Clinterocera trimaculata Ma, 1993

Qiu, Jian-Yue & Xu, Hao, 2016, Taxonomy and natural history of the myrmecophilous genus Clinterocera Motschulsky, 1858 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) from China and adjacent regions: definition of species group and revision of the C. discipennis species group, Zootaxa 4127 (1), pp. 81-104 : 95-99

Clinterocera trimaculata Ma, 1993

( Figs. 43–51 , 58–63 , 71–77 , 84–100 , 106–107 )

Clinterocera trimaculata Ma, 1993a: 286 (type locality: Leishan, Guizhou, China), fig. 1 ♀; Ma 1995: 165, fig. 137a; Sakai & Nagai 1998: 160, plate 4, fig. 84 ♂ (Mount Yuntaishan, Guizhou, China); Krajčík 1999: 40; Smetana 2006: 300; Krajčík 2011: 73; Krajčík 2012b: 74; Li & Manola 2016: 11.

Redescription (male). General: Length: 25.8–26.2 mm; width: 8.3–10.6 mm. Body subelliptical, macula variable ( Figs. 43–50 ); dorsal and ventral surface with numerous U-shaped, round or elliptical, setiferous punctures; setae short, acerate, fulvous ( Figs. 71–77 ). Head: Orange-red; vertex, eye canthus, and frontolateral area black. Dorsal surface densely microsculptured; punctures round or elliptical. Antenna and mouthparts as in Figs. 59–61 and Figs. 84–86 , respectively. Gula small, orange-red, both sides with sparse, long setae ( Fig. 58 ). Pronotum: Orange-red, subcircular; anterior margin curved concave, black; a small area in front of scutellum black; each side with a round, blurred, black macula. Scutellum: Triangular, black. Elytra: Black, disc flat, about 1.45 times as long as wide, widest at humeral umbone; sutural costa glossy, without punctures; disc matt. Each elytron with 3 orange-red maculae; anterior maculae includes humeral umbone and anterior margin; middle maculae reniform, at prediscal area next to extremity of scutellum; posterior maculae irregularly shaped, at postdical area in front of anteapical umbone. Epimeron and episternum: Mesepimeron and metepimeron black. Metepisternum black with an orangered macula near margin that connected with metasternum. Sternum: Postprosternum black; medial portion strongly cuspate, and apex rounded with a few, long setae. Metasternum black, and front half parts of both sides orange-red, deep longitudinal groove in middle. Abdomen: 7 sternites; 6 sternites visible, glossy, black and orange-red; shallow longitudinal groove between abdominal sternites 3–5. Sternite 2 black; sternites 3–6 each with orange-red band in anterior part that widens successively, band on sternite 3 usually disconnected in middle; sternite 7 black, usually with short orange-red band in middle. Terminal spiracle slightly convex. Parameres as Figs. 87–88 . Pygidium: Arched, glossy, orange-red. Leg: Procoxa orange-red, mesocoxa and metacoxa black; protrochanter dark orange-red, mesotrochanter reddish-brown and metatrochanter usually black; all femora and tibiae orange-red with basal and apical portions black. Procoxa, protrochanter, and basal portion of profemur each with small tomentum spot. Mesotibia and metatibia with small, sharp spine near middle of outer margin; protibia with blunt tooth on outer margin, apical tooth of inferior ridge short, extended forward ( Fig. 62 ). Tarsi black, with 4 tarsomeres; protarsi tiny. Procoxa, protrochanter, and basal portion of profemur each with small tomentum spot.

Sexual dimorphism. Female body larger and abdomen convex. Apical tooth of inferior ridge of male protibia is slightly sharper ( Figs. 62–63 ).

Variation. Usually the anterior and discal maculae on elytron vary a little in size, but the posterior macula varies significantly in size and shape ( Figs. 43, 48–50 ). The proportion of red and black area on abdominal sternites is more or less variable ( Figs. 44, 46 ).

Type material examined. Holotype: “Leishan, Guizhou, 870–1000m [handwritten], Chinese Academy of Sciences [printed] / 8.VIII.1988, Teng-Jiang Hu leg./ HOLOTYPE [printed]” (female, IZAS).

Other material examined (25♂♂, 20♀♀). CHINA: Zhejiang: 1♀ ( SHNU), in ant nest, Mount Baishanzu, Liyang, Qingyuan, Zhong Peng, Xiao-Bin Song, Zhu-Qi Yan & Yi-Ming Yu leg. Guizhou: 1♀ ( KLUC), 12.VI.2012, Mount Yuntaishan, Shibing County, 665–1010 m, 27°13'N, 108°11'E, You Shan leg.; 1♂ ( HLSC), VII.2005, Guiyang Forest Park, no collector recorded; 1♀ ( GFGY), 2.VII.1984, Guiyang Forest Park, Jing-Hua Zhao, Qun Wang & Yan-Xian Liu leg.; 1♀ ( GFGY), 27.VII.1984, Guiyang Forest Park, 1300 m, Jing-Hua Zhao, Qun Wang & Yan-Xian Liu leg.; 2♂♂ ( QCCC), 7–8.VIII.2011, Tuyunguan, Guiyang, 1000 m, Qiu Jian-Yue & Hao Xu leg.; 1♀ ( QCCC), 16.VIII.2011, Tuyunguan, Guiyang, 1000 m, Qiu Jian-Yue & Hao Xu leg.; 1♂ ( QCCC), 17.VIII.2011, Tuyunguan, Guiyang, 1000 m, Qiu Jian-Yue & Hao Xu leg.; 1♂ ( QCCC), 7.VIII.2012, Tuyunguan, Guiyang, 1230 m, Qiu Jian-Yue & Hao Xu leg.; 4♂♂, 3♀♀ ( QCCC, RMNH), 8.VIII.2012, Tuyunguan, Guiyang, 1230 m, Qiu Jian-Yue & Hao Xu leg.; 1♀ ( QCCC), 9.VIII.2012, Tuyunguan, Guiyang, 1230m, Qiu Jian-Yue & Hao Xu leg.; 1♀ ( QCCC), 15.VIII.2012, Tuyunguan, Guiyang, 1230 m, Qiu Jian-Yue & Hao Xu leg.; 1♂ ( GUGC), 12.VI.2012, Huaxi, Guiyang, 665–1010 m, College students leg.; 1♀ ( GFGY), 6.VI.1979, Weng’an County, Wei- Qin Zhang leg.; 2♂♂ ( QCCC), 27.VIII.2012, Mount Leigongshan National Nature Reserve, Leishan County, Kaili, 26°22.698'N, 108°12.761'E, Shu-Lin Yang leg. (Lindgren funnel trap with alcohol); 1♀ ( QCCC), 9.VI.2005, Mount Leigongshan, Leishan County, Kaili, collector unknown. 1♂, 1♀ ( QCCC), 15–19.VI.2012, Mount Fenghuangshan, Zunyi, 900 m, Run-Yu Li leg.; 1♀ ( QCCC), 5.VII.2012, Nanping, Leishan County, Gui-Qiang Huang leg.; 1♀ ( QCCC), 8.VIII.2012, Datang, Leishan County, Gui-Qiang Huang leg.; 1♂ ( QCCC), VIII.2013, Guiyang Forest Park, Ming-Zhi Zhao leg.; 1♂, 2♀♀ ( GUGC), 3.VII.2013, Huaxi Wetland Park, Guiyang, College students leg.; 1♂ ( GUGC), 15.VI.2009, Gaopo, Qingyan, Guiyang, Bo Wang leg.; 1♂ ( GUGC), 18.VI.2012, Guiyang, College students leg. 3♂♂, 3♀♀ ( GUGC), [no further data, probably students collected from Guiyang]; 1♂ ( QCCC), 9.VIII.2015, Mount Fanjingshan National Nature Reserve, Tongren, Chao-Yi Zhang leg. VIETNAM: 2♂♂, 1♀ ( QCCC), VI.2013, Quang Ngai, native leg.; 1♂ ( QCCC), VI.2014, Kontum, native leg.; 1♂ ( QCCC), IV.2015, Kontum, native leg.

Distribution. China: Zhejiang (new record), Guizhou; central Vietnam (new record).

Host. Liometopum sinense Wheeler, 1921 ( Hymenoptera : Formicidae ) ( Figs. 94–95 ).

Natural history. Both female and male of Clinterocera trimaculata were observed circling a large tree and creeping into its hollow stem from June to August ( Figs. 89–90 ), where there was a large of colony of aggressive ants ( Figs. 94–95 ), Liometopum sinense ( Hymenoptera : Formicidae ). The beetles were not attacked actively by the ants, and were seen slowly walking on the surface of the nest ( Fig. 91 ). Once the ants had been disturbed and began biting the beetles, the beetles retracted their legs, head, antennae, and prementum leaving no gap, and feigned death. This defensive behavior protected them from attack. Many bodies of adults ( Fig. 92 ) were found in the ant nest but there were no larvae or pupae. Attempts at rearing failed several times under artificial conditions during 2011–2015, although mating behavior was observed ( Fig. 93 ). We provided various items to feed them, including eggs and pupae of the host ant L. sinense , body fluid of mealworm and caterpillar, pupae of Apoidea, honey, syrup, and fruit; but no feeding behavior was observed.

Two dead adults were found under rotten wood where a colony of ants was nesting (Mr. Run-Yu Li, personal communication). An adult was found in a Cross-Vane panel trap in Guiyang Forest Park with many longicorn beetles (personal observation, June 2015; Figs. 99–100 ), and two males were attracted to a Lindgren funnel trap with alcohol in August at Mount Leigongshan National Nature Reserve (Dr. Shu-Lin Yang, personal communication). Additionally, several mite nymphs (Acari: Uropodina ) ( Fig. 106 ) were found on the preprosternum of a specimen from Leishan, Guizhou.

Remarks. Since being described by Ma (1993a), Clinterocera trimaculata has rarely been reported; details of morphological characters and male genitalia were previously unknown. Only Sakai & Nagai (1998) presented a habitus photograph of a male specimen, collected from Mount Yuntaishan, Kaili near the type locality, Leishan County. The known distribution of this unique species is significantly extended southward to central Vietnam and eastward to southern Zhejiang, China, based on our records; but it appears mainly distributed in Guizhou, China. The record in Li & Manola (2016) from Guangxi is omitted here, because no reliable information was provided. The geographic distribution is strange, with a huge gap, perhaps because this rare species is difficult to collect.

Figures

FIGURE 106. Nymphs of Uropodina found on preprosternum of a Clinterocera trimaculata specimen from Mount Leigongshan, southeast Guizhou.

FIGURE 107. Clinterocera discipennis species group distribution map.

FIGURES 43 – 51. Clinterocera trimaculata. 43, dorsal, male; 44, ventral, male; 45, lateral, male; 46, ventral, female; 47, lateral, female; 48, male; 49, female; 50, female; 51, illustration of Clinterocera trimaculata Ma, 1993 from the original description (Ma 1993 a).

FIGURES 52 – 63. Characters of Clinterocera species. 52, Clinterocera discipennis venteral view of head; 53, Clinterocera discipennis antenna; 54, Clinterocera discipennis permentum; 55, Clinterocera discipennis punctures on permentum; 56, Clinterocera discipennis male protibia; 57, Clinterocera discipennis female protibia; 58, Clinterocera trimaculata venteral view of head; 59, Clinterocera trimaculata antenna; 60, Clinterocera trimaculata permentum; 61, Clinterocera trimaculata punctures on permentum; 62, Clinterocera trimaculata male protibia; 63, Clinterocera trimaculata female protibia.

FIGURES 64 – 77. Punctures on body surface. 64, Clinterocera discipennis pronotum; 65, Clinterocera discipennis pygidium; 66 – 67, Clinterocera discipennis elytron; 68, Clinterocera discipennis metafemur; 69, Clinterocera discipennis metasternum; 70, Clinterocera discipennis abdomen; 71, Clinterocera trimaculata pronotum; 72, Clinterocera trimaculata pygidium; 73 – 74, Clinterocera trimaculata elytron; 75, Clinterocera trimaculata metafemur; 76, Clinterocera trimaculata metasternum; 77, Clinterocera trimaculata abdomen.

FIGURES 78 – 88. Mouthparts and male genitalia. 78, Clinterocera discipennis epipharynx; 79, Clinterocera discipennis mandibles; 80, Clinterocera discipennis maxillae; 81 – 83, Clinterocera discipennis male genitalia; 84, Clinterocera trimaculata epipharynx; 85, Clinterocera trimaculata mandibles; 86, Clinterocera trimaculata maxillae; 87 – 88, Clinterocera trimaculata male genitalia.

FIGURES 89 – 100. Habitats, host, and behavior of Clinterocera trimaculata. 89, adult searching host; 90, adult creeping into hollow stem; 91, adult walking on the surface of ant nest; 92, remains found in ant nest; 93, adult mating; 94 – 95, the host ant Liometopum sinense Wheeler, 1921; 96 – 97, the trees of which part of stem have been nested by ants; 98, habitat (Guiyang, Guizhou); 99 – 100, adult caught by cross-vane panel trap.