Ptomaphaginus bryanti Jeannel, 1936

Schilthuizen, Menno & Perreau, Michel, 2008, New species and new records of Ptomaphaginus Portevin from the Sunda region, Southeast Asia (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Cholevinae), Zool. Med. Leiden 82 (19), pp. 189-210 : 191

Ptomaphaginus bryanti Jeannel, 1936

( fig. 13 )

Ptomaphaginus Bryanti Jeannel, 1936: 56-59 , figs 63-66.— Holotype ♂ ‘Type’ [round white label with red rim], ‘Mt. Matang, W. Sarawak, G.E. Bryant, 16.i.14 ’ [white rectangular label], ‘G. Bryant Coll. 1919-147’ [white rectangular label], ‘L2’ [white rectangular label], ‘TYPE’ [white label with red print], ‘See slide 5 (Jeannel 1934)’ [white rectangular label], ‘ Ptomaphaginus Bryanti n. sp. R. Jeannel det.’ [white rectangular label, Jeannel’s hand] in BMNH [examined]. Microscope slide, lefthand side: ‘ Ptomaphaginus Bryanti n. sp. Jeannel, Type, Mt. Matang’ [white square label, Jeannel’s hand, the word ‘Type’ underlined in red], ‘1919-147 (B.M.), org. copul. ♂ (Slide 5, Jeannel 1934)’ [white square label, the words ‘org. copul. ♂’ in Jeannel’s hand], ‘Type’ [round white label with red rim] in BMNH [examined, and remounted (with permission) as dry mount on the pinned card].— Ptomaphaginus bryanti Szymczakowski 1964: 135-137 , figs 14 , 116-119 (redescription).

Remarks.— The aedeagus of this species was figured by Jeannel (1936: fig. 66; reproduced in fig. 13 ) as a highly asymmetric structure, with a long terminal and a single lateral processus. Re-examination of the type specimen, however, showed that the weakly sclerotised aedeagus was embedded in the microscope slide in a folded condition, which obscured the presence of a second lateral processus. After remounting, it became apparent that the aedeagus is in fact almost symmetrical. Its shape is very similar to that of specimens from Sabah, which we describe below as P. bryantioides spec. nov. P. bryanti , however, differs from the new species in having a much more slender habitus.

P. bryanti Jeannel , together with the new species P. bryantioides spec. nov., P. kinabaluensis spec. nov., P. latimanus spec. nov., P. caroli spec. nov., and P. similipes spec. nov. appear to form a group of closely related species which differ strongly in habitus and secondary sexual characteristics, but are united in the structure of the aedeagus, a generalisation of which may be given as follows. The basal part is symmetrical, 1.5 to 2 times as long as wide. The apical part is curved ventrad and has two lateral “wings”, which appear to be (partly) composed of the apices of the parameres, as they carry the characteristic styli. Terminally the aedeagus has a thin-walled triangular or elongate processus, which might act as a “guide” for the extrusion of the long, but relatively thick internal styletto.

In fact, the aedeagal structure is more complex and difficult to interpret. The six species united here probably form a monophyletic group, but this needs confirmation with molecular and detailed morphological analysis. It is likely that species with a similar aedeagus, e.g., P. coronatus Szymczakowski from Palawan ( Philippines) belong in the same group as well.

Figures

Figs 13-15. 13, Ptomaphaginus bryanti Jeannel, aedeagus; reproduced from Jeannel (1936). 14, Ptomaphaginus caroli spec. nov., holotype; aedeagus dorsal view. 15, Ptomaphaginus caroli spec. nov., holotype; aedeagus lateral view.