Necrophila (Chrysosilpha) viridis (Motschulsky, 1861) Ruzicka & Schneider & Qubaiova & Nishikawa, 2012

Ruzicka, J, Schneider, J, Qubaiova, J & Nishikawa, M, 2012, Revision of Palaearctic and Oriental Necrophila Kirby & Spence, part 2: subgenus Chrysosilpha Portevin (Coleoptera: Silphidae), Zootaxa 3261, pp. 33-58 : 43-48

Necrophila (Chrysosilpha) viridis (Motschulsky, 1861) , comb. nov.

( Figs. 5–6, 15–18, 22–23, 27, 28, 31, 36, 37, 40)

Oiceoptoma viridis Motschulsky, 1861a: 628 (description, type locality “ Philippinen ”)

Oiceoptoma viridis: Motschulsky 1870: 349 (redescription)

Silpha viridis: Schultze 1915: 29 (new combination, catalogue)

Calosilpha viridis: Portevin 1920a: 398 (new combination)

Calosilpha viridis: Portevin 1920b: 505 (diagnosis)

Chrysosilpha viridis: Portevin 1921: 538 (new combination, supplementary description)

Chrysosilpha viridis: Portevin 1926: 107–108 , 151 (key, catalogue)

Silpha (Chrysosilpha) viridis: Hatch 1928: 112 (new combination, catalogue)

Oiceoptoma (Thanatophilus) viridis: Arnett 1950: 63 (new combination, redescription)

Silpha coelestis Dohrn, 1875: 81 (description, type locality “Insulae Philippinae”)

Chrysosilpha coelestis: Portevin 1921: 538 (new combination, supplementary description)

Chrysosilpha caelestis [sic]: Portevin 1926: 108 (key)

Chrysosilpha coelestis: Portevin 1926: 151 (catalogue)

Silpha (Chrysosilpha) coelestis: Hatch 1928: 112 (new combination, catalogue)

Oiceoptoma (Thanatophilus) coelestis: Arnett 1950: 65 (new combination, junior subjective synonym of Oiceoptoma viridis ) Silpha superba Kraatz, 1876: 374 (description, type locality “Luzon”)

Silpha superba: Arrow 1909: 63 (junior subjective synonym of Silpha coelestis )

Type material examined. Holotype ♂ of Oiceoptoma viridis (head and abdomen missing) ( ZMUM), labelled ( Fig. 22): “Type [hw] // [small yellow triangular label = sign for Oriental region ] // 239. [hw] // Oiceoptoma / viridis / Motsch / Ins. Philip [hw, Motschulsky’s ms, yellow label] // [red label] // HOLOTYPE / Oiceoptoma viridis / Motschulsky, 1861 / (label added by / Jan Růžička, 2009) [p, red label] // Necrophila (Chrysosilpha) / viridis / (Motschulsky, 1861) [p] ♂ [hw] / Jan Růžička det. 2009 [p]”.

Holotype ♂ of Silpha superba (antennae missing except for right antennomeres 1 and 2; dissected, aedeagus labelled on small card pinned with specimen) ( SDEI), labelled ( Fig. 23): “ Is. Luzon. [hw] // Silpha / superba / 1877 m. [hw, Kraatz’s ms] // Eusilpha / coelestis Dohrn [hw] / det. G. Portevin [p] 1876 [hw] // Holotypus [hw, red label] // coll. DEI / Eberswalde [p] // CHRYSOSILPHA / viridis Motschulsky / det. Barries 2001 [p] // coll. SDEI / (Müncheberg) / general coll. [p] // HOLOTYPE / Silpha superba / Kraatz, 1876 / (label added by / Jan Růžička, 2009) [p, red label] // Necrophila (Chrysosilpha) / viridis / (Motschulsky, 1861) [p] ♂ [hw] / Jan Růžička det. 200 [p] 9 [hw]”.

Additional material examined. See Appendix 1.

Diagnostic description. Body length 12.0–18.5 mm (14.0 mm combined length of pronotum and elytra [head missing] in the holotype), maximum body width 6.5–10.0 mm (8.0 mm in the holotype). Head with metallic blue gular region, sometimes lighter brown laterally in subteneral specimens. Anterior emargination of labrum wide, shallow ( Fig. 31). Pronotum metallic blue to green, with orange spot anterolaterally, which is elongated laterally in a narrow strip reaching the posterior corner of pronotum, and with narrow orange line along posterolateral margin ( Figs. 5–6, 27), only very rarely (a single specimen in the material examined) completely reduced posterolaterally ( Fig. 28). Proventrite metallic blue or green. Elytra metallic blue.

Male. Apex of elytron truncate almost at right angle, with small apical denticle ( Fig. 5). Genital segment with very narrow, elongate ventrite 9; spiculum gastrale slender, only slightly shorter than ventrite 9 ( Fig. 16). Length of aedeagus 3.0 mm, median lobe very slender, with rounded apex ( Fig. 15). Parameres very slender ( Fig. 15). Basal portion of aedeagus slender, more robust only medially ( Fig. 15).

Female. Apex of elytron slender, elongate, only slightly sinuate in posteroapical part, with distinct apical denticle ( Fig. 6). Tergum 10 wide, with posterior margin wide, regularly rounded ( Fig. 17). Tergum 9 narrow and oval in ventral view ( Fig. 18). Stylus only slightly longer than apex of coxite ( Fig. 18).

Notes on synonymy. Differences between N. (C.) viridis and N. (C.) coelestis , described by Portevin (1926) (fine or absent punctation on pronotal disc; minor shade differences in colouration of pronotum and elytra; different extension of orange spot laterally on pronotum etc.), fall within intraspecific variability, with gradual transitions. We confirm here the opinion of Arnett (1950), who stated synonymy of the two taxa.

The type specimens of beetle species described by Carl August Dorn (1806–1892) were deposited in the former Museum für Naturkunde in Stettin ( Horn et al. 1990). Later, the collection was transferred to the Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Zoology, Warszawa ( MZPW) ( Newton & Thayer 2005). However, according to Dominika Mierzwa, curator of MZPW (e-mail of 30 April 2010), type material of Silpha coelestis was not found in its collections.

Ecology. Scarce locality data indicate necrophagous association with dead fish and bird carrions, and presence of numerous lepidopteran scales on specimen from Mindanao (from RMNH) also indicates attraction to a light trap. Specimen data indicate that adults are active all year round (with no vouchers from February), with most specimens collected in January, April–June and August–September ( Table 4). The species has been collected from sea level to 2130 m in Mindanao Is., Philippines .

month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 number of specimens 33 0 3 11 19 25 3 17 18 3 3 8

Published records on distribution. Philippines: Manila ( Motschulsky 1870); Mindoro Is.: Mt. Halkon ( Schultze 1915), Mindanao Is.: nine localities, Cebu Is.: Bugo [= Bogo, ca. 11°03'N 124°00'E] ( Arnett 1950).

Distribution. Endemic to Philippines, known from Luzon, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu and Mindanao Islands ( Fig. 40).