Lilioceris thibetana (Pic, 1916)

Xu, Yuan & Liang, Hongbin, 2022, A review of the sinica species group within the genus Lilioceris (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Criocerinae), ZooKeys 1119, pp. 153-179 : 153

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1119.87082
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:381A108D-0C00-42D7-A7FD-2EBE3C0CCB75
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/77689E79-636B-5944-A0BC-000454B7FDA2
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Lilioceris thibetana (Pic, 1916)
status

Treatment

Figs 10 View Figures 6–11 , 11 View Figures 6–11 , 17 View Figures 12–17 , 23 View Figures 18–23 , 29 View Figures 24–29 , 35 View Figures 30–41 , 42 View Figure 42

Lilioceris thibetana Pic, 1916: 18 (China, Prov. Thibet, Type / Lectotype, male). ( Crioceris ). Gressitt and Kimoto 1961: 59 ( Lilioceris ).

Type material examined.

1♂, type [MNHN, photo], Thibet, Trianatang / Lilioceris thibetana Pic / n. sp / Type / Museum Paris Coll. M. Pic / TYPE / LECTOTYPE / LECTOTYPE Lilioceris thibetana (Pic, 1916) / MNHN, Paris EC15770.

Other material examined.

Total 3 specimens. China: Yunnan: 1♂, Xishuangbanna, Meng-a, 1050-1080 m / 1958.VI.9, Shuyong Wang coll. ; 1♀, Xishuangbanna, Menghai , 1200-1600 m / 1958.VII.22, Fuji Pu coll. ; 1♂, Lushui, Pianma , 1750 m / 1981.V.27, Xuezhong Zhang coll. /? Lilioceris gressitti Medvedev , Peiyu Yu det.

Diagnosis.

Femora black. Pronotum disc with fine punctures; elytral punctures small, slightly diminishing or not diminishing posteriorly; metasternite almost glabrous; abdominal sternites with sparse pubescence, transverse impressions present on sternites 2-5.

Redescription.

BL = 6.0-7.0 mm, BW = 3.0-3.5 mm. Front part of head, antennae, ventral surface, and legs black; occiput, pronotum, scutellum, and elytra brownish red.

Head (Fig. 10 View Figures 6–11 ). HL/HW = 1.1-1.2; vertex without groove in the middle, finely punctate and setose laterally; frontoclypeal area triangular, disc with sparse punctures and setae; labrum transverse, with sparse setae; antennomeres 5-10 each slightly longer than wide (Fig. 35 View Figures 30–41 ).

Pronotum (Fig. 17A View Figures 12–17 ). PW / HW = 1.0-1.1, PL / PW = 0.9-1.0; anterior and posterior angle not protruding; sides distinctly constricted in the middle; middle of disc with fine and scattered punctures; anterior and posterior transverse impression indistinct, basal transverse groove shallow.

Elytra (Fig. 17D View Figures 12–17 ). EL/EW = 1.3-1.5; sutural angle rounded; humeri protruding, humeral groove distinct, basal transverse impression indistinct; scutellary striole composed of 5-8 punctures; strial punctures small, slightly diminishing or not diminishing posteriorly; intervals flat; epipleura raised, with row of fine punctures.

Mesosternite pubescent. Lateral side of the metasternite nearly smooth (Fig. 17B View Figures 12–17 ); metepisternum densely pubescent.

Abdominal sternites with sparse pubescence; lateral transverse impressions present on sternites 2-5, area outside the impression densely pubescent (Fig. 17C View Figures 12–17 ).

Legs slender; tibiae with dense punctures and pubescence; femora with dense pubescence on dorsal surface, with sparse pubescence on ventral surface.

Male genitalia (Fig. 23A-D View Figures 18–23 ). Median foramen occupying 1/5 length of median lobe (Fig. 23A View Figures 18–23 ); apex rounded (Fig. 23B View Figures 18–23 ); basal piece of tegmen triangular, lateral lobes slightly sclerotized; posterior part of dorsal sclerite in dorsal view in dorsal view widely rounded, directed laterally (Fig. 23C, D View Figures 18–23 ).

Female reproductive organs (Fig. 29A-C View Figures 24–29 ). Spiculum gastrale short, Y-shaped, distal part slightly widened, apical margin rounded (it was broken during dissection, Fig. 29A, B View Figures 24–29 ); ovipositor with dense setae, distal part of the ovipositor cylindrical, short, with small protuberance; spermatheca greatly convoluted.

Distribution.

China (Tibet, Yunnan).

Host plant and habitat.

Unknown.

Remarks.

In original labels, the type locality is 'Thibet, Trianatang’. There are at least three villages with similar pronunciation to Trianatang, first village ‘Qiunatong’ is in Gongshan county, northwestern Yunnan (28.09655°N, 98.57368°E, 1816 m), very close to Tibet; the second village ‘Qunatang’ is in Zayü county, Tibet (28.33884°N, 98.58602°E, 2460 m), and the third village ‘Qunatang’ is in Mêdog county, Tibet (29.46423°N, 95.74406°E, 2084 m). They are not far from each other, and all are possibilities to be the type locality of ‘Trianatang’.

Lilioceris thibetana was formerly placed in the Lilioceris impressa group ( Tishechkin et al. 2011), probably due to its similarity with Lilioceris malabarica as stated in original description by Pic (1916). In the holotype, the antennae are missing, so it is difficult to determine whether it belongs to the Lilioceris impressa group or the Lilioceris sinica group based on the antennae. Fortunately, we have three specimens from Yunnan which fit well with the type in body size, body color, punctures on pronotum and elytra, pubescence on metasternites and abdominal sternites, and in the shape of the aedeagus (compared with the illustration of Tishechkin et al. 2011: fig. 29). However, their antennomeres 5-10 are all cylindrical so we moved L. thibetana into the Lilioceris sinica group.

This species is similar to Lilioceris gressitti , but differs by having the metaventral disc nearly smooth (in L. gressitti , the metaventral disc has a narrow pubescent strip). Furthermore, in L. thibetana , the spiculum gastrale is Y-shaped, slightly wider in the distal part, and the apical margin is rounded, while in L. gressitti , the spiculum gastrale is X-shaped, strongly widened in the distal part, and the apical margin is straight.