Phellopsis amurensis (Heyden)

Foley, Ian A. & Ivie, Michael A., 2008, A revision of the genus Phellopsis LeConte (Coleoptera: Zopheridae), Zootaxa 1689, pp. 1-28 : 20-21

Phellopsis amurensis (Heyden)

( Figs. 1 B, 3A, 4A, 6A)

Pseudonosoderma amurense Heyden, 1885: 306 . Semenow, 1893: 499. Champion, 1894: 114. Fairmaire, 1894: C1. Lewis, 1895: 447.

Phellopsis amurensis: Reitter, 1916: 130 . Leng, 1920: 223. Gebien, 1936: 668. Keleinikova and Mamaev, 1971: 124 – 128. Gaedike, 1986: 360. Masumoto, 1990: 91. Egorov, 1992: 505. Ś lipiński and Lawrence, 1999: 23.

Phellopsis imurai Masumoto, 1990: 87 . NEW SYNONYMY

Phellopsis subaenea Weon et al., 2000: 119 . (lapsus calami for Phellopsis suberea , MISIDENTIFICATION)

Diagnosis: This species is similar in general elytral structure to P. obcordata but has the lateral elytral margins serrate and suprantennal frontal ridges strongly elevated like the other Asian species. It is distinguished from these species by the more stout form, rounded elytral punctures and presence of strongly notched humeri ( Figs. 3 A, 4A).

Description (male): Length 14.5–19 mm. Dark brown to black; dorsal vestiture consisting of golden hairlike setae. Head with dorsal surface ( Fig. 6 A) with tuberculation between the frons weak; outer margin of suprantennal frontal ridges smooth; post occipital suture narrow and deep; lateral margin of epistoma anterior to suprantennal ridge longer (0.24–0.29 mm); ventral surface of head with distinct raised tubercles; gula wide, narrowest point at gular pits; subgenal ridge produced apically, rounded margin; subgenal ridge shorter, not extending below eye; eye at same level as gena. Ligula subquadrate with slightly emarginate apical edge; mandibular prostheca with brush of setae at apex.

Pronotum evenly tuberculate, apical margins acutely rounded; paired elevations on apical margin of pronotum distinctly separated along midline; lateral margin weakly bisinuate; hypomeron lacking intertuberculate setae.

Lateral profile of elytra flattened medially in dorsal plane; elytral humerus flattened with a distinct notch; lateral margins of elytra serrate; scutellum oval set well below elytral ridges; scutellary striole distinct and deep; 10–12 rounded elytral punctures between striole and start of nodule at apical declivity; 3rd and 4th rows of punctures forming distinct rows at midpoint; ridge in 5th elytral interval starting at mid-point of meta-sternum and extending to the apical margin of ventrite 3, distinct gap between ridge and nodule of declivity; nodule in 3rd elytral interval connected to ridge; median subapical nodule larger than lateral one; nodule at apex of elytron smaller than median subapical nodule; paired subapical nodules of declivity overlapping for a significant width in the same lateral plane, almost entire width. Mesepisternum with regular small punctures; metasternum bituberculate. Ventrites 1–3 flat, with numerous uniformly distributed small tubercles. Tarsus with ventral setae modified as spurs, distinctly heavier than dorsal setae.

Aedeagus with basal stop of parameres only moderately enlarged, shorter in length; apical margin of stop smooth.

FEMALE: Similar to male except lacking setose pit on the submentum.

LARVA: Described by Keleinikova and Mamaev (1971).

Distribution ( Fig. 1 B): Probably relatively widely distributed geographically from the coastal mountains of the Amur River valley in Russia, through southern portion of the Korean Peninsula (including North Korea).

Recorded distribution: Complete label data may be found in Foley (2006). A summary of the distribution from the 19 specimens examined (BMNH, HNHM, NHMB, ZIN) is presented here, RUSSIA: coastal Mountains from Amur River valley to Khrebet Sikhote Alin Mountains north of Vladivostok. SOUTH KOREA: Chonwangbong.

Variation: Little morphological variation is seen in specimens throughout the species range.

Types: Pseudonosoderma amurense Heyden. Holotype in DEI not examined.

Phellopsis imurai Masumoto. PARATYPE ɗ in HNHM with median lobe on card, missing both mesotarsi and left meta-leg. Chonwangbong, 950-; 1500m, Mt. Chiri-san; Kyongsangnam-do; 7.VI.1989 [ KOREA]; Imura & Mizunuma lg/ pink rectangle label “ Paratype ”; handwritten “ Phellopsis ”; imurai Masumoto. The holotype is deposited in the National Science Museum, Tokyo and was not examined.

Notes: While correctly identifying the generic synonymy of Pseudonosoderma, Champion (1894) incorrectly synonymized P. s u b e re a with P. amurensis . Lewis (1895) corrected a previous misidentification of P. amurensis as a syntype of P. suberea and recognized both species as distinct returning all of the available Asian names to valid status within Phellopsis .

Masumoto (1990) commented that P. imurai was a relative of P. a m u re n s i s, but compared it to P. suberea , from which it clearly differs. A paratype of P. imurai is the only Korean specimen examined, and is lighter in color (possibly teneral) than many typical specimens of P. a m u re n s i s, but morphologically does not differ from Russian specimens.

While only reported from the Sikhote-Alin Mountain Range of the Primorski Krai, Amur River valley and mountainous regions of South Korea, it is expected that P. amurensis occurs in suitable habitat areas all along the western slope of the Sea of Japan. This includes North Korea, and possibly far-eastern areas of the Jilin and/or Heilongjiang provinces of China in the Changbai Shan Mountains where deforestation may be less than total. Specimens from Korea (identified as P. suberea , almost certainly incorrectly) have been reported from Cheongrangli, Hongcheon, Kangwon, Kwangheung, Kyeongki, and Seoul ( Weon et al. 2000).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Dorsal habitus photos of the Asian Phellopsis spp. A. Phellopsis amurensis; B. P. s u b e re a; C. P. chinensis; D. P. yulongensis.

FIGURE 6. Dorsal head surface of the Asian Phellopsis spp. A. Phellopsis amurensis; B. P. s u b e re a; C. P. chinensis; D. P. yulongensis.

FIGURE 1. A. Map of specimen records for North American Phellopsis spp. P. p o rc a t a, green circles; P. obcordata red diamonds. B. Map of specimen records for Asian Phellopsis spp. P. yulongensis red diamonds; P. chinensis green circles; P. a m u re n s i s red cross; P. suberea green triangles.