Coraebus ephippiatus Théry, 1938,

Xu, Hongxia, Kubáň, Vítězslav, Volkovitsh, Mark G., Ge, Siqin, Bai, Ming & Yang, Xingke, 2013, Morphological variability and taxonomy of Coraebus hastanus Gory & Laporte de Castelnau, 1839 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae: Coraebini: Coraebina), Zootaxa 3682 (1), pp. 178-190 : 186-187

Coraebus ephippiatus Théry, 1938 , stat. nov.

( Figs. 2 G–I, 4A, 8A–C)

Coraebus hastanus ephippiatus Théry, 1938: 176 . Type locality: China (without exact data).— Kurosawa, 1953: 108, 109; Kubáň, 2006: 410; Bellamy, 2008: 1812.

Description (based on syntype, MNHN). Elongate, body length 10.2 mm, width across the posterior 1/3 of elytra 3.2 mm; vertex blue with green tinge, gradually becoming green toward supra-antennal groove; frons with black triangular depression, covered with white pubescence; frons below supra-antennal grooves and clypeus black; pronotum blue, with green tinge; scutellum green with blue tinge; base and apex of elytra green, medial part with black triangular patch, white pubescence in the shape of a triangle at posterior 1/3 of elytra; ventral side, antennae and legs black.

Head. Vertex slightly projecting beyond anterior margin of eyes; with distinct longitudinal median line; eyes oval, large; frons broadly depressed medially; supra-antennal groove narrow, deep; carina above supra-antennal groove interrupted medially; frontoclypeal keel straight; anterior margin of clypeus straight, shorter than diameter of antennal socket; sculpture of vertex and upper part of frons consisting of coarse punctures and distinct transverse wrinkles, punctures usually well separated. Antennae short, extending only to midlength of pronotum, sharply serrate from antennomere 4; antennomere 1 suboval, shorter than 2; antennomeres 2 and 3 conically truncated with rounded edges; antennomere 3 short, 0.5 times as long as antennomere 2; antennomeres 4–11 subequal.

Pronotum. 1.6 times as wide as long, convex, widest across basal 1/3, subconically tapering anteriorly, with distinct basal impression; anterior margin feebly arcuate; lateral margins relatively straight; posterior angles almost rectangular, posterior margin lobate, with medial part broadly extended in front of scutellum; sculpture consisting of coarse, fused punctures, gradually sparser towards sides and base.

Scutellum. 1.4 times as wide as long, subpentagonal; its margins elevated, keel-like, lustrous.

Elytra. nearly 2.2 times as long as wide, at base almost as wide as pronotal base, humeri prominent; disc deeply depressed between humeri and scutellum; lateral margins converging posteriad to midlength then diverging to posterior 1/3, and distinctly converging to apex; elytral apex shallowly emargined, sides of emargination with small spines; elytral epipleura widest just below humeri, gradually narrowing towards external margin of metacoxa, then sharply narrowing and extending to posterior 1/3 of elytral length; sculpture consisting of dense, coarse punctures and regularly transverse wrinkles.

Ventral side. Mentonniere very narrow, separated by groove; prosternal process subparallel between coxae, apex round, lateral margins elevated, keel-like; sculpture consisting of coarse, large punctures and irregular wrinkles; ventral surface covered with long white, sparse pubescence; abdominal ventrite 1 longer than 2, suture well indicated; ventrites 3 and 4 subequal; ventrite 5 shorter than 3 + 4; ventral side covered with punctures and sparse white pubescence.

Aedeagus as in Figs. 4 A, 8B; ovipositor as in Figs. 8 C.

Type material examined. Syntype, sex unknown ( MNHN): “ Ephippiatus Laf[erté] Chine \ hastanus ssp. ephippium [sic!] Théry [handwritten] Type [red print] \ Coraebus hastanus ssp. ephippiatus Th. [handwritten] [printed, crossed handwriten] \ COLLECTION de BONNEUIL [printed] \ MUSEUM PARIS 1935 Coll A. THÉRY. [yellow label, printed] / SYNTYPE [red label, printed] / MNHN EC 3492 [printed]”

Additional material examined. CHINA: HENAN prov.: Xinxian, Yongshan, 18.vii.1999, Shi leg. (1 Ƥ, IZAS). HUBEI prov.: Tongshan (20 km NW), 7.–17.vi.2004, J. Turna leg. (1 3, VKCB). HUNAN prov.: Mangshan mts., Chengzhou, Jianhua, 8.vi.2004, Zhao leg. (2 3, 2 Ƥ, HBUM); Zhuzhou, Jinxi, 14.vi.2000, Liang leg. (2 Ƥ, HBUM); Tianpingshan mts., 1500 m, 8.viii.1998, Hong Liu leg. (1 Ƥ, IZAS). JIANGXI prov.: Jian, Anfu, Wugongshan mts., 7.viii.2008, Ze, Meng leg. (1 3, JSNC); Wuyuan (1 Ƥ, JSNC). TAIWAN: Bukai, 11.vi.1954 (1 Ƥ, USNM). ZHEJIANG prov.: [“Chekiang”] 17.vi.1919, E. Suenson leg. (2 Ƥ, USNM); Zhoushan [“Chusan”], 10.vii.1931, C. Piuvot leg. (1 3, 2 Ƥ, IZAS); same data but: 7.viii.1931 (1 3, 1 Ƥ, IZAS).

Variability. Sides of emargination on elytral apex with one or two short spines or regular denticles, variability as in Figs. 2 G–I. Colour relatively stable, base of pronotum and elytra always blue or green.

Distribution. China (Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shanghai, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang).

Remarks. The original description of Coraebus hastanus ephippiatus consisted only of the illustration showing the shape of the apex of elytra without any description and detailed label information. We only know that the type originated from China. According to the general distributions of the species, it is presumed that the type specimen came from South-East of China ( Fig. 7 ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. The shape of elytral apex. A – C, Coraebus hastanus hastanus; D – F, C. hastanus oberthueri; G – I, C. hastanus ephippiatus.

FIGURE 4. Morphological variability of aedeagus. A, the aedeagus of Coraebus hastanus ephippiatus; B, the relative warps and consensus configuration; and 1, C. hastanus ephippiatus; and 2, C. hastanus hastanus; and 3, C. hastanus oberthueri.

FIGURE 7. Distribution map of three subspecies. C. hastanus hastanus;, C. hastanus oberthueri; C. hastanus ephippiatus.

FIGURE 8. Habitus, aedeagi and ovipositors. Coraebus ephippiatus. A: dorsal habitus of the syntype specimen; B: aedeagus; C: ovipositor; C. hastanus. D: dorsal habitus of specimen from Thailand; E: dorsal habitus of the specimen from Vietnam; F, G: aedeagus H: ovipositor.