Miridiba herteli ( Frey, 1971 )

Gao, Chuan-bu & Coca-Abia, María Milagro, 2021, Revision of the genus Miridiba Reitter, 1902 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae): genital morphotypes and new taxonomic data, European Journal of Taxonomy 749, pp. 1-94 : 48-51

Miridiba herteli ( Frey, 1971)

Figs 66–68

Holotrichia herteli Frey, 1971: 220–221 , fig. 29b (type loc.: Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India).

Holotrichia herteli – Smetana & Král 2006: 220 (catalogue).

Miridiba herteli – Keith 2004: 81 (combination). — Coca-Abia 2008: 680. — Bezděk 2016: 271 (catalogue).

Diagnosis

External morphology of adult ( Fig. 66 ). Body size 17.2 mm. Dorsal surface glabrous, at most with tiny setae in each puncture hardly visible; matt appearance. Clypeus shorter than frons, flat, oblique sides, anterior edge strongly emarginate at middle. Frons with carina moderately developed. Pronotal anterior margin glabrous, regularly curved; posterior margin glabrous, finely flanged with a row of punctures except at middle; lateral margins with posterior half sinuate, moderately serrated and with short setae; anterior angles obtuse, not projected forward, posterior angles almost right and marked. Prosternal process cone-shaped. Scutellum glabrous, with scattered punctures. Epipleuron with few short setae at basal part. Foretibia with dorsal carina sharp; insertion of inner spur almost equidistant between second and third outer tooth. Meso- and metatibia with transverse carina complete, inner margin of dorsal surface with few strong spines. Prepygidium with scattered punctured regularly distributed. Pygidium regularly flanged, surface with scattered punctures irregularly distributed, tiny setae in each puncture hardly visible, apical margin pubescent. Ventrites 3 and 4 glabrous, with inconspicuous punctures at middle, more conspicuous at sides. Ventrite 5 moderately depressed at posterior half, with pubescence of different length, with conspicuous scattered punctures. Ventrite 6 with a transversal anterior keel, with long pubescence near posterior margin. Male genitalia matches morphotype II “ Gressitti ” above described. Dorsal complex of parameres with intermediate branches longer than ventral ones, bending toward distal end; apices of ventral branches with a ventral sharp tip ( Fig. 67 ). Endophallus with a soft raspula with scattered small spines ( Fig. 68 ). Apophysis of temones with each distal end prolonged by an oval plate each weakly sclerotized ( Fig. 68 ). Female genitalia unknown.

Material examined

Holotype INDIA • ♂; “Saharanpur, N.W. Indien ”; “10629”; “Staatl. Museum für Tierkunde, Dresden” [Staatliches Museum für Tierkunde Dresden]; “ Holotrichia n. sp. sinensis ?”; “ Type Holotrichia herterli n. sp. det. G. Frey 1970”; “TYPE”; “ Holotype Miridiba herteli ( Frey, 1970) CH. Bu Gao & M. Coca-Abia det.

2017”; SNSD.

Paratype INDIA • 1 ♂; “ Sylheti Ind Prov. Nagpur ” [ Sylhet region in India , Nagpur ]; “♀”; “PARATYPE”; “ Holotrichia herteli n. sp. det. G. Frey 1970 ”; “ Miridiba gressitti ( Frey, 1970) Coca- Abia & Chuan-bu Gao det. 2018”; NHMB.

Remarks

Frey (1971) described Holotrichia herteli from two specimens, male and female, designated as holotype (SNSD) and paratype (NHMB), respectively. Later, Keith (2004) transferred this species to Miridiba . We have studied both type specimens and realized that the paratype is not female but male. In addition, after comparing both types, we have found that they differ by the following characters ( Table 3 ): body (size, appearance and pubescence), pronotum (anterior and lateral margins), foretibia (carina, inner spur), mesotibia (lateral carina), pygidium (apical margin), ventrites 5 and 6 (appearance) and male genitalia (parameres shape and internal structures of endophallus). These differences between the holotype and paratype of M. herteli raise questions about the identity of the paratype. However, after studying and comparing the paratypes of M. herteli and M. gressitti , they turned out to be identical. Consequently, the paratype of M. herteli is identified as M. gressitti ; features of external morphology confirm it ( Table 3 ). Therefore, the male genitalia of M. gressitti is described based on the paratype of M. herteli , detailed above (morphotype II “ Gressitti ”). The holotype of M. herteli is considered to belonging to genital morphotype II “ Gressitti ”. The features of male genitalia described below confirm it.

Distribution

India (Uttar Pradesh).

Species included in Morphotype III “Leucophthalma”

The group is composed of three species, which are characterized by antenna 10-segmented, pronotal surface densely punctate (distance between punctures equal or smaller than diameter of a puncture) and male and female genitalia as specified above.

Figures

Figs 65–68. 65. Miridiba gressitti (Frey, 1970), paratype, ♀ (MHNB). Habitus in dorsal view. 66– 68. M. herteli (Frey, 1971) holotype, ♂ (SNSD 10629). 66. Habitus in dorsal view. 67. Parameres in dorsal (A), ventral (B) and lateral (C) views, 68. Endophallus and temones in lateral view. Scale bars: 65–66 = 5.0 mm; 67–68 = 1.0 mm.