Phorocardius zhiweii Ruan, Douglas & Qiu, 2020

Ruan, Yongying, Douglas, Hume B., Qiu, Lu, Chen, Xiaoqin & Jiang, Shihong, 2020, Revision of Chinese Phorocardius species (Coleoptera, Elateridae, Cardiophorinae), ZooKeys 993, pp. 47-120 : 47

11. Phorocardius zhiweii Ruan, Douglas & Qiu sp. nov. Figs 21 , 22 , 23J , 24J , 25I

Type locality.

Yunnan: Long-chuan county, Hu-sa township, Gun-bang-jian-shan [i.e., Bang-gun-jian-shan邦棍尖山].

Etymology.

This species is named after its collector, Mr Zhiwei Dong, who generously provided specimens for this study.

Distribution.

China (Yunnan).

Differential diagnosis.

Body length greater than 7.0 mm; pronotum with integument red, elytra metallic green. Prothorax: procoxal cavities open; prosternal process not strongly narrowed posterad to ventral apex in ventral view, with ventral apex rounded. Pterothorax: scutellar shield with posterior edge pointed. Tarsal claw with ventral apex not smaller than dorsal apex. Male genitalia: paramere without preapical lateral expansion, but with apical mesal callus. Female unknown.

This species is distinct among Phorocardius in its entirely metallic green elytra and red pronotum. It is the second species having metallic color on elytra, as the type species of the genus (i.e., P. florentini (Fleutiaux, 1895)) also has slight blue metallic luster on elytra.

Phorocardius zhiweii Ruan, Douglas & Qiu, sp. nov. resembles P. manuleatus most in body shape and color of leg and prothorax. They can be easily separated by elytral color and aedeagus shape. In P. zhiweii Ruan, Douglas & Qiu, sp. nov., elytra are metallic green with slight purple luster; in ventral view, the aedeagus has apical fourth slightly narrowed, robust in both ventral and lateral views; and the paramere has preapical lateral expansion absent, apical mesal callus present; while in P. manuleatus , elytra are black to yellow, without metallic color; and the aedeagus in ventral view has the apical fourth greatly narrowed. The aedeagus is slender in both ventral and lateral views with parameres lacking acute preapical lateral expansions or apical mesal calli.

Description.

(based on holotype) Dorsum shiny. Head black, with mouthparts red-brown to brown. Antennae brown. Pronotum orange, with posterior edge dark brown (Fig. 22A ). Scutellar shield black. Elytra entirely metallic green, with purple luster. Hypomera orange; rest of ventral surface black (Fig. 21B ). Epipleura metallic purple. Legs black on coxa, pale brown on femur and basal half of tibia, dark brown from mid-length of tibia to apex. Body with short, yellow-grey pubescence, brown setae also present on disc of pronotum.

Measurements.

(based on holotype) Body length 8.0 mm, width 2.8 mm. Body length to width ratio 2.9. Pronotal width to length ratio 1.1. Pronotal width to body width ratio 0.80. Elytral length to pronotal length ratio 2.5; elytron length to width ratio 3.8.

Head. Frons and vertex with interspaces between punctures 1-3 × average puncture diameter (Fig. 22C ). Frontal carina in frontal view convex. Antenna with apex extending to basal edge of elytron. Distance between eyes to width of eye ratio 2.7. Antenna length to body length ratio 0.42. Proportions of antennomere lengths (male): 100 (scape); 71; 76; 100; 100; 105; 103; 90; 90; 88; 116.

Prothorax. Pronotum in dorsal view (Fig. 22A ): sides slightly convex from anterior edge to concavity near posterior fourth, widest near posterior third; posterior angles with lateral sides almost straight, not bulged; surface with interspaces between punctures 2-2.5 × average puncture diameter. In ventral view, ventral surface of prosternal process with sides carinate and slightly and gradually narrow from anterior to mid-length, parallel from mid-length to near posterior end, apex broadly rounded. In lateral view, prosternal process with ventral surface curved slightly dorsad, posterior end concave (Fig. 24J ). Procoxal cavities open.

Pterothorax (Figs 24J , 25I ). Mesepisternum in ventral view with antero-mesal corner right-angled (Fig. 25I , upper, green arrow). Projections on posterior edge of mesosternum: in ventral view present (Fig. 25I , red arrow); in lateral view present, strongly developed, produced anteriorly (Fig. 24J , red arrow). Scutellar shield: width to length ratio 1.0; anterolateral edges slightly sinuate; posterior apex pointed. Elytra: upper edge of epipleura with minute serrations.

Legs. Length ratio of metatarsomeres I-V (excluding claws): 100; 71; 53; 50; 120. Claw with ventral apex almost as large as dorsal apex.

Abdomen. Lateral edges of visible abdominal ventrites I-V with minute serrations.

Male genitalia. Robust in ventral and lateral views. Median lobe in ventral view with sides nearly parallel, slightly narrowed near apex; apex broadly rounded (Fig. 21D ). Median lobe in lateral view gently bent ventrad, apex dilated and broadly rounded (Fig. 21F ). Paramere in ventral view: wide, widest near mid-length, sides convex to near apex; preapical ventral expansion absent, mesal side of apex with ovoid disc-shaped callus (Fig. 21D , indicated by blue arrow); paramere 2-3 × wider than median lobe (measured at mid-length of paramere and median lobe respectively). Paramere in lateral view: robust, almost straight at basal half, bent ventrad at apical half; preapical ventral expansion hook-like, with acute tip facing ventrad (Fig. 21F , indicated by blue arrow).

Female. Unknown.

Type material.

Holotype. male (IZCAS, ex. LQCC), labels: 1) Yunnan, Long-chuan county, Hu-sa township (户撒), Mang-dong road, Gun-bang-jian-shan Mt., leg. Zhiwei Dong, 2018-VI-5 [label in Chinese]; 2) Holotype, Phorocardius zhiweii sp. nov., Des. Ruan et al., 2019.

Remarks.

This species inhabits middle elevations (around 1500 m) in Yunnan Prov., south China. This area is rainy, subtropical to tropical, with subtropical evergreen broad-leaf forest or tropical rain forest. This species is known only from the Oriental Region.

There are two undetermined female specimens (SZPT) from Xi-shuang-ban-na (西双版纳), Yunnan that have metallic blue elytra and a black pronotum. One male specimen (SZPT) from Ying-jiang (盈江), Yunnan also has metallic blue elytra and a black pronotum. Its aedeagus is extremely close to that of Phorocardius zhiweii Ruan, Douglas & Qiu, sp. nov. However, it is still not entirely clear whether these are conspecific. More specimens should be studied before a reliable determination can be made.

Figures

Figure 21. Phorocardius zhiweii Ruan, Douglas & Qiu, sp. nov., holotype, male. A habitus, dorsal view. B habitus, ventral view C habitus, lateral view D aedeagus ventral view, arrow indicating apex and apical mesal callus of paramere E aedeagus, dorsal view F aedeagus, lateral view, arrow indicating apices of paramere and median lobe G tergite 7, dorsal view, hand drawing, arrow indicating posterior concavity.

Figure 22. Phorocardius zhiweii Ruan, Douglas & Qiu, sp. nov. A pronotum and scutellar shield, dorsal view B left posterior edge of pronotum, showing sublateral incision (arrow) C head, frontal view D metacoxal plate, ventral view E tarsal claws F male abdominal tergites IX-X, dorsal view G male abdominal sternite IX, dorsal view.

Figure 23. Shape of supraantennal carina of Chinese Phorocardius species. Arrows indicating supraantennal carina forked near eye. A P. alterlineatus Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. B P. flavistriolatus Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. C P. florentini. D P. magnus. E P. manuleatus. F P. minutus Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. G P. rufiposterus Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. H P. unguicularis. I P. yunnanensis Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. J P. zhiweii Ruan, Douglas & Qiu, sp. nov. K head, frontal-lateral view, arrows indicating forked supraantennal carina.

Figure 24. Lateral view of prosternal process and mesosternum of Chinese Phorocardius species. Upper green arrows indicating shape of posterior end of prosternal process; lower red arrows indicating projections (absent or present) on posterior edge of mesosternum (i. e., on anteroventral angle of mesosternal fossa according to Douglas 2003). A P. alterlineatus Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. B P. flavistriolatus Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. C P. florentini. D P. magnus. E P. manuleatus. F P. minutus Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. G P. rufiposterus Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. H P. unguicularis. I P. yunnanensis Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. J P. zhiweii Ruan, Douglas & Qiu, sp. nov.

Figure 25. Ventral view of pro- and mesothorax of Chinese Phorocardius species. Showing shape of ventral surface of prosternal process (upper, yellow dashed line), mesepisternum (middle, green arrow and dashed line) and projections on posterior edge of mesosternum (lower, red arrow and solid line) middle, green arrows indicating anterior-mesal angle of mesepisternum. A P. alterlineatus Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. B P. flavistriolatus Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. C P. florentini. D P. magnus. E P. manuleatus. F P. minutus Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. G P. rufiposterus Ruan & Douglas, sp. nov. H P. unguicularis. I P. zhiweii Ruan, Douglas & Qiu, sp. nov.