Platysodes madoni Bourgoin, 1923

Qiu, Jian-Yue, Xu, Hao & Chen, Li, 2015, Review of the Oriental genus Platysodes Westwood (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Cremastocheilini) with a redescription of Platysodes madoni Bourgoin, Zootaxa 4021 (4), pp. 553-564 : 557-562

Platysodes madoni Bourgoin, 1923

( Figs. 14–42 )

Platysodes madoni Bourgoin, 1923: 220 (type locality: Rivière Claire, Tonkin); Paulian 1960: 226 (Tuyen Quang and Hué, Vietnam), fig. 335; Sakai & Nagai 1998: 163 (Mt. Tam Dao and Cao Bang, Vietnam), plate 5, figs. 112– 1 ♂, 112–2 ♀; Krajčik 1999: 43; Sakai 2008: 12 (Xieng Khuang, Laos), fig. 9 ♀; Krajčik 2012: 213.

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from the other species in the genus by the dense microsculpture of the dorsal and ventral surfaces and by the longitudinal costae on the elytra.

Redescription. General: Length: 14.0 mm; width: 7.5 mm. Body elongate oval, glabrous, densely microsculptured, black. Head: Dorsal surface densely microsculptured with a slightly raised, longitudinal ridge. Clypeus short, arc-shaped, anterior margin raised. Eye canthus extending laterally, narrow, long. Antenna brown, simple ( Fig. 21 ). Mentum dilated, strongly extended basally, with densely set, semicircular, setiferous punctures; setae short, barely visible ( Fig. 23 ). Maxillae strongly sclerotized, with several slender or thick, long or short setae; galea curved, sharp; lacinia knife-like; basal half of stipes covered with fine striolae; apical portion of cardo semicircular, with sparse, short setae ( Fig. 22 ). Exposed part of stipes and cardo combined into elliptical structure. Maxillary palpi and labial palpi dark brown to black, protruding from side of mentum. Submentum narrow, clad in long, brown setae. Gula small, long, triangular, clad in sparse brown setae on both sides ( Fig. 20 ). Pronotum: Shape suboctagonal, with small round punctures, punctures sparser on disc ( Fig. 27 ); a small, glabrous area near posterior margin in front of scutellum. Scutellum: Shape long triangular, surface glabrous. Elytron: Surface with densely set, long elliptical or cuneiform punctures except for costae, which bear few short, yellow setae ( Fig. 28 ). Four longitudinal costae present: discolateral and discomedian costae long and distally convergent, lateral costa short, merged with discomedian costa apical of humeral umbone, all costae with few round or elliptical punctures. Five irregularly shaped, white velvety maculae: a small macula near middle of sutural costa; a larger macula near the lateral margin; 2 maculae apically of anteapical umbone; 1 macula apically of humeral umbone ( Fig. 26 ). Mesepimeron and metepimeron: Each with an indistinct, silvery macula seen in dorsal or lateral view. Sternum: Preprosternum clad with long, brown setae, preprosternal apophysis strongly raised. Mesosternum with dense, round punctures; mesometasternal process absent ( Fig. 25 ). Metasternum with sparse, small, round punctures on disc and dense, large, round or U-shaped punctures on side; midline shallow, short. A small white macula on side of metasternum. Pygidium: Shape almost semicircular, covered with elliptical striae (some connected) ( Fig. 33 ); midline strongly raised, forming longitudinal ridge. Abdomen: 7 sternites, 6 sternites visible; setiferous punctures large, round or U-shaped, gradually denser from sternite 2 to sternite 7 ( Fig. 29 ); setae small, barely visible; sternites 3–5 with small, indistinct, white maculae on each side. Last spiracle strongly prominent, nearly conical ( Fig. 32 ). Legs: Mesocoxa strongly approximate. Trochanters glabrous. Profemur covered with short, sinuous striolae. Mesofemur and metafemur covered with densely set, long elliptical, setiferous punctures; setae short, yellow. Tibiae covered with irregularly-shaped punctures and sparse, short setae. Protibia short, with 2 teeth along outer margin; apical spur acute ( Fig. 24 ). Mesotibia and metatibia with spine in middle of outer margin. Tarsi slender, short. Parameres: Form simple, short, medially convergent in apical view, apex rounded ( Fig. 34 ).

Sexual dimorphism. Female similar to male, except abdomen convex and with sixth visible abdominal segment longer, tarsi shorter.

Variation. The most variable character is the number of maculae on the elytra and the metasternum. Five maculae are present on each elytron, but the maculae apical of the anteapical and humeral umbones are usually indistinct or absent in some specimens ( Fig. 35 , indicated by blue spots). The maculae lateral of the metasternum are often absent and in some individuals two small impressions are present on the pronotal disc ( Figs. 14, 16 ).

Type material examined. Lectotype of Platysodes madoni Bourgoin, 1923 is here designated. The specimen is labeled: “ Platysodes madoni Bourgoin , Type, ♀ [H., yellowed label] / RIVIERE CLAIRE HAUT-TONKIN · MADON [P., yellowed label with black border] / Bourgoin Coll. B. M. 1938-252.[P., yellowed label]/ Type [P., yellowed label with red border] / BMNH (E)1268978 [P., white label] / Platysodes madoni Bourg., J. Krikken 1971 [H., white label] / LECTOTYPUS, Platysodes madoni Bourgoin, 1923 , Des. Jian-Yue Qiu, 2015 [P., red label]” (♀, BMNH, Figs. 36–37 ).

Comments on type material. According to the original publication, the collections of Bourgoin and Madon each received a female primary type specimen ( Bourgoin 1923). Even though the majority of Paul Madon’s collection was deposited in the MNHN ( Horn et al. 1990), the syntype was not found (Dr. Antoine Mantilleri, MNHN, personal communication). Therefore, we designate the specimen in Bourgoin’s collection in the BMNH as the lectotype, since it is the only available syntype. The type locality “Haut Tonkin: Rivière Claire” is “Sông Lô”, a river between Phú Thọ and Tuyên Quang in northern Vietnam.

Other material examined. CHINA: Guizhou: 1♀ ( QCCC), 25.VII.2013, Maolan National Nature Reserve, Libo County, Hao Xu & Jian-Yue Qiu leg.; Guangdong: 1♀ ( CHZC), V.2006, Mt. Wuzhishan, Nanling National Nature Reserve, Ruyuan, Cheng-Hui Zhan leg.; Guangxi: 1♂ ( CHZC), VII.2007, Mt. Damingshan National Nature Reserve, Wuming County, native leg.; Yunnan: 1♂ ( NSCJ), VI.27 ~VII.25.2007, Mt. Leigongyan, Mengla County, alt. 2000m. LAOS: 1♀( KSCJ), Xieng Khuang. MALAYSIA: 1♀ ( KSCJ), Cameron Highlands, Pahang, 11.VII.1980.

Distribution. Mainland China: Guangdong (new record), Guizhou (new record), Guangxi (new record), Yunnan (new record); northern and central Vietnam; Laos; Malaysia.

Natural history. The living female of Platysodes madoni , which was netted in Maolan National Nature Reserve flew slowly out of bushes and landed on a leaf ( Figs. 40–41 ). This female adult was transferred to the laboratory and offered various items in the hope that it would feed on them: eggs and pupae of ants ( Hymenoptera : Formicidae ), the body fluid of a bee pupae ( Hymenoptera : Apidae ), darkling beetle larvae ( Coleoptera : Tenebrionidae ), honey, ham, and banana. We did not observe any feeding activity and subsequently found the adult dead ( Figs. 38–39 ).

Remarks. Platysodes madoni is the most widely distributed species of this genus, and here newly recorded from southern China. It appears to fill the gap in the geographic distribution of the genus between Indochina and Taiwan. Paulian (1960) listed this species from Tuyen Quang and Hué, which represented the first records from central Vietnam. Aside from northern Vietnam, Sakai & Nagai (1998) also provided a record from the Malay Peninsula but did not provide collecting data. We confirmed this by examining a female specimen collected in the Cameron Highlands in his personal collection. Sakai (2008) reported a female specimen of this species from central Laos.

Figures

FIGURES 14 – 19. Habitus of Platysodes madoni Bourgoin, 1923. 14 – 16. Male: 14. dorsal; 15. ventral; 16. oblique. Female: 17. dorsal; 18. ventral; 19. oblique.

FIGURES 20 – 34. Platysodes madoni Bourgoin, 1923. 20. Ventral view of head; 21. antenna; 22. maxilla; 23. prementum; 24. protibia; 25. area between mesocoxae; 26. white macula on elytron; 27. punctures on pronotum; 28. punctures on elytron between costae; 29. punctures on abdomen; 30. punctures on metafemur; 31. surface of metatibia; 32. last spiracle; 33. pygidium; 34. parameres.

FIGURES 35 – 41. Platysodes madoni Bourgoin, 1923. 35. Pattern of maculae on elytra; 36. female lectotype; 37. labels; 38 – 39. living female; 40 – 41. habitat of adult (Maolan National Nature Reserve, Libo, Guizhou, China).

FIGURES 42. Distribution map of the genus Platysodes (type locality in red).