Longitarsus aphthonoides Weise, 1887: 206

Farina, Laura, 2021, Notes on Longitarsus aphthonoides Weise 1887 and on the species groups of L. lateripunctatus (Rosenhauer 1856) and L. curtus (Allard 1860) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae), Natural History Sciences 8 (2), pp. 11-34 : 12-13

Longitarsus aphthonoides Weise, 1887: 206 . Reported locality: Chabarofka.

Heikertinger, 1930: 1326; Csiki & Heikertinger, 1940: pars 166, 110; Lopatin, 1967: 166; Warchalowski, 1970: 106-107, 114 (Fig. 5) [designation of the Lectotype, typ. loc.: Ussuri Gebiet, Chabarofka]; Gruev, 1980: 32; Gruev, 1981: 149; Medvedev, 1982: 114-115 (Fig. 34: 2); Gruev, 1987: 56 (Fig. 3); Medvedev & Dubeshko, 1992: 153, 216

(Fig. 30: 10); Gruev, 1994: 81; Gruev & Döberl, 1997: 148-149; Gruev & Döberl, 2005: 75; Warchalowski, 2010: 830, 831 (Fig. 4020).

= Longitarsus callidus Warchalowski, 1967: 59-60 . Loc. typ.: North Iran: Mt. Talysch (syn. nov.)

Leonardi, 1975: 207 (Figs. 27-28, 53), 212 (Fig. 57), 213-214; Fogato & Leonardi, 1980: 46, 53 (Fig. 14); Doguet, 1987: 4 (2): 138; Biondi, 1990a: 138; Döberl, 1994: 103, 129 (Figs. 173-175); Doguet, 1994: 224 (Fig. 93f), 228-229, 297 (Fig. 122b); Lucht, 1994: 319; Doguet & Dufay, 1994: 306-307 (Figs. 5,7); Biondi et al., 1995: 18; Döberl, 1995b: 53; Warchalowski, 1995a: 152 (Figs. 460- 461), 155 (Fig. 478), 224; Warchalowski, 1996: 45 (Fig. 95- 96), 48 (Fig. 113), 76-77; Rozner, 1996: 255 [“this species is distributed from Asia Minor through Southeast Europe to Austria. Its occurrence in Hungary is quite probably”]; Gruev & Döberl, 1997: 157-158; Geiser, 2001: 465; Brelih et al., 2003: 96; Warchalowski, 2003: 419; Geiser, 2004: 19; Biondi, 2005: data on CD-Rom; Gruev & Döberl, 2005: 80; Čižek, 2006: 24-25; Warchalowski, 2010: 841 (Figs. 4096-4097), 842 (Fig. 4098); Özdikmen et al., 2020: 282.

Types

Lectotype (♂) and paralectotype (♀) of L. aphthonoides (Chabarofka, leg. Koltze, undated), selected and studied by Warchalowski (1970: 106-107) were not retrieved (see below under “Notes on types search and identification”).

Two of the 5 paralectotypes (still labelled as syntypes) of the Koltze collection, housed at SDEI, were seen as a detailed photograph (kindly supplied by Lutz Behne) (Fig. 2):

2 exx., labelled “Chabarofka // Weise”, undated. A second handwritten label (by Weise, Koltze or else): “12223, aphthonoides Ws, Chabarofka Weise determ. Type ”.

Three specimens previously thought to be syntypes of L. aphthonoides and now redefined as paralectotypes were found and examined:

1♀! labelled “Cotype” in MHNB: “Chabarowka / aphthonoides Weise det. / Reitter don. // 1953 Coll. Heikertinger // Paralectotypus / Longitarsus aphthonoides Weise / vidit Laura Farina” .

1 ex. in HNHM labelled “Chabarowka / Longitarsus aphthonoides Weise coll. Reitter // Paralectotypus / Longitarsus aphthonoides Weise / vidit Laura Farina” .

1 ex. in ZMB labelled “Chabarowka / coll. Koltze // Typus // Longitarsus aphthonoides Weise det. L. N. Medvedev, 1987 // Paralectotypus / Longitarsus aphthonoides Weise / vidit Laura Farina” .

The holotype of L. callidus , kept at BMNH was kindly sent by Maxwell Barclay (Fig. 3: Holotypus; Fig. 4: aedeagus):

1 ♂! labelled “Talysch / Reitter // Longitarsus / callidus mihi / det. A. Warchalowski // Holotypus // BMNH / A. Warchlowski collection” .

The study of this material (plus the many specimens listed below) did not leave any doubt about the synonymy proposed here:

Longitarsus aphthonoides Weise 1887 = Longitarsus callidus Warchalowski 1967 syn. nov.

Distribution

L. aphthonoides is widely distributed in the Palaearctic region, west from Italy and Tunisia across Asia, east to the Siberian Far East.

Gruev & Döberl (1997: 148, 157-158; 2005: 75, 80) report the following regions:

Europe: Austria, Azerbaijan (Dashdatuk), Carpathian Basin, Czechia (Moravia), France, Germany (West), Hungary, Italy (North), Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia (VeržejGomilica), Switzerland.

Asia: China (Heilungkiang, Fukien: Kuatun), Evenkia, Iran (North), Kazakhstan (“Aulie Ata” = Dzhambul; Syr Daria Valley; “Werneyi”= Alma Ata), Korea, Kurils, Mongolia, Russia (Mid Siberia, Irkutsk District, East Siberia, Far East, Amurland, Maritime Province), Sakhalin, Turkey.

North Africa: Tunisia.

Morphological remarks

L. aphthonoides belongs to the group of L. membranaceus (Foudras 1860) ( Leonardi, 1975: 213-214; Doguet & Dufay, 1994: 306-307; Warchalowski, 1970: 106-107; 1995: 224); as for habitus, it is similar to L. lycopi (Foudras 1860) ( Warchalowski, 1970: 106-107; Leonardi, 1975: 213-214).

After many years from the Weise paper dealing with L. aphthonoides , and taking into account that the Warchalowski description (1967: 59-60) of his L. callidus might be considered rather short, it is useful to provide a new description of this taxon.

Body length: ♂♂: 1.36-1.68 mm, ♀♀: 1.58-1.91 mm.

Shape elliptical, moderately narrow and on average elongate (Figs. 1-3). Upper side (in mature individuals) yellow to pale rusty-brownish; elytral suture lightly darkened; head usually brown, darker than pronotum; upper lip dark.

Antennae pale at least in part: in some specimens progressively darkened from 5°-6° antennomeres, at times the last 4-5 antennomeres blackish. Legs yellow, hind femora often dark but rarely completely pale (as yellow as body); in some specimens, also last tarsomere and claws dark.

Frons [‘ postfrons ’ sensu Heikertinger, 1913 (Fig. 5)] and vertex [sensu Doguet, 2004 (Fig. 5a)] entirely microgranulated. Frontal tubercles distinctly separate from frons by deep frontal furrows. Ocular furrows weak and incomplete in terminal part as in L. lycopi .

Antennae always shorter than body. Articles ratio: 16:9:8:9:11:9:11:11:12:10:14.

Pronotum transverse [(Pw /Pl)m= 1.57-1.61], convex, wider in middle; sides rounded, lateral calli (behind fore corners) often showing an angular or obtuse dentiform profile; surface clearly microgranulated and rather strongly punctate; posterior angle, in intact specimens, with an erect seta as long as last antennomere.

Elytrae bright, moderately elongated [(El/Ew)m = 1.56-1.57], slightly rounded on sides, jointly rounded apically; surface less microgranulated than pronotum and more strongly, irregularly punctate, sometimes with traces of alignment. Humeral calli usually absent or weak but rather developed on approximately 30% of the examined specimens.