Pogonostoma (Bathypogonum) levigatum levigatum W. Horn, 1908

Razanajaonarivalona, Elysé Hugo, Moravec, Jiří & Rakotomanana, Hajanirina, 2021, New or rare Madagascar tiger beetles- 20. Pogonostoma (Bathypogonum) horimichioi sp. nov. and supplemented characters of P. (B) levigatum levigatum (W. Horn) and P. (B.) levigatum lucens Rivalier (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Zootaxa 4926 (2), pp. 245-262 : 254-257

Pogonostoma (Bathypogonum) levigatum levigatum W. Horn, 1908

( Figs 26–27 , 29–42 , 46 )

Pogonostoma levigatum W. Horn, 1908: 367 .

Type locality. Northeastern Madagascar: “Amboaniho” (= Amboanio) coastal forest near Vohemar (see “Remarks”) .

Pogonostoma (Bathypogonum) laevigatum (sic!): Jeannel 1946: 130, 131, fig. 48 (incorrect subsequent spelling).

Pogonostoma (Bathypogonum) laevigatum (sic!): Rivalier 1970: 312, fig. 19-lae (incorrect subsequent spelling)—see “Remarks”.

Pogonostoma (Bathypogonum) levigatum: Moravec 2007: 80 , figs 259–271, 1660–1661.

Type material. Syntypes in SDEI: 3 ♁♁, 2 ♀♀ labelled: “Amboaniho” [handwritten] // “Type! / Coll. W. Horn ” [printed]; “ Syntypus ” [red, printed]; “ Coll. W. Horn / DEI Eberswalde” [printed]; “Revision Jiří Moravec 2003: / Syntype / Pogonostoma / levigatum W. Horn, 1908 .” [red, printed] .

Other material examined. 1 ♁ in SDEI, 7 ♁♁, 4 ♀♀ in MNHN, 1 ♀ in MRAC, 1 ♀ in BMNH, 1 ♀ in CCJM (ex APCA): “Vohemar”. 4 ♁♁, 2 ♀♀ in MNHN, 1 ♀ in CCJM: “ Madagascar (Vohemar) / Analabe”. 1 ♀ in MNHN, 1 ♁ in NHMW. 3 ♁♁, 3 ♀♀ in SDEI, 2 ♁♁ in MNHU, 2 ♁♁, 1 ♀ in MFNB: “Amber Gebirge [Montagne d’Ambre] / ND Madagascar ”. 1 ♁ in SDEI, 1 ♁ in NHMW: “Tananarive”. Recent data. 1 ♁ in CCJM: “ Madagascar Nord / Marotaolana (Massif du Ankarana) / 7–9.II.2000, leg. Jiří Moravec ”. 1 ♀ in AMCB: “ Madagascar Nord / Massif de l’Ankarana / 24.XII.2004, leg. Alain Monfort ” .

Differential diagnosis. Body ( Figs 26–27 ) robust, particularly in females, length 15.8–18.0 mm, width 3.60– 4.80 mm.

Apart from the notably larger body size, P. ( Bathypogonum ) l. levigatum is immediately distinguished from P. (Bathypogonum) horimichioi sp. nov. by its dorsal body coloration which varies from metallic deep violaceous-blue or cyaneous-blue to black-cyaneous, often with purple lustre on elytral margins and apices, and by the following characters. Pronotal disc ( Figs 39–40 ) markedly metallic shiny with partly smoothened surface (particularly in males), covered with very shallow, irregularly transverse rugae which are indistinct or even effaced on sublateral areas. Elytral punctation ( Figs 34–36 ) similar to that in the new species, but punctures usually deeper and generally with wider intervals. Setal vesture predominantly black (in old specimens faded), setae on elytral surface appearing ferrugineous.

Aedeagus ( Figs 41–42 ) shaped as in P. (Bathypogonum) horimichioi sp. nov. (length 3.60–4.15 mm, width 0.70–0.80 mm); the aedeagus illustrated here shows its internal sac which in its lateral view ( Fig. 41 ) shows a small basal piece, ventral arc piece, and conspicuous, large arciform sclerite with pointed base and dilated apex which reaches sclerotized inner margins of apical orifice, and indistinct, subapical-ventral piece; as obvious from the dorsal view of the same aedeagus ( Fig. 42 ), the main sclerites are in fact doubled. Such notably developed internal sac represents one of the few exceptions within the genus Pogonostoma . Majority of species of the genus have internal sac inconspicuous, lacking clearly developed sclerites and structures—only few other cases with a sclerite within the internal sac were found and demonstrated within the comprehensive revision of the genus ( Moravec 2007).

Distribution and biology. Jeannel (1946) and Rivalier (1970) stated Vohemar as the type locality. In reality, Horn (1908) mentioned in the original description “Amboaniho and Vohemar” and the existing syntypes in SDEI are labelled “Amboaniho”. Other specimens in SDEI and those in MNHN, labelled “Vohemar”, are not labelled “type”. Though there are several places bearing the name Amboanio in Madagascar, the type locality is specified here as a coastal eastern forest near the village of Amboanio south of Vohemar.

Pogonostoma (Bathypogonum) levigatum is nowadays very rare species. Adults of the nominotypical subspecies have been recently captured only in the Ankarana massif in northwestern Madagascar, thus in the opposite side of the island. One male was taken by the second author near Marotaolana, 14 km north of Ankarana, in a humid deciduous forest which notably differs from the dry deciduous forest in the karstic area of the Special Reserve of Ankarana. The single male occurred in the Marotaolana forest among a number of adults of Pogonostoma (Polypogonostoma) violaceum violaceum Fleutiaux, 1902 .

Horn (1934a, 1934b) mentioned also Montagne d’Ambre, which is in accordance with the above-listed three specimens (MFNB) examined by the second author of the present paper.

Nothing is known about developmental stages of this species.

Remarks. In the spirit of a previous recommendation by ICZN (1999) and due to rather uniform characters of the five syntypes in SDEI, none of them was designated as a lectotype by the second author of the present paper at the time of his revision of the genus ( Moravec 2007).

Jeannel (1946) and Rivalier (1970) spelled the species name as “ laevigatum ”, although the original Latin form of the name as “ levigatum ” by Horn (1908) was grammatically correct. Moreover, both Jeannel and Rivalier only used the spelling of the name as “ laevigatum ” but they did not mention simultaneously the original form of the name with explicit statement of intention. Furthermore, in accordance with Moravec (2007), as the spelling “ laevigatum ” is not in “prevailing usage” and as both forms of the name are grammatically correct, the superfluous change of the spelling as “ laevigatum ” could not be considered “justified emendation” by Jeannel and Rivalier, but according to Art. 33.2.1, 33.3 and Art 33.5 ( ICZN 1999) it was “incorrect subsequent spelling” (see Moravec 2007).

It is noteworthy that Jeannel (1946) argued that P. (B.) levigatum possesses only one pattern of only short elytral setae (lacking long sensory setae). However, as mentioned by Rivalier (1970), and confirmed by Moravec (2007) and here, the long sensory hairlike setae are scattered among the short, dense ornamental setae on the elytral surface in the subgenus Bathypogonum as in other subgenera of the genus Pogonostoma (the setae may be easily abraded).

It should be emphasized here that the line drawings of the labrum (in both sexes) by Rivalier (1970, fig. 19-lae), are too scholastic and quite misleading as they do not show the real labral shape characteristic of the subgenus.

Figures

FIGURES 26–28. Pogonostoma (Bathypogonum) levigatum, habitat. 26–27—P. (B.) l. levigatum W. Horn. 26—♁, 15.6 mm, Amboaniho, ST (SDEI); 27—♁, 15.3 mm, Marotaonala (CCJM); 28—P. (B.) l. lucens Rivalier, ♀, 15.5 mm, Île de Beraphia, LT (MNHN). Bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 29–38. Pogonostoma (Bathypogonum) l. levigatum W. Horn. 29–30—mandibles: 29—♁, Marotaonala (CCJM); 30—♀, Vohemar (CCJM ex APCA); 31—32—labrum: 31—♁, Marotaonala; 32—♀, Vohemar; 33—lacinia, ♁, Marotaonala; 34—elytron, ♁, ibid; 35—ditto, sculpture on elytral disc; 36—♀, elytral apex, Vohemar; 37—ditto, ♀ elytral disc; 38—labrum, Amboanio, ST (SDEI). Bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 39–44. Pogonostoma (Bathypogonum) levigatum. 39–42— P. (B.) l. levigatum W. Horn. 39–40—pronotum: 39—♁, Marotaonala (CCJM); 40—♀, Vohemar (CCJM ex APCA); 41–44—male aedeagus or its apex: 41—showing internal sac, Ma- rotaonala; 42—ditto, dorsal view; 43–44—P. (B.) l. lucens Rivalier. 43—Ramena River (SDEI); 44—ditto, dorsal view. Bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 45–47. Distribution of Pogonostoma (Bathypogonum). 45– P. (B.) horimichioi sp. nov.; 46—P. (B.) l. levigatum W. Horn; 47—P. (B.) l. lucens Rivalier.