Prismognathus klapperichi Bomans, 1989

Wan, Xia, Bartolozzi, Luca & Yang, Xingke, 2007, Taxonomic notes on some Chinese species of Neolucanus Thomson and Prismognathus Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), Zootaxa 1510, pp. 51-56 : 54

Prismognathus klapperichi Bomans, 1989

( Figs. 12–15, 20–22 )

Prismognathus klapperichi Bomans, 1989: 15 .

Material examined. Holotype male of Prismognathus klapperichi (in BMNH) labeled: 1) Holotype, male; 2) Chine, Fukien, Kuatun, 15-VIII-1946, Tschung-Sen leg.; 3) ex. coll. J. Klapperich . Allotype female of Prismognathus klapperichi (in BMNH) labeled: 1) Allotype, female; 2) Chine, Fukien, Kuatun, 15-VIII-1946, Tschung-Sen leg.; 3) ex. coll. J. Klapperich . Additional specimens examined: 2 females labeled: Zhejiang, Mt. Tianmushan, Laodian, 31-VII-1998, Zhiyong Yu leg.; 1 male labeled: Mt. Tianmu -shan, Laodian, 31- VII-1998, Xue Wang leg.; 1 male labeled: Fujian, Cong’an, Xing Cun, Sangang, 7-VIII-1960, Yiran Zhang leg. (all in IZAS).

Remarks. The holotype of P. klapperichi is an unusually small male; the right eye is entire, without a canthus, and larger than the left one ( Fig.14 ). However, the original description was not accompanied by an illustration and made no mention of the asymmetry and abnormalities of the holotype ( Bomans, 1989). This caused difficulties in the identification of this species. Fortunately, there are some normally developed males in our collection from the same locality as the holotype, so it is possible to show the variability of the species and provide diagnostic characters. This species mainly distributed in south-eastern China. The mandibles of major males are longer than the head, strong curved, with a large and curved apical tooth; the canthus is triangular, with a very sharp apical angle ( Fig. 12 ). In medium-sized males, the mandibles are as long as head, slightly curved, with slightly a curved apical tooth; the canthus is triangular with a slightly blunt apical angle ( Fig. 13 ). In minor males, the mandible is slightly shorter than the head, almost straight, with a small apical tooth; the canthus is similar to that of medium-sized males ( Fig. 14 ). The pronotal shape of all the males is very similar: wider than elytra and almost trapezoidal. The female is smaller, mandibles much shorter than head; the canthus is narrow, irregularly shaped; the pronotum is similar to the minor males ( Fig. 15 ). In male genitalia ( Figs. 20–21 ), the aedeagus is stout, with a permanently everted internal sac that is about as long as the total length of parameres and phallobase; the apex of the paramere is round. In female genitalia ( Fig. 22 ), the hemisternites are slender, 3/4 part of the hemisternites is roughly rectangle anteriorly, 1/4 part of the hemisternite is thin and strut-like posteriorly. The spermatheca is large and pear-shaped.

Bomans (1989) did not give detailed comparison of P. klapperichi and its allied species, but merely mentioned that this species is similar to P. davidis Deyrolle, 1878 and the subspecies P. davidis cheni Bomans, 1973 . In fact, it is difficult to identify small males among different species in Prismognathus , even though the large males are quite distinct. After comparing P. klapperichi with all the known species in this genus, we found P. klapperichi is very similar to P. dauricus Motschulsky ( Figs. 16–19 ). The latter species inhabits Northern China, Japan, the Korean peninsula, Mongolia, and Russia (the Far East Region). Differences between the two species are as follows: 1) Mandible almost straight in P. dauricus , the upper margin without medial teeth, the apical tooth straight upward with strongly curved apex, apical tooth located in the apical 1/3 of total mandibular length; mandible distinctly curved in P. klapperichi , the upper margin with a small medial tooth, the apical tooth straight upward with feeble curved apex, apical tooth located in the apical 2/3 of total mandibular length. 2) Pronotum almost square, about as wide as the elytra in P. dauricus , medial disc slightly convex; pronotum almost trapezoidal, distinctly wider than the elytra in P. klapperichi , medial disc strongly convex. 3) Genitalia: in P. dauricus ( Figs.23–24 ), the aedeagus is slender, the permanently everted internal sac is shorter than the total length of the parameres and phallobase, the apex of paramere is acute. Hemisternites are stout, apical 1/3 of hemisternite almost semicircle, basal 2/3 of hemisternite stout and strut-like, spermatheca is small and pear-shaped ( Fig. 25 ). In P. klapperichi , the aedeagus is about as long as the total length of the parameres and phallobase, the apex of paramere is round. Hemisternites are slender, apical 3/4 of hemisternite is almost rectangle, basal 1/4 of hemisternite is slender and strut-like. The spermatheca is large and pear-shaped.

Figures

FIGURES 12 – 25. 12 – Large male of P. klapperichi; 13 – Medium-sized male of P. klapperichi; 14 – Small male, holotype of P. klapperichi; 15 – Female, allotype of P. klapperich; 16 – Large male of P. dauricus; 17 – Medium-sized male of P. dauricus; 18 – Small male of P. dauricus; 19 – Female of P. dauricus; 20 – Aedeagus of P. klapperichi, ventral view; 21 – Aedeagus of P. klapperichi, lateral view; 22 – Female genitalia of P. klapperichi, ventral view; 23 – Aedeagus of P. dauricus, ventral view; 24 – Aedeagus of P. dauricus, lateral view; 25 – Female genitalia of P. dauricus, ventral view. Figs. 12 – 19, scale bars = 10 mm; Figs. 20 – 25, scale bars = 1 mm.