Necrophila (Calosilpha) cyaniventris ( Motschulsky, 1870 )

Růžička, Jan, Qubaiová, Jarin, Nishikawa, Masaaki & Schneider, Jan, 2015, Revision of Palearctic and Oriental Necrophila Kirby et Spence, part 3: subgenus Calosilpha Portevin (Coleoptera: Silphidae: Silphinae), Zootaxa 4013 (4), pp. 451-502 : 468-469

Necrophila (Calosilpha) cyaniventris ( Motschulsky, 1870)

( Figs. 7–8 , 16, 46–49, 54, 56)

Oiceoptoma cyaniventris Motschulsky, 1870: 348 (description, type locality “Indes orientales”) [single ♀]

Silpha cyanipennis Hope : Fairmaire 1900: 616 (sic, nomen nudum, probably misspelling of O. cyaniventris Motschulsky or unpublished manuscript name)

Eusilpha (Calosilpha) cyaniventris: Portevin 1920b: 397 (new combination, redescription)

Calosilpha cyaniventris: Portevin 1926: 115 –116, 151 (new combination, key, catalog)

Silpha (Calosilpha) cyaniventris: Hatch 1928: 113 (new combination, catalog)

Calosilpha cyaniventris: Schawaller 1982: 250 (redescription, synonymy)

Necrophila (Calosilpha) cyaniventris: Ji 2012: 36 , 86 (new combination, redescription, key, catalog)

Type material examined: Holotype ♀ of Oiceoptoma cyaniventris (only right elytron, right wing and remnants of metaventrite) ( ZMUM), labelled (Fig. 16): “[minute yellow quadrate label = sign for Oriental region] // Oiceoptoma / cyaniventris / Motsch / Ind. or. [hw, Motschulsky’s handwriting, yellow label] // [red rectangular label] // HOLOTYPE / Oiceoptoma / cyaniventris / Motschulsky, 1870 / (label added by / Jan Růžička, 2009) [p, red label] // Necrophila (Calosilpha) / cyaniventris / ( Motschulsky, 1870) [p] ♀ [hw] / Jan Růžička det. 200 [p] 9 [hw]”.

Additional material examined. See Appendix 1.

Diagnostic description. Body length 12.1–20.9 mm, maximum body width 9.6–12.5 mm. Pronotum orange in dorsal view ( Figs. 7–8 ). Hypomeron medially dark metallic blue in ventral view, orange only along its anterior margin. Elytra with blue metallic luster; outline oval; costae finer, less elevated ( Figs. 7–8 ).

Male. Metatibia only slightly bent. Male genital segment with short spiculum gastrale in ventral view ( Fig. 47 ). Aedeagus with median lobe only slightly shorter than short, robust parameres ( Fig. 46 ).

Female. Genital segment with tergum 10 large, pentagonal in shape, widely rounded posteriorly in dorsal view ( Fig. 48 ).

Notes on type specimen. We have located the female holotype of Oiceoptoma cyaniventris in collections of ZMUM. The specimen is badly damaged, with only fragments preserved (Fig. 16); right elytron with blue metallic luster and only fine and less elevated costae on elytra well correspond with the current concept of this species.

Ecology. Predation on dipterous maggots during the decay stage and necrophagy on carrion during the dry stage was observed in Punjab, India by Bharti & Singh (2003).

Distribution ( Fig. 63 ). Known from Nepal, northeastern India (Punjab, West Bengal (Darjeeling) and Sikkim), Myanmar, Thailand and northern Vietnam ( Portevin 1926; Schawaller 1982; Růžička et al. 2000; Bharti & Singh 2003). Schawaller (1982) also reported an imprecise record from “Himalaya”. The first reliable records from India: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur. First records from China (Hainan and Yunnan provinces), Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

Figures

FIGURE 63. Known distribution of Necrophila (Calosilpha) species in Asia.

FIGURES 7 – 10. Habitus dorsally of Necrophila (Calosilpha) cyaniventris (Motschulsky) (7, ♂, JRUC; 8, ♀, JRUC, both Phongsaly, Laos) and N. (C.) ioptera (Kollar & Redtenbacher) (9, ♂, JRUC; 10, ♀, JRUC, both Nainital, Uttarakhand, India).

FIGURES 42 – 53. Genitalia of Necrophila (Calosilpha) cyaneocephala (Kraatz) (42 – 43, ♂, and 44 – 45, ♀, both SDEI, paralectotypes, Kosempo, Taiwan), N. (C.) cyaniventris (Motschulsky) (46 – 47, ♂, JRUC, Phongsaly, Laos, and 48 – 49, ♀, JRUC, near Mt. Everest, Nepal) and N. (C.) ioptera (Kollar & Redtenbacher) (50 – 51, ♂, and 52 – 53, ♀, both JRUC, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India). Aedeagus ventrally (42, 46, 50), ♂ genital segment ventrally (43, 47, 51), ♀ genital segment dorsally (44, 48, 52) and ventrally (45, 49, 53).