Polyphaga plancyi Bolivar, 1882

Qiu, Lu, Che, Yan-Li & Wang, Zong-Qing, 2018, Contributions to some Corydiinae genera (Blattodea: Corydioidea: Corydiidae) from China, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 52 (21 - 22), pp. 1433-1461 : 1442-1448

Polyphaga plancyi Bolivar, 1882

( Figures 1e–h ; 3a–c, j, m, p, r ; 4 ; 5 ; 10a )

Polyphaga plancyi Bolivar, 1882: 462 , ‘Pekin’; Kirby 1904: 172; Chopard 1929: 259, figs 19–21, 26–27, pl. VIII, fig. 7; Bey-Bienko 1950: 299; Princis 1952b: 33; Princis 1962a: 53; Woo 1987: 433, pl. I, fig. 8, ♀; Feng, Guo and Woo, 1997): 164, fig. 63.

Steleopyga plancyi: Wu 1935: 20 .

Material examined

41 males, 13 females, 18 nymphs. CHINA: Beijing: 1 male, Fuxing Village, Fangshan District , 3 November 1959, no collector recorded ( IZCAS); 1 female, Beijing City, 10 July

1969, no collector recorded ( IZCAS); 1 male, Badachu, Shijingshan District, 31 August 1960, no collector recorded ( BJMNH); 1 male, Tiantan , Dongcheng District , 25 July 1963, Si-Kong Liu leg . ( BJMNH); 1 male, Beijing City , 12 August 1952, no collector recorded ( BJMNH); 1 male and 1 nymph, ‘ PEKING (now Beijing), 24/VII .1942, S . Yamasita leg .’ ( SWU); 1 male, ‘ PEKING, 6/VIII .1942, P . K . Hou leg .’ ( SWU); 1 male and 1 nymph, ‘ PEKING, 14/VIII .1942, L . K . Feng leg .’ ( SWU); 1 male, Beijing City , 15 August 1942, no collector recorded ( SWU); 1 male, ‘ PEKING, 10/VIII, 1933, Yi-Kun Shen leg .’ ( SWU); 1 male, Fu Jen Catholic University, Peiping (now Beijing Normal University , Beijing City ), 18 August 1950, Yun-Rui Zhu leg . ( SWU); 1 male, Beijing City, 9 October 1951, no collector recorded ( SWU); 2 males and 1 female, Beijing City, in a grain shop, July–August 1978, Wu Zhao collected and reared ( SWU); 1 male and 1 female, Beijing City , found in a house, August 1982, Yu-Chang Li leg . ( SWU); 1 male, ‘ Peiping, China’, 21 July 1947, no collector recorded ( SWU); 1 nymph, Beijing City , October 1976, Fo-Ching Woo (Fu-Zhen Wu) leg. ( SWU) ; 1 nymph, Shatan, Beijing City , found in a house, 24 July 1976, no collector recorded ( SWU); 1 female, ‘ PEKING, 10/VIII, 1938’, no collector recorded ( SWU); 1 female, ‘ PEKING, 18/VIII .1942, S . P . K. Hou leg .’ ( SWU); 1 female, ‘ Peking, 1/V, 1940, S . Kndo leg .’ ( SWU); 1 female, ‘ Peking, 22/VII .1933, Y . S . Tsien leg .’ ( SWU); 1 nymph, ‘ PEKING, 14/VIII .1942, P . K . Hou leg .’ ( SWU); 1 nymph, ‘ PEKING, 18/V .1943, P . S . Chien leg .’ ( SWU); 1 nymph, ‘ PEKING, 13/IX .1942, M . Baba leg .’ ( SWU); 2 nymphs, Beijing City , in a grain shop, June 1978, Wu Zhao leg . ( SWU); 2 exuviae, Beijing City , Wu Zhao leg . ( SWU). Hebei: 6 males and 6 nymphs, Hekou Township , Shunping County, 5 April 2014, Guo- Dong Ren leg . ( MHBU); 1 male, Chicheng Spring, Chicheng County, Zhangjiakou City , 16 July 2000, Ai-Min Shi leg . ( MHBU); 1 male, Baoding City , 1 May 2004, Hong Yin leg . ( MHBU); 3 nymphs, Xiguan Village, Wuqiang County, Hengshui City , 3 May 2005, Hui-Qin Ma leg . ( MHBU); 1 female, Hebei University, Baoding City , 20 April 2002, Zhi-Sheng Zhang leg . ( MHBU). Shandong: 1 male, Zhaocheng Town, Shenxian County, Liaocheng City , 31 August 2015, Zhong Peng leg . ( SWU, in 100% alcohol); 7 males, Qihe County, 14 September 1969, Yong-Lin Chen leg . ( IZCAS); 1 male, Licheng District, Jinan City , 28 May 1957, Ru-Lin Liu leg . ( IZCAS); 1 female, ‘ China: Sung . Tsinan ( Jinan City ), 1930, A . P . Jacot leg .’ ( NHMUK); 1 female, Linqing City, Liaocheng City , 4 October 2002, Xin-Jiang Li leg . ( MHBU). Shanxi: 1 male, Beiliu Town, Yangcheng County, Jincheng City , August 1982, Bi- Kun Ma leg . ( SWU); 1 male, Jincheng City, 31 May 1958, no collector recorded ( IZCAS); 1 male, ‘ West of Haixian’ (now Haizhou Town , Yanhu District , Yuncheng City ), 8 July 1953, Tie-Sen Zhong leg . ( IZCAS). Sha ’ anxi: 1 male and 1 female, Xi’ an City , 1962, no collector recorded ( IZCAS); 1 male, Louguantai , Zhouzhi County, Xi’ an City , 13 August 1962, Ji-Kun Yang leg . ( SWU); 1 female, Louguantai, Zhouzhi County, Xi’ an City , 16 August 1962, Fa- Sheng Li leg . ( SWU); 1 female, Liquan County, Xianyang City , December 1958, Io Chou (Yao Zhou) leg. ( SWU) ; 1 male, ‘ Taipaishan, Shense Prov. ( Mt. Taibaishan , Sha’ anxi Province ) , China. 22.8.1905.’ ( NHMUK). Henan: 1 male, Xinxiang City , September 1960, by light trapping, no collector recorded ( SWU) . Hunan: 1 male, Xiaoxi Natural Reserve, Yongshun County, Xiangxi Prefecture , 6–7 August 2004, Ji-Niang Wang leg . ( MHBU). Jiangsu: 1 male, ‘KIANG SU, YU-TOAN (Jiangsu, the specific locality is unknown in Chinese )’, no information for the date and collector ( SWU) .

Diagnosis

According to Chopard (1929), the male of this species can be distinguished from congeners by the dark colouration and flatter and wider body. The female is characterised by the distinct yellowish markings ( Figure 1e–f ), and very sparse and extremely short setae on the margins ( Figures 1e , 3n ), while the other species of the genus are all unicoloured except the anterior margin of pronotum (which is whitish), and with a long setaceous pubescence on the margins.

Redescription

Male. General: body length 20.5–23.6 mm; overall length including tegmen 29.8–34.1 mm; pronotum length × width 6.6–7.4 × 11.8–12.6 mm; tegmen length: 25.3–29.3 mm. Body broad, generally dark chocolate, dull, weakly pubescent ( Figure 1g –h ). Head: dark brown to black. Vertex concealed. Eyes medium size, wide apart, interocular space as wide as the distance between ocelli, but shorter than the distance between antennal sockets; ocelli yellow, drop-shaped, not protruding; frons flat; antenna dark brown; clypeus brown, protruding, anteclypeus yellow; labrum transverse, brown, with whitish basal part, distal part pubescent; maxillary palpi dark brown ( Figure 3b ). Pronotum: dark brown, anterior margin yellowish white; surface with short brownish-yellow setae ( Figure 3j ); shape transverse ovoid, lateral part slightly angled, anterior and posterior margin gradually arched ( Figure 3a ). Tegmina and wings: Tegmina unicoloured, dark brown, broad, CuP in cfr white, Sc swelling absent ( Figure 3c ). Wings with venation dark brown, basal half of M and CuP, anal area transparent, the rest part brownish. Venation as in Figure 10a . Branches all generally straight and parallel. Tegmen with Sc almost straight, more than three branches originating from about 1/3 of Sc length near the root; R basal half with about four braches stretching towards the outer margin of tegmen, straight, distal portion slightly curved, about four branches stretching towards the inner margin of tegmen apex; M with multiple branches basally, which interweave with CuA branches in the middle of the tegmen, distal portion curved, with about three straight branches paralleled and stretching towards the margin; CuA with three clusters of branches, the distal one interweaved with M, the median one normally stretched towards the inner margin, slightly curved, the basal one separated from CuA, situated near the margin. Wing with a single and straight Sc branch; R break into RA and RP basally, RA with about five short branches distally, RP medially with one curved branch stretched towards the apex, distally with about three small branches; a single separated vein present between R and M; M bifurcate medially, then all curvedly stretched towards inner margin; CuA with about 11 branches which are all parallel and extend straight towards the inner margin; CuP and AA simple, bifurcate distally; AP with a multiple branch first, the next ones gradually simplified. Legs: brown, slender, weakly pubescent, spines on the legs dark brown, arolia ( Figure 3r ) brownish yellow, triangular, small. Abdomen: brown, dull, not pubescent. Supra-anal plate ( Figure 4a ) brown, truncate, pubescent, median emarginated; two median sclerites elongate; cerci brown, with basal segments short and distal segments robust; spheroid sense organs brown, round. Subgenital plate ( Figure 4b ) brown, transverse, plump, margins very pubescent; styli brown, similar, stout. Genitalia: well sclerotised ( Figure 4c ). Left phallomere: L1 stout, left of anterior with an elongate process, hind portion yellow, membraned, L2 curved roundly, right end bifurcated, L3 long, robust, apex curved roundly, L4M large, pda long, well developed, L8 large, flat ( Figure 4e ), L7 much smaller than L8 ( Figure 4f ). Right phallomere: small; R1M thin. R2 bulging, hind median concave. R3 elongate, hind median widely transparent ( Figure 4d ).

Female. Body length: 31.2–36.4 mm, body width (measured at the widest point): 22.2– 24.6 mm. Body dark brown with brownish-yellow markings, pubescence absent ( Figure 1e–f ). Head round, dark brown; vertex concealed. Eyes small, wide apart, interocular space wider than the distance between antennal sockets and ocelli. Ocelli reduced into two whitish-yellow spots; antennae short, dark brown; clypeus protruding, upper usually with one to two yellowish maculae, anteclypeus yellowish white; labrum transverse, hind part yellowish white widely, distal margin yellowish white narrowly. Pronotum punctate, arched, apex protruding, disc and hind parts dark brown, anterior and lateral parts brownish yellow widely, surface with very short sparse setae ( Figure 3n ). Meso- and metanotum dark brown, both with large brownish-yellow lateral areas. Legs dark brown, spines on the legs dark brown, arolia absent ( Figure 3p ). Abdomen in dorsal view dark brown, finely crinkled, segments from the third to the seventh brownish yellow laterally and each also with two smooth spots laterally, in ventral view, dark brown, not pubescent, sometimes with two yellow spots laterally. Supra-anal plate transverse, apex not very protruded, median with a small emargination, and a distinct longitudinal indentation extending and reaching to about 2/3 of the supra-anal plate length; subgenital plate with apex bulging, round.

Distribution

China: Beijing, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hunan, Jiangsu; Russia: Southern Baikal .

Natural history

This species can be found in human dwellings ( Figure 5a–e ).

Remarks

This species is famous as raw materials in traditional Chinese medicine. According to Woo et al. (unpublished manuscript), this species was initially distributed in North China, but was introduced in South China from the 1970s to 1980s due to its medicinal value.

Figures

Figure 1. Polyphaga spp. from China. (a–d) P. obscura, from Xinjiang, China: (a) female adult, dorsal; (b) female adult, ventral; (c) female nymph, dorsal; (d) female nymph, ventral. (e–h) P. plancyi, from Hebei (female) and Shandong (male), China: (e) female, dorsal; (f) female, ventral; (g) male, dorsal; (h) male, ventral. Scale bar = 1 cm.

Figure 3. Features of Corydiinae species. Polyphaga plancyi: (a) male pronotum; (b) male head; (c) male Sc swelling (absent); (j) setae on the margin of pronotum (male); (n) setae on the margin of pronotum (female);(p) tarsal claw (female); (r) tarsal claw (male).Polyphaga obscura: (m) pubescence on the margin of pronotum (female); (q) tarsal claw (female). Ergaula nepalensis: (d) male pronotum; (e) male head; (f) male Sc swelling; (k) pubescence on the margin of pronotum (male); (o) glands on the first two pleural membranes (male); (s) tarsal claw (male). Ctenoblatta impubis: (g) male pronotum; (h) male head; (i) male Sc swelling; (l) pubescence on the margin of pronotum (male);(t) tarsal claw (male).Scale bars:a, d, g = 3 mm; b–c, e–f, h–i = 2 mm; j–n, r–t = 0.3 mm; o = 1 mm; p–q = 0.5 mm.

Figure 4. Polyphaga plancyi, male: (a) supra-anal plate, ventral; (b) subgenital plate, ventral; (c) genitalia, dorsal; (d) right phallomere, lateral; (e) L8; (f) L7. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figure 5. Habitats of Polyphaga plancyi. (a–d) females from Pingyao Ancient Town, Shanxi: (a) the environment where we found P. plancyi; (b) a female lying on the ground; (c–d) a female crawling on the wall. (e) a male found in Beijing. a–d photographed by Qiao-Zhi Yang; e photographed by Ye Liu.

Figure 10. Venation of tegmina (top) and hind wings (bottom): (a) Polyphaga plancyi; (b) Ergaula nepalensis; (c) Ctenoblatta impubis; (d) Homoeogamia mexicana (after Rehn 1951).