Kateretes japonicus Hisamatsu, 1985

Hisamatsu, Sadatomo, 2011, A review of the Japanese Kateretidae fauna (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (2), pp. 551-585 : 556-558

Kateretes japonicus Hisamatsu, 1985

( Figs. 1A–B , 3 )

Kateretes japonicus Hisamatsu, 1985: 177 , pl. 28, f. 1. Type locality: Japan, Gunma Prefecture., Mt. Tanigawa.

Kateretes japonicus : S-T. HISAMATSU (2006: 243) [redescription]; JELÍNEK & AUDISIO (2007: 458) [catalogue].

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ( EUM): J, ‘ Mt. Tanigawa / Gunma Pref. / Aug. 1. 1956 / S. Hisamatsu // HOLOTYPE / Cateretes / japonicus / Hisamatsu’. PARATYPES ( EUM): 1 J, Mt. Tanigawa , Gunma Pref., 1.viii.1956, S. Hisamatsu leg. ; 4 ♀♀, Mt. Tanigawa , Gunma Pref., 2.vii.1950, S. Hisamatsu leg. ; 1 J, Towada, Hiraka-chô , 16.vii.1957, K. Shimoyama leg. ; 1 J, Kuzukawa, Hiraka-chô , 5.vii.1957, K. Shimoyama leg.

Additional material examined. JAPAN: NAGANO: 2 ♀♀, Kamikouchi~Tokugo, 31.vii.1959, M. Miyatake leg. ; 41 JJ 47 ♀♀, Tokugo Pass, 1.viii.1970, K. Hatta leg. ( EUM) .

Diagnosis. Body coloration uniformly reddish-yellow ( Fig. 1A ). Scape of male antennae strongly enlarged and elongate ( Fig. 3G ). Prosternal process subparallel-sided. Protibiae 2.40–2.79 times as long as wide (n = 11).

Redescription. Length 1.8–2.4 mm (2.4 mm in holotype).

Male. Body ( Fig. 1A ) oval, rather flattened, shining, covered with sparse yellowish setae. Coloration uniformly reddish-yellow.

Head densely punctate, punctures larger than eye-facet, separated by <1 diameter; interspaces slightly reticulate or smooth. Frontoclypeal suture incomplete, short and deep. Front margin of clypeus with medial arcuate emargination. Mandibles strongly angled toward midline. Antennae ( Fig. 3G ) stout, 1.32–1.44 times as long as HW (n = 3); scape strongly enlarged and elongate; pedicel enlarged, pyriform to spherical; approximate ratio of each segment (n = 1) is 3.21: 2.14: 1.86: 1.29: 1.43: 1.21: 1.29: 1.00: 1.50: 1.57: 2.29.

Pronotum ( Fig. 3H ) convex, strongly transverse, 1.66–1.70 times as wide as long (n = 3); lateral margins feebly serrate, widest at basal 1/3 then converging both anteriorly and posteriorly; anterior angles not prominent; posterior angles broadly rounded; anterior margin nearly straight or with slight curvature, not bordered; basal margin bordered; punctures on disc about as large as those on head, densely distributed, separated by ≤ 1 diameter; interspaces slightly reticulate. Scutellum subtriangular, apex rounded.

Elytra conjointly 1.07–1.08 times as long as wide (n = 3), 1.87–1.94 times as long as pronotum (n = 3), subparallel-sided; punctures on disc dense, slightly larger and denser than those on pronotum; interspaces smooth. Abdominal tergite VI partially obscured by elytra. Abdominal tergite VII fully exposed, apex rounded. Abdominal tergite VIII not externally visible.

Prosternum (excluding prosternal process) slightly shorter than greatest width of protibia, 0.41 times as long as mesoventrite, 0.29 times as long as metaventrite (n = 1); prosternal process slender, subparallel-sided. Metaventrite convex, metathoracic discrimen only in basal 1/3; disc densely punctate, punctures smaller than those on head. Inter-mesocoxal distance separated by 3.07 times width of inter-procoxal distance. Inter-metacoxal distance separated by 6.57 times width of inter-procoxal distance. Abdominal sternites shining; approximate ratio of length of abdominal sternites III–VII (n = 1) is 2.94: 1.00: 1.06: 1.56: 1.69. Legs flattened; protibiae ( Fig. 3E ) rather short, 2.40–2.79 times as long as wide (n = 11); claws ( Fig. 3J ) more or less expanded at base.

Male genitalia weakly sclerotized; tegmen with parameres ( Fig. 3A ) symmetrical, wide and long (L: W = 2.17); median lobe ( Fig. 3B, 3C ) slender, slightly arcuate inward in lateral aspect.

Female. First and second segment of antennae ( Fig. 3F ) not strongly enlarged. Ovipositor ( Fig. 3D ) with coxites deeply incised at apex with slightly outcurved lobes, styli short but distinct.

Bionomics. This species is associated with flowers of Veratrum album L. subsp. oxysepalum (Turcz.) Hultén (Melanthiaceae) . According to the label data, 88 specimens were collected from flowers at the same time. In spite of that, I cannot hypothesize Veratrum album subsp. oxysepalum as the host plant, as the species may only be an adult feeding plant. Similar case is known for the European Kateretes pedicularius ( Linnaeus, 1758) which larva develops in flowers of Carex (Cyperaceae) in the spring (April–May), but the adults feed on flowers of Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim. ( Rosaceae ) in the high and late summer (July–September) (Jelínek, pers. comm.).

Distribution. Japan (Honshû) ( HISAMATSU 1985).

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus and labels of Kateretidae spp. A–B – Kateretes japonicus Hisamatsu, 1985: A – holotype, male; B – ditto, labels; C–D – Kateretes takagii S-T.Hisamatsu, 2006:C – holotype, male; D – ditto, labels; E–F – Platamartus jakowlewi Reitter, 1892: E – male and F – female (both Tochigi Pref.); G–H – Heterhelus (Heterhelus) japonicus (Reitter, 1878): G – lectotype, male; H – ditto, labels. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 3. Kateretes japonicus Hisamatsu, 1985.A – tegmen (ventral view); B – median lobe (ventral view); C – median lobe (lateral view); D – ovipositor; E – right protibia; F – right antenna of female (segments 1–3); G – right antenna of male; H – pronotum; I – left maxillary palpus; J – tarsal claw (right foreleg). A–J = Nagano Pref., Tokugo Pass.