Liotesba Scheerpeltz, 1965

Zhou, Yu-Lingzi & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2013, Taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Liotesba Scheerpeltz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Xantholinini) with descriptions of four new species, Journal of Natural History 47 (45 - 46), pp. 2869-2904 : 2874-2877

Genus Liotesba Scheerpeltz, 1965

Liotesba Scheerpeltz, 1965: 199 (species included: L. malaisei ); Herman, 2001: 3692 (catalogue; species of the world); Bordoni, 2002: 315 (revision of Oriental species; characters; key to species); Smetana, 2004: 691 (catalogue; Palaearctic species); Bordoni, 2007b: 71 (catalogue).

Type species. Liotesba malaisei Scheerpeltz, 1965: 201 , fixed by original designation and monotypy.

Diagnosis

Liotesba can be distinguished from all other genera within the tribe Xantholinini by the following characters: (a) body subcylindrical, usually medium to large in size (7–12 mm), more rarely larger (12–17 mm); (b) head subquadrate or subrectangular, with sparse-scattered large punctures, almost without microsculpture; (c) frontal furrow often short or not obvious, ocular furrows usually missing; (d) antennomere II shorter than III; (e) labrum with four teeth; (f) second segment of maxillary palpi and last segment of labial palpi usually longest; (g) gular sutures not fused together, separated by the deeply excavated gular plate; (h) neck wide, about half of head width; (i) pronotum with two large anterolateral punctures, and one posterolateral puncture ( Figure 1A :e, f) on each side; (j) antesternal plate with a longitudinal medium furrow; (k) superior line of hypomeron bending toward prosternum before anterior angle of pronotum, but not joining inferior line; (l) mesoventrite with distinctly projecting, longitudinal median ridge; (m) protarsi dilated; tibiae with apical ctenidium, without subapical ctenidia; (n) aedeagus subelliptical or subovoid at base, with a pair of black sclerites near apex of median lobe; (o) female genital segments comprising a distinct oblong sternite, and a pair of subtriangular sclerites in ventral side (cf. Bordoni, 2002, p. 67: fig. 69).

According to our knowledge of the distributional ranges of all Liotesba species ( Figure 5 ), the genus Liotesba should be an element of the Oriental region. The species are distributed along the south boundary of the Tibet Plateau toward the monsoon region of eastern Asia (from Thailand across mainland China to Taiwan and Japan). Only L. subsimilis , L. punctiventris and L. malaisei are widespread. There are apparently two diversity hotspots. First, the southwest boundary of the Himalaya, where seven endemic species and two widespread species were found. Second, the Chinese mainland from where six endemic and two widespread species were recorded.

Key to the species of Liotesba Scheerpeltz

1. Body large, longer than 10 mm .......................................... 2 Body small, or medium in size, shorter than 10 mm ...................... 11

2. Elytra dark brown...................................................... 3 Elytra reddish brown.................................................... 5

3. Elytra fully covered with punctures; internal sac quite stout; Hubei ............................................................ L. expansipalpis sp. nov. Elytra furnished with three to five rows of punctures...................... 4

4. Head oval in shape; parameres of aedeagus quite long and narrow; Sichuan....................................................... L. ovaticeps sp. nov. Head subrectangular in shape; parameres relatively short and broad; Myanmar......................................... L. enthymema Bordoni

5. Posterior angle of head more angular, not rounded; Bhutan....................................................................... L. wittmeri Coiffait Posterior angle of head rounded......................................... 6

6. Pronotum shorter or slightly longer than head............................ 7 Pronotum distinctly longer than head.................................... 8

7. Mesoscutellum with polygonal reticulum; abdominal segments III–VI ferruginous or dark reddish brown, markedly brighter than subsequent segments; Myanmar............................................... L. rubra Bordoni Mesoscutellum without microsculpture; abdominal segments unicolorous dark brown to black brown, only posterior margins of segments narrowly brighter; Myanmar.................................. L. rubescens Bordoni

8. Eye small, not more than 0.4 times the length of tempora; Hubei ................................................................. L. hubeiana Bordoni Eye medium-sized, 0.4–0.5 times the length of tempora................... 9

9. Male tergite X angulate at lateral margin; internal sac coiled three or two times....................................................................... 10 Male tergite X rounded at lateral margin; internal sac coiled over four times; India................................................. L. oculifera Bordoni

10. Internal sac coiled over three times; Taiwan................. L. itoi Bordoni Internal sac coiled two times; Yunnan................ L. antonellae Bordoni

11. Anteocular furrow distinct; Zhejiang ............. L. fengyangshana sp. nov. Anteocular furrow missing............................................. 12

12. Head distinctly oblong; Cosmopolitan species....... L. malaisei Scheerpeltz Head subquadrate or subrectangular................................... 13

13. Tempora slightly dilated; Cosmopolitan species..... L. subsimilis (Cameron) Tempora not dilated, usually parallel................................... 14

14. Frontal furrow distinct, deep and long.................................. 15 Frontal furrow indistinct............................................... 16

15. Distance between antennal insertions subequal to that from antenna to eye; Cosmopolitan species.............................. L. punctiventris (Sharp) Distance between antennal insertions shorter than that from antenna to eye; Sichuan .............................................. L. recticeps sp. nov.

16. Lateral margins of pronotum slightly sinuate; elytra not obviously narrow; India.................................................. L. rufula Bordoni Lateral margins of pronotum quite convergent at middle; elytra distinctly narrow; Thailand.................................... L. siamensis Bordoni

Figures

Figure 1. Liotesba fengyangshana sp. nov., (A) forebody (a. anterolateral puncture = antennal puncture; b. midlateral puncture = ocular puncture; c. temporal puncture; d. occipital puncture; e: anterolateral puncture; f. posterolateral puncture; g. anteocular furrow = ocular furrow; h. anterior portion of basal bulb); (B) labrum; (C) right mandible; (D) maxillary palpus; (E) labial palpus; (F) male tergite VIII; (G) male sternite VIII; (H) male tergite X = male tergite of genital segment; (I) male sternite IX = male sternite of genital segment; (J) aedeagus, dorsal view; (K) aedeagus, ventral view. Scale bars 0.30 mm.

Figure 5. Geographical distribution of species of the genus Liotesba Scheerpeltz. L. fengyangshana sp. nov. (); L. expansipalpis sp. nov. (); L. recticeps sp. nov. (); L. ovaticeps sp. nov. (); L. enthymema Bordoni (); L. hubeiana Bordoni (); L. itoi Bordoni (); L. oculifera Bordoni (); L. punctiventris (Sharp) (); L. malaisei Scheerpeltz (); L. rubescens Bordoni (); L. rubra Bordoni (); L. rufula Bordoni (); L. subsimilis (Cameron) (); L. siamensis Bordoni (); L. wittmeri Coiffait (); L. antonellae Bordoni ().