Serangium Blackburn, 1889

Wang, Xing-Min, Ren, Shun-Xiang & Chen, Xiao-Sheng, 2011, A review of the genus Serangium Blackburn (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) from China, ZooKeys 134, pp. 33-63 : 35-36

Genus Serangium Blackburn, 1889

Serangium Blackburn, 1889: 187, 209. Type species, monotypy: Serangium mysticum Blackburn, 1889.

Serangium : Sicard, 1909: 150, 151; Chapin, 1940: 268; Miyatake, 1961b: 50; Sasaji, 1971: 52; Pang & Mao, 1979: 27; Miyatake, 1994: 238; Ślipiński & Burckhardt, 2006: 39; Ślipiński, 2007: 53.

Semichnoodes Weise, 1892: 15. Type species, monotypy: Semichnoodes kunowi Weise, 1892. Synonymized by Weise, 1908: 13.

Catana Chapin, 1940: 266. Type species, original designation, Catana clauseni Chapin, 1940. Synonymized by Ślipiński & Burckhardt, 2006: 39.

Diagnostic description.

Body minute, hemispherical with head in repose drawn into prothorax and closely fitting ventrally against prominent prosternal lobe (Fig. 1); dorsum glabrous, except pronotum with sparse setae, and sometimes elytral margins (Fig. 13). Head transverse, ventrally flattened with clypeal region prominent anteriorly (Fig. 2); frontoclypeus deeply emarginated around exposed antennal insertions. Mandible normal, with single apical tooth (Fig. 4); terminal maxillary palpomere always longer than wide, barrel shaped, truncate at apex (Figs 7-8). Antenna 9-segmented, antennomere 3 moderately to strongly elongate, terminal segment forming a large club which is always spatulately elongate or elongate oval and flat, apex angular (Figs 5-6).

Pronotum short, strongly transverse. Scutellum relatively large, triangular. Elytra strongly convex, usually smooth without visible punctures. Winged; wings with greatly reduced venation. Prosternum strongly prominent medially forming a broad lobe concealing mouthparts from below; prosternal process subtruncate apically, broad (Fig. 3). Epipleuron moderately narrow, incomplete, reaching 2/3 of elytra length, with clearly delimited cavities to accommodate apices of mid and hind femora. Abdomen with 5 ventrites (Fig. 10). Postcoxal line at abdominal ventrite 1 incomplete, reaching lateral margin of the ventrite, without associated pits or pores. Femora, especially profemur, broad, flat closely fitting into depressions on ventral surface protecting tibiae and tarsi from below; tarsus 4-segmented (Figs 11-12).

Male genitalia: tegmen strongly asymmetrical, parameres short or distinctly reduced with sparse setae apically (Figs 27-28). Female genitalia: ovipositor triangularly elongate, weakly sclerotised usually bearing short styli; infundibulum absent, spermatheca small and well sclerotised (Fig. 29).

Remark:

Catana Chapin, 1940 and Catanella Miyatake, 1961a were synonymised with Serangium by Ślipiński and Burckhardt (2006) in review of the Australian Serangiini . While working on the Chinese species of Serangiini , we have examined specimens of Catana clauseni Chapin in China, and agreed with Ślipiński & Burckhardt’s opinion that Catana is synonymous with Serangium . We have also examined many specimens of Catanella formosana Miyatake, 1961a and found that Catanella 's 8-segmented antenna and 3-segmented tarsus are constant, while male and female genitalia are also different from Serangium . Thus, Catanella should be a valid genus.

Pang et al. (2004) recorded Serangium lygacum Iablokoff-Khnzorian, 1972 from China. After our re-examination of this specimen, we conclude that it was an incorrect identification of Serangium drepnicum Xiao, 1992.

In addition, Xiao and Li (1992) described a new species Serangium baculum with 9-segmented antenna and 4-segmented tarsus. We have examined type materials of Serangium baculum and found that its antenna has 8-segments and tarsus is 3-segmented which is similar to the characters of the genus Catanella . Therefore we consider that Serangium baculum is wrongly placed in Serangium and should be moved to Catanella ( Catanella baculum (Xiao) comb. n.)

Key to species of Serangium from the China