Lemula (s. str.) formosana, Ohbayashi & Chou, 2019

Ohbayashi, Nobuo & Chou, Wen-I, 2019, Revision of the genus Lemula (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lepturinae), Zootaxa 4671 (4), pp. 451-499 : 474-475

14. Lemula (s. str.) formosana aenea subsp. nov.

(Figs. VIII-14, XI-14)

Lemula coerulea: Hayashi, 1994: 59 , pl. 5, fig. 1. (nec Gressitt)

Description. Male: BL = 6.1–7.5 mm. Head, antennae, pronotum and legs similar in color with nominotypical subspecies. Elytral color variable, predominantly bronzy but sometimes golden brown, blue green, or metallic blue. Ventral surface with meso- and metasterna metallic green to bluish green; abdominal ventrites orange yellow though usually I or I–II decorated with dark brown patches near lateral base.

It is also possible to distinguish from the nominotypical subspecies by relatively short antennae which do not reach apical third of elytra, more or less denser pronotal punctures, and larger and coarser elytral punctures. Elytra shorter than twice humeral width (EL/EW = 1.95); space between punctures narrower than punctures themselves.

Endophallus (Type C). Almost same as nominotypical subspecies.

Female: BL = 6.0– 8.4 mm. EL/EW = 1.94.

Etymology. The subspecies name, ' aenea ' is derived from the bronzy elytral color.

Type series. Holotype ( NMNS): ♂, Bilushenmu (ƚ綠 ṈƗ), Xioulin, Township, Hualien County, Taiwan, 7-V- 1997, W.-I Chou leg. (G-1066).

Paratypes: [ Taiwan]: Same locality as the holotype. Bilushenmu (ƚ綠 ṈƗ), Xioulin Township , Hualien County [1♂, 1♀, 14-V-1977, T. Niisato & H. Fujita leg.; 1♀, 13-V-1978, M. Kuboki leg.; 3♂♂, 1♀, 1-VI-1978, M. Itô leg. (G-839); 3♂♂, 1♀, 3-IV-1994, W.-I Chou leg. (G-846); 2♂♂, 7-IV-1994, W.-I Chou leg.; 1♂, 28-V- 1995, W.-I Chou leg. (G-844); 1♂, 18-IV-1996, W.-I Chou leg.; 3♂♂, 1♀, 3-IV-1997, W.-I Chou leg.; 2♂♂, 1♀, 7-V-1997, W.-I Chou leg. (G-1067); 2♀♀, 31-V-1998, W.-I Chou leg.; 1♂, 1♀, 28-III-1999, W.-I Chou leg.; 1♂, 3-V-1999, W.-I Chou leg. (G-1068); 6♂♂, 3♀♀, 2,200 m, 10-V-2003, Y.-L. Lin leg. ( CCH); 1♂, 1♀, 12-IV-2015, W.-I Chou leg.] .

Distribution. Taiwan (Hualien).

Ecology. Flight period: March–May. Flower records: Acer , Prunus , Sycopsis .

Remarks. Hayashi (1994) recorded L. coerulea from Bilushenmu, Taiwan. Regrettably, we could not access the specimens recorded in this paper (1♂, 1♀ in Nara collection), but according to the characteristics mentioned in his redescription, it does not coincide with L. coerulea and recognized as a misidentification of this new subspecies.

This new subspecies seems to have a restricted distribution in high altitude area in the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan. Up to now, it has been collected only from Bilushenmu area of Hualien County at altitudes ca. 2,200 – 2,300 m.