), ( NWAU). PARATYpES: SAmE DATA AS HOLOTYpE, 1 ♀ ( CAR-MZUR); CA. 2500 m A.S.L., CA. 31.454444° 110.285278°, P. AUDISIO LgT, SpARSELY fORESTED AND bUSHY AREA, bEATINg fLOWERINg bUSHES Of Rubus rosifolius, 1 ♀ ( NWAU).

Distribution. Central China (HUbEI) ( FIg. 6A View FIGURE 6 ). THE pOSSIbLE HOST-pLANT IN SHENNONg PEAK SCENIC AREA, Rubus rosifolius, IS WIDESpREAD IN SE CHINA, CHIEfLY IN HUbEI, HUNAN, GUANgXI, JIANgXI AND FUJIAN (LU et al. 2003).

Host-plants. Rubus rosifolius ( FIg. 4A View FIGURE 4 ) COULD REpRESENT A LOCAL HOST-pLANT IN SHENNONg PEAK SCENIC AREA, bUT NO DEfINITIvE LARvAL HOST-pLANT RELATIONSHIpS HAvE bEEN ESTAbLISHED. HOWEvER, WHERE THE HOLOTYpE AND A pARATYpE Of THE NEW SpECIES WERE COLLECTED ON Rhododendron Sp. ( ERICACEAE ), SEvERAL SmALL bUSHES Of Rubus Spp., INCLUDINg Rubus rosifolius, WERE pRESENT ALTHOUgH THEY WERE NOT IN fLOWER AT THE TImE.

Habitat. LOCALITY DATA INDICATES THAT THIS SpECIES AppEARS TO pREfER THE EDgES Of HIgH ALTITUDE SpARSELY fORESTED AND bUSHY AREAS. AS AbOvE REpORTED, TWO SpECImENS Of THE TYpE SERIES WERE COLLECTED bY SWEEpINg fLOWERINg SHRUbS Of Rhododendron Sp. ( ERICACEAE ) IN COmpANY WITH SEvERAL SpECImENS Of M. auropilosus , M. macrofemoratus , M. semenovi , M. hammondi , M. (Odonthogethes) luteomaculatus Sp. N , AND M. (O.) trapezithorax Sp. N.

Phenology. THE fEW AvAILAbLE SpECImENS WERE COLLECTED IN mIDDLE JUNE, WHICH LIKELY INDICATES ADULT ACTIvITY AT LEAST fROm LATE MAY TO JULY.

Etymology. THE SpECIfIC EpITHET IS DERIvED fROm THE pECULIARLY TRICUSpID-SHApED ( tricuspidatus IN LATE LATIN) OvIpOSITOR ApEX ( FIg. 2I View FIGURE 2 ).

Taxonomic remarks. AS REpORTED AbOvE, THIS NEW SpECIES IS SImILAR IN EXTERNAL SHApE AND COLOR TO M. luteoornatus fROm YUNNAN AND M. occultus fROm YUNNAN, AND TO M. schuelkei fROm SICHUAN AND SHAANXI (SEE AUDISIO et al. 2015), WHICH ARE ALL IN THE M. chinensis SpECIES gROUp (LIU et al. 2017), CHIEfLY IN THE HERE DEfINED M. occultus SpECIES COmpLEX (SEE SpECIES CHECKLIST bELOW). FEmALE SpECImENS Of M. schuelkei fROm THE TYpE LOCALITY IN SICHUAN ARE THUS fAR UNKNOWN, bUT DIffERENCES IN THE SHApE Of pRONOTUm Of THE fEmALE HOLOTYpE CONfIRm ITS SpECIfIC DISTINCTION fROm THE NEW SpECIES; HOWEvER, A fEmALE SpECImEN fROm S SHAANXI TENTATIvELY ATTRIbUTED TO M. schuelkei EXHIbITS A DISTINCTLY DIffERENT OvIpOSITOR (FIg. 17K IN AUDISIO et al. 2015). THE AUTHORS ARE ASSEmbLINg fRESH mATERIAL fOR mOLECULAR ANALYSES ON THE WHOLE gROUp, IN ORDER TO bETTER DEfINE THE pHYLOgENETIC AND TAXONOmIC RELATIONSHIpS INSIDE THIS DIffICULT CLADE; ITS EvOLUTIONARY SCENARIO, IN fACT, pRObAbLY pARALLELS THE SITUATION RECENTLY EvIDENCED ELSEWHERE IN SOmE SpECIES gROUpS Of THE RELATED gENUS Brassicogethes AUDISIO & CLINE (AUDISIO et al. 1999, 2001A, b, 2002, 2006, 2011; DE BIASE et al. 2003, 2012; MANCINI et al. 2016).