Meligethes (Meligethes) violaceus Reitter, 1873

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 : 547

Meligethes (Meligethes) violaceus Reitter, 1873

Examined material. China, ZHEJIANg, SUICHANg COUNTY, HUANgSHAYAO TOWN, JIULONgSHAN NATURE RESERvE, 24.v.2017, X. CHEN LgT, ON Rosa multiflora THUNb. vAR. cathayensis REHDER & E. H. WILSON, 24 ♂, 33 ♀ ( NWAU, CAR-MZUR, NMPC, ARCC) ; ZHEJIANg, KAIHUA COUNTY, GUTIANSHAN NATURAL RESERvE, 19.v.2017, X. CHEN LgT, ON Rosa cymosa TRATTINNICK, 10 ♂, 11 ♀ ( NWAU, CAR-MZUR, NMPC, ARCC) .

Distribution. CHINA (ANHUI, SHAANXI, HUbEI, ZHEJIANg, FUJIAN, GUIZHOU, JIANgXI, YUNNAN, SICHUAN), JApAN, SE RUSSIA (USSURI) (AUDISIO et al. 2015).

Host-plants. THE HOST-pLANTS Of THIS COmmON AND WIDESpREAD SpECIES WERE REpORTED fROm JApAN ( HAYASHI 1978) AND EASTERN SIbERIA ( KIREJTSHUK 1992), RESpECTIvELY, I.E., Rosa multiflora THUNbERg AND Rosa rugosa THUNbERg IN MURRAY ( ROSACEAE ). MOST Of THE AbOvE SpECImENS COLLECTED fROm CHINA WERE ON fLOWERINg SHRUbS Of R. multiflora vAR. cathayensis ( FIg. 3A ) AND R. cymosa ( FIg. 3D ), IN OpEN SpACES AT THE EDgE Of SEmI-fORESTED HAbITATS AND ALONg ROADSIDES. BOTH RECORDS LIKELY REpRESENT TRUE HOST-pLANTS fOR LARvAE Of M. violaceus .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Actual and/or putative Rosaceae larval host plants of Meligethes (Meligethes) species: a, Rosa multiflora from Zhejiang (host plant of M. (M.) violaceus); b, Rosa sericea from Sichuan (host plant of M. (M.) elytralis and probably also of M. (M.) macrofemoratus); c, Rosa soulieana from Sichuan (host plant of M. (M.) binotatus); d, Rosa cymosa from Sichuan (likely host plant of M. (M.) transmissus); e, Rosa moyesii from Sichuan (likely host plant of M. (M.) semenovi); f, Rosa giraldii from Shaanxi (probably the host plant of M.(M.) aurifer).