Platymetopus flavilabris thunbergi ( Quensel, 1806 )

Kataev, Boris M., 2023, A review of Asian species of the genus Platymetopus (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Harpalini), Zootaxa 5306 (5), pp. 501-536 : 512-514

Platymetopus flavilabris thunbergi ( Quensel, 1806)

( Figs 13, 14–20 , 41 )

Carabus thunbergi Quensel, 1806: 188 (non Gmelin, 1790). Type locality: “Indes orientalis” [= Southeast Asia], originally erroneously indicated as Cape of Good Hope (“Habitat ad Cap. b. fpei Africa”).

Platymetopus punctulicollis Bates, 1889: 269 . Type locality: “Mytho” [= My Tho], Tien Giang Prov., Southern Vietnam (see remarks below).

Platymetopus flavilabris var. puncticollis: Csiki, 1932: 1206 (incorrect subsequent spelling of P. punctulicollis Bates, 1889 ).

Material examined. India. Andaman Islands : 2 females, “Illes Andaman” ( ZIN) . Myanmar. Tanintharyi : 1 female, “Mus. Pragense, Tenasserim, Coll. Helfer ” ( ZIN) . Laos. 1 male, 4 females, Luangphabang Prov., Namtag Vill., Mt. Phon Phakhar , 7–11.VI.2010,? leg. ( cZR, ZIN) ; 1 male, 1 female, Vientian, 18.X.1984, O. Kabakov leg. ( ZIN) ; 1 male, same data, but 19.X.1984, O. Kabakov leg. ( ZIN) ; 1 female, same data, but 21X.1984, O. Kabakov leg. ( ZIN) ; 16 males, 6 females, Xaysomboun, Ban San Tong , VI.2015, Wang leg. ( cZR, ZIN ]. Thailand. Phetchaburi: 1 male, 50 km SW Phetchaburi City, Kaeng Krachan National Park env., 30.VII.–5.VIII.1996, A. Gorokhov leg. ( ZIN) . Surat Thani: 2 males, Khao Sok Naqtional Park , at light, 20–21.VII.1996, Mostovskoy leg. ( MPU) ; 1 male, 5 females, same data, but 31.X.–7.XI.1995 ( MPU) . Uthai Thani: 42 specimens, 25 km NW Lan Sak , 65 km NW Uthai Thani, VI.1990, Thielen leg. ( NME, ZIN, cJS) . Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat): 1 female, near Nong Bun Nak Vill. , 200 m, 14°41′25′′N, 102°27′46′′E, at light, 24.V.2010, V. Zinchenko leg. ( ISEN) ; 1 female, same data, but 220 m, 14°41′N 102°27′E, leaf-falling gallery forest, 27.VII.–2.VIII.2009, A.V. Korshunov leg. ( ISEN) ; 1 female, same data, but 19–23.VI.2013 ( cKRS) ; 1 male, 1 female, same data, but 19–24.V.2010 ( cKRS) ; 1 male, 1 female, Saeng Sang, Lam Sae Dam, National Park Tha Plan , 250 m, 14°16′40″N 102°25′28.5 E, 23–26.VI.2013, A.V. Korshunov leg. ( cKRS, ISEN) . Loei: 1 male, 1 female, Phu Ruea , 735 m, 17°27′10.2″N 101°29′25.7″E, 26–28.V.2010, A.V. Korshunov leg. ( cKRS, ISEN) . Bangkok: 1 male, 1 female, Bangkok, Rajitani Villa, Clong Luang , 20.XII.2007 – 10.I.2008, A. Korshunov leg. ( ISEN) . Vietnam. Gia Lai: 5 males, 1 female, Ankhi Distr., Buoenloy Village , 5–10.XI.1993, Starikov leg. ( ZIN) ; 1 female, Buoenloy Village , 1–11.IV.1995, A. Gorokhov leg. ( ZIN) ; 4 males, 1 female, 55 km ENE of Pleiku, 14°17′45″N 10°26′57″E, Kon Ka Kinh Natn. Park , 600 m, at light, 8–20.V.2017, D. Fedorenko leg. ( SIEE, ZIN) . Phu Yen: 1 female, Song Hinh Distr., 20 km SE Hai Rieng, 12°49′37.7″N 108°59′58.3″, 200 m, 10–15.VI.2021, A.V. Abramov leg. (exp. Russia-Vietnam Tropical Centre ) ( ZIN) . Bing Duong: 1 male, ca 60 km N of Ho Chi Min, env. Phu Giao vill., 3–13.X.1994, A. Napolov & D. Volkov leg. ( MPU) . Dong Nai: 4 males, Nam Cat Tien Nat. Park , at light HOL450, 23–25.X.2004, D. Fedorenko leg. (Exped. Russ.-Vietnamese Tropical Centre) ( SIEE, ZIN) ; 13 males, 6 females, same data, but 29.V.–11.VI.2005 ( SIEE, ZIN) . Dak Lak: 2 males, 2 females, Yok Don National Park (northern part), ca 250 m, 12°58′N 107°49′E, VI.2007, A.V. Abramov leg. ( ZIN) . Cambodia. Kampong Chhnang: 1 female, Ouroung Vill. , at light, 6.X.2017, W. Rossi leg. ( cALL) ; 1 male, banks of Tonle Sap Lake , 17.V.2019, W. Rossi leg. ( cALL) ; 1 female, Khom Domnatpopol, Tonle Sap Lake , 21.V.2018, W. Rossi leg. ( cALL) . Siem Reap: 1 male, Siem Reap City , 12–13.XI.2018, W. Rossi leg. ( cALL) . Banteay Meanchey: 1 male, 1 female, near Sisophon , 22.X–23.XI.2019, W. Rossi leg. ( cALL) . Preah Sihanouk: 2 males, 1 female, Sihanoukville , 6–10.V.2009, S. Murzin leg. ( ZIN, cZR) ; 1 male, 3 females, same data, but 5 m, 1–13.I.2009, S. Murzin leg. ( cZR) . Malaysia. Kelantan: 2 males, 2 females, 40 km N of Gua Musang, Gunung Berangkat, Kampong Riek , 1100 m, 15.V.–8.VI.2017, P. Čechovský leg. ( NME, ZIN) ; 1 male, 90 km N of Gua Musang, Mt. Basor , 1700 m, Kampong Kubur Datu, 1.III–21.III.2015, P. Čechovský leg. ( NME) .

Description. Body length: [7.2]8.2–9.4 (m 8.8) mm. Body proportions in Table 2 . Habitus as in Figs. 13 and 14 .

Head finely punctate on frons and vertex, generally with fine microsculpture between punctures, more rarely microsculpture highly reduced. Antennae long, surpassing pronotal basal margin, infuscate from apical half of antennomere 3 or 4 (very rarely antennomere 2 slightly infuscate apically). Pronotum finely punctate on disc, with fine, usually more distinct than in the nominotypical subspecies, microsculpture forming slightly transverse meshes between punctures (occasionally microsculpture more or less obliterate). Proepisternum indistinctly and sparsely punctate. Tibiae yellow or yellowish brown, often slightly infuscate apically; femora more or less infuscate, darker than tibiae; occasionally femora not infuscate; tarsi slightly or markedly infuscate. Male genitalia as in Figs. 15–20 , female genitalia similar to those of the nominotypical subspecies.

Distribution ( Fig. 41 ). Andaman Islands ( India), Myanmar (Kayin State and Tanintharyi Region), Laos, Thailand, Southern Vietnam, Cambodia, and mainland Malaysia. According to Andrewes (1930, 1933), the same form (“ var. punctulicollis ”) occurs on Sumatra, but the status of the populations from Sumatra and Borneo needs further study.

Comparison. In combination of the characters, this subspecies is very similar to the nominotypical subspecies, differing from it mainly in the infuscate femora, which are darker than the tibiae. Microsculpture on pronotal disc between punctures is usually more distinct than in P. f. flavilabris , often forming more or less distinct, slightly transverse meshes. The examined specimens from Southern Cambodia (Preah Sihanouk Province) and Southern Vietnam have distinct microsculpture on pronotum, but their femora are either occasionally (in Southern Vietnam) or constantly (in Southern Cambodia) not infuscate. They are isolated geographically from the nominotypical subspecies by the populations with constantly dark femora.

Remarks. Platymetopus thunbergi was originally described as a coming from the Cape of Good Hope ( South Africa), but actually probably from “Indes orientalis” (see Dejean 1829, Bates 1873). Habu (1973) considered this designation incorrect, because he misidentified “Indes orientalis” (= Southeast Asia) as modern East India, from which specimens with dark femora are not known. Since I could not study the type specimens, my interpretation of this taxon is based on its original description (“Thorax punctis minutissimis impressis ...; Pedes nigro-picei. Tibia & tarsi ferruginei. Variat tibiis obscurioribus, …”) ( Quensel, 1806: 188). Dejean (1829) examined the original specimen received from Quensel and re-described it, but his subsequent interpretation of this taxon was probably wider, since an examined female from southern China in his former collection labelled “Thunbergii Quensel / Chine merid. / C. Dejean” (MNHN) belongs, in my opinion, to the subspecies P. flavilabris laticeps . However, if Dejean’s interpretation of P. thunbergi is correct, then the valid name of this subspecies should be P. f. punctulicollis .

Bates (1889) described P. punctulicollis from the series collected in “Mytho [= My Tho]” in the modern province of Tien Giang, Southern Vietnam, but he noted that this species also occurs “près de Rangoon [= Yangon]”, Myanmar. These localities are far from each other, and the specimens from them belong to two subspecies in my interpretation: P. f. thunbergi (from “Mytho”) and the nominotypical subspecies (from “ Rangoon ”). Since, according to the original description, femora of P. punctulicollis are infuscate (“femoribus fuscis”), I treat this taxon as a synonym of P. f. thunbergi . This interpretation coincides with that of Habu (1973), who indicated only “Mytho” as a type locality for P. punctulicollis . The examined syntypes from “ Rangoon ” at MNHN and ZIN (see the type material under P. f. flavilabris ) have the femora not infuscate and all the other characters as in the nominotypical subspecies. This locality, however, is close to the border between the two subspecies, and the population from there probably also includes the specimens with slightly infuscate femora, as noted by Habu (1973). The later Bates’ (1892) records of P. punctulicollis from Burma ( Myanmar) are also obviously based on two subspecies: the nominotypical one from “Bhamo” and “Teinzo” [=Teinthaw], the modern state of Kachin, and P. f. thunbergi from “Malewoon” [= Maliwan], the modern Tanintharyi Region; a record from “Karin Cheba” [Karen Hills], the modern Shan and Kayan states, where the border between these subspecies goes, needs further study as it could in fact be assigned to either of the two subspecies. Andrewes (1947) and Landin (1955) recorded P. f. var. punctulicollis [= P. f. thunbergi ], as differing from P. flavilabris , from Mekane, the modern Kayin State.

Figures

FIGURE 41. Platymetopus flavilabris (Fabricius, 1798), distribution. Shaded area: populations with intermediate characteristics of P. f. thunbergi Quensel, 1806 and P. f. laticeps Dejean, 1829.

FIGURES 13–14. Platymetopus flavilabris thunbergi Quensel, 1806, habitus. 13, Laos; 14, Southern Vietnam. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 15–20. Platymetopus flavilabris thunbergi Quensel, 1806, median lobe of aedeagus. 15, 16, Southern Vietnam; 17, 18, Laos; 19, 20, Thailand. Dorsal (15, 17, 19) and lateral (16, 18, 20) views. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.