Ceruchus tabanai Okuda, 2008

Huang, Hao, Imura, Yûki & Chen, Chang-Chin, 2011, Notes on the genus Ceruchus MacLeay from China, with the description of a new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Lucanidae), Zootaxa 2906, pp. 1-42 : 9-10

6. Ceruchus tabanai Okuda, 2008

( Figs. 15 , 31 , 53 , 212 , 235 , 261 )

Specimens examined. CHINA: Sichuan Province: 13 (holotype, CNO), Luojishan, 2900-3000m; 1Ƥ (paratype, CNO), Luojishan, 2900-3000m. External features examined, genitalia not examined.

Taxonomic notes. The following differences between Ceruchus tabanai and Ceruchus sinensis were mentioned in the original description: “1) body smaller, 2) middle part of lateral margins of head weakly expanded, 3) sides of pronotum and protibiae dark reddish brown; in female, 1) body smaller and weakly convex, 2) mentum transversely quadrate, 3) protibiae not bent inwardly”. However, most of these differences are not diagnostic as they are commonly found to have interspecific variation within most known species of Ceruchus .

The original description of Ceruchus tabanai is not informative, as Okuda (2008) did not describe the characters in the ventral tooth of the male mandible, the yellow setae on mesofemur and mesotibia of male, and the female genitalia except the stylus and hemisternite. An examination of male holotype and a female paratype of Ceruchus tabanai shows that Ceruchus tabanai has the most external characters of both sexes in common with Ceruchus sinensis , except for the following male characters: 1) size of the same-shaped specimen markedly smaller; 2) ventral tooth of the mandible absent; 3) mentum more transverse. The external characters of Ceruchus tabanai are summarized in Tables 1-2. The original illustration of the male genitalia ( Okuda 2008) indicates that both Ceruchus tabanai and Ceruchus sinensis share the following important male genital characters, without marked difference: 1) caudal margin of the paramere strongly depressed inwards just after dorsal caudal corner, forming a fold that is visible in dorsal view; 2) central split on caudal margin of the basal piece of the aedeagus obsolete, with two sides flat and not protruding posteriorly; 3) penis in ventral view noticeably swollen near cephalic base and markedly narrowed towards caudal end. In the female genitalia, Okuda (2008) only examined the stylus and hemisternite, and these are similar to those of Ceruchus sinensis we examined from a specimen from Gaoligongshan, Yunnan. It should be noted that the stylus of the female genitalia illustrated and identified by Okuda (2008) as Ceruchus sinensis was taken from a specimen from Myanmar and might have been confused with the female genitalia of Ceruchus chuduraziensis from the same locality.

In conclusion, Ceruchus tabanai may be conspecific with Ceruchus sinensis but more research is needed. Distribution ( Fig. 293 ). Only known from Mt. Luojishan, southern Sichuan, the type locality.

Figures

FIGURE 293. Distribution of Ceruchus species in China

FIGURES 10 – 24. Mandible and head of male in lateral view. 10 — Ceruchus lignarius lignarius (same specimen as Fig. 233); 11 — Ceruchus lignarius monticola (same specimen as Fig. 234); 12 — Ceruchus lignarius nodai (same specimen as Fig. 235); 13 — Ceruchus yangi (same specimen as Fig. 237, holotype); 14 — Ceruchus yangi (same specimen as Fig. 236, paratype); 15 — Ceruchus tabanai (holotype); 16 — Ceruchus sinensis (same specimen as Fig. 239); 17 — Ceruchus niger (same specimen as Fig. 240); 18 — Ceruchus niger (same specimen as Fig. 245); 19 — Ceruchus luojishanensis (holotype); 20 — Ceruchus minor (same specimen as Fig. 249); 21 — Ceruchus minor (specimen not figured elsewhere); 22 — Ceruchus minor (same specimen as Fig. 252); 23 — Ceruchus minor (same specimen as Fig. 250); 24 — Ceruchus katerinae (same specimen as Fig. 253). Scale bar 4 mm for all. Abbreviations: d = dorsal tooth; v = ventral tooth.

FIGURES 29 – 45. Mentum of male in ventral view. 29 — Ceruchus lignarius lignarius (same specimen as Fig. 233); 30 — C. luojishanensis (holotype); 31 — C. tabanai (holotype); 32 — C. yangi, Leigongshan (same specimen as Fig. 236, paratype); 33 — C. yangi, Fanjingshan (same specimen as Fig. 237, holotype); 34 — C. yangi, Leigongshan (same specimen as Fig. 242, paratype); 35 — C. sinensis (same specimen as Fig. 238); 36 — C. sinensis (same specimen as Fig. 234); 37 — C. niger, Laojunshan (same specimen as Fig. 240); 38 — C. niger, Yulongxueshan (same specimen as Fig. 245); 39 — C. niger, Laojunshan (same specimen as Fig. 243); 40 — C. minor, Qinling (same specimen as Fig. 249); 41 — C. minor, Dabashan (corresponding to Fig. 250); 42 — C. minor, Diebu of Gansu (specimen not figured elsewhere); 43 — C. minor, Diebu of Gansu (same specimen as Fig. 252); 44 — C. minor, Zhouqu of Gansu (same specimen as Fig. 256); 45 — C. katerinae (same specimen as Fig. 253). Scale bar 3 mm for all.

FIGURES 46 – 53. Mesofemur and mesotibia in ventral view. 46 — Ceruchus katerinae; 47 — Ceruchus lignarius monticola; 48 — Ceruchus minor; 49 — Ceruchus niger; 50 — Ceruchus sinensis; 51 — Ceruchus yangi; 52 — Ceruchus luojishanensis; 53 — Ceruchus tabanai.

FIGURES 210 – 224. Detached structures of females, consisting of mandibles in dorsal view, mentum in ventral view, pronotum in dorsal view, protibia in dorsal view, and mesofemur in ventral view. 210 — Ceruchus lignarius lignarius (same specimen as Fig. 259); 211 — C. luojishanensis (paratype); 212 — C. tabanai (paratype); 213 — C. yangi (same specimen as Fig. 262); 214 — C. yangi (same specimen as Fig. 263); 215 — C. niger (same specimen as Fig. 264); 216 — C. niger (same specimen as Fig. 265); 217 — C. niger (same specimen as Fig. 266); 218 — C. niger (same specimen as Fig. 267); 219 — C. deuvei (same specimen as Fig. 268); 220 — C. minor (same specimen as Fig. 269); 221 — C. minor (same specimen as Fig. 270); 222 — C. minor (specimen not figured elsewhere); 223 — C. sinensis (same specimen as Fig. 272); 224 — C. katerinae (same specimen as Fig. 273). Abbreviations: md = mandibles; me = mentum; p = pronotum; pt = protibia; mf = mesofemur; l = lateral protuberance; n = no central tooth on mola; d = double central teeth on mola; s = single central tooth on mola; t = transversal carina; f = flattened marginal area of the pronotum.

FIGURES 233 – 248. Habitus of male Ceruchus in dorsal view. 233 — Ceruchus lignarius lignarius (Hokkaido, Japan); 234 — Ceruchus sinensis (Yaojiaping, Lushui, W. Yunnan); 235 — Ceruchus tabanai (holotype); 236 — Ceruchus yangi, paratype (Leigongshan, Guizhou); 237 — Ceruchus yangi, holotype (Fanjingshan, Guizhou); 238 — Ceruchus sinensis (Baoshan, Yunnan); 239 — Ceruchus sinensis (Baoshan, Yunnan); 240 — Ceruchus niger (Laojunshan, Yunnan); 241 — Ceruchus yangi, paratype (Leigongshan); 242 — Ceruchus yangi, paratype (Leigongshan); 243 — Ceruchus niger (Laojunshan, Yunnan); 244 — Ceruchus niger (Laojunshan, Yunnan); 245 — Ceruchus niger (Yulongxueshan, Yunnan); 246 — Ceruchus niger (Yulongxueshan, Yunnan); 247 — Ceruchus niger (Weixi, Yunnan); 248 — Ceruchus niger (Muli, Sichuan). Scale bar 5 mm for all.

FIGURES 259 – 273. Habitus of female Ceruchus in dorsal view. 259 — Ceruchus lignarius lignarius (Hokkaido, Japan); 260 — Ceruchus luojishanensis (paratype); 261 — Ceruchus tabanai (paratype); 262 — Ceruchus yangi, paratype (Leigongshan, Guizhou); 263 — Ceruchus yangi, paratype (Leigongshan, Guizhou); 264 — Ceruchus niger (Laojunshan, Yunnan); 265 — Ceruchus niger (Yulongxueshan, Yunnan); 266 — Ceruchus niger (Weixi, Yunnan); 267 — Ceruchus niger (Muli, Sichuan); 268 — Ceruchus deuvei (Lixian, Sichuan); 269 — Ceruchus minor (Dabashan, Chongqing); 270 — Ceruchus minor (Diebu, Gansu); 271 — Ceruchus minor (Micangshan, Sichuan); 272 — Ceruchus sinensis (Yaojiaping, Lushui, Yunnan); 273 — Ceruchus katerinae (Hailuogou, Sichuan). Scale bar 5 mm for all.