Plateumaris sibirica (Solsky, 1871)

Geiser, Elisabeth, 2023, Revision of the Palaearctic species of the genus Plateumaris C. G. Thomson, 1859 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Donaciinae), ZooKeys 1177, pp. 167-233 : 167

Plateumaris sibirica (Solsky, 1871)

Type locality.

Russia, Irkutsk.

Type material.

Solsky (1871) did not indicate the depository. It is unknown if the holotype still exists.

Remarks.

Plateumaris sibirica was described as Donacia sibirica by Solsky (1871) as a new species from Irkutsk which resembles P. sericea ( Geiser and Geiser 2023). It was not described as a “variation” as is sometimes cited in the literature. Jacoby (1885: 193) doubted it: " Donacia sericea var. Plateumaris sericea sibirica ? Solsky: The dozen specimens obtained at Nikko show scarcely any difference from our European form … Structural differences I can see none."

Eventually, the original description only mentions characters which are typical for P. sericea . It has been regarded as a synonym to P. sericea by Goecke (1960) and Hayashi (2020), but it is treated as a subspecies in Silfverberg (2010), in Warchałowski (2010), and in Bieńkowski (2014). The latter mentioned that "the taxonomic status of the subspecies P. sericea sibirica needs further studies".

I examined more than 60 specimens identified as P. sericea sibirica , mainly from the BMNH, NHMB, NMPC and SDEI, and I agree with Jacoby, Goecke and Hayashi that all characters are clearly within the variation range of P. sericea . I could not find any differences compared with European or other Siberian specimens. Therefore, I confirm the decision of Goecke (1960) and Hayashi (2020) that P. sibirica is neither a valid species nor a subspecies, but synonym of P. sericea .

The original description was mostly cited as Solsky (1872). It was described in "Horae Societatis Entomologicae Rossiae " volume 8 comprising the years 1871 and 1872. There it was described in the part of 1871 according to Standfuss and Kerzhner (2004).