4. Leiodes circinipes (Rye, 1873)

Japanese name: Kurosuji-ô-tamakinokomushi (Figs. 16–18, 111)

Anisotoma circinipes Rye, 1873: 132 .

Liodes circinipes: PORTEVIN (1914): 226; PORTEVIN (1927): 74 (key to Japanese species of Leiodes).

Leiodes circinipes: HATCH (1929): 35; DAFFNER (1983):46 (redescription); PERKOVSKY (1988): 80 (new to Russia); PERREAU (2004): 195 (catalogue).

Leiodes izuensis Nakane, 1989: 148; PERREAU (2004): 196 (catalogue). Syn. nov.

Type locality. Japan, Kyushu, Nagasaki.

Type material examined. L. circinipes: Not examined. Type series of L. circinipes has not been found (DAFFNER 1983). According to RYE (1873), the type specimens of L. circinipes were collected by George Lewis. Most Lewis’s collections are preserved in the Natural History Museum, London, but the specimens have not been found there following my request (Martin Brendell, pers. comm.).

L. izuensis: JAPAN: HONSHU: HOLOTYPE, ♂, Izu Islands, Shikine Is., Tokyo Pref., 11.ii.1984, Y. Kunimi leg. (HUMS). PARATYPE, 1 ♂, Izu Islands, Ohshima Is., Tokyo Pref., 7.ii.1984, Y. Kunimi leg. (HUMS).

Additional material examined. JAPAN: HONSHU: 1 ♂, Tochigi Pref., Ashikaga City, Ô-numata-chô (alt. 100m), 29.iv.–5.v.2011, H. Ohkawa leg. (FIT) (FUFJ) ; 1 ♂, Izu Islands, Miyake Is., 1.iv.1976, Y. Kurosawa leg. (NSMT). SHIKOKU: 1 ♀, Kôchi Pref., forest in Aki (33º32′30″N 134º01′22″E, alt. 700 m), 22.v.2009, M. Makihara leg. (PT) (FUFJ) .

Diagnosis. Coloration. Head and pronotum brown; scutellum dark brown; elytra yellowish brown, but black near elytral suture (Fig. 16C); antennomeres 1–6 and 8 brown; antennomeres 7 and 9, 10, and basal half of antennomere 11 dark brown; apical half of antennomere 11 light brown.

Body 2.4–2.9 mm long, ca. 1.6× as long as wide (Fig. 16A); head densely punctate, bearing some large punctures (Fig. 16A); antennomeres 1 and 2 each longer than wide; antennomeres 3 and 4 each about as long as wide; remaining antennomeres each wider than long; antennomere 11 robust (Fig. 16D). Pronotum simply and very feebly curved at posterior margin, bearing punctation similar to that on head (Fig. 16A). Elytra transversely and sparsely strigose (Fig. 16E); most punctures of elytra denser and coarser than those of head and pronotum, elytra superficially not appearing to bear punctural rows (Fig. 16A, 16B, 16E); sutural stria fine, reaching from apex ca. to apical half of elytral length. Metathoracic wings fully developed. Metaventrite without distinct excavation between median carina and transverse carina (Fig. 16F); median carina of mesoventrite low (Fig. 16F); metaventrite without sexual dimorphism. Legs showing sexual dimorphism on protarsi, mesotibia, mesotarsi, and metatibia; protibiae gradually and very feebly widening from base towards apex (Figs. 17J, 17K); metafemur with a small dorsal projection posteroapically (Figs. 17H, 17I).

Male. Tarsomeres 2–4 of protarsi and mesotarsi expanded (Figs. 17A, 17C); mesotibia strongly protuberant and bearing a robust spine at an interoapical corner (Fig. 17C); metatibiae weakly or distinctly curved inwards (Figs. 17E, 17F); abdominal sternite 8 strongly curved (Fig. 18C); aedeagus as shown in Figs. 18A and 18B.

Female. Protarsi and mesotarsi slender (Figs. 17B, 17D); mesotibiae not expanded at interoapical corner (Fig. 17D); metatibiae almost straight (Fig. 17G); abdominal sternite 8 with a spiculum ventrale at a central point of anterior margin (Fig. 18D); coxites and stylus as shown in Fig. 18E.

Differential diagnosis. Leiodes circinipes is similar to L. rugosa Stephens, 1829 by having the elytra transversely strigose, but can be separated from it by having a bicolored dorsum (Fig. 16C) and almost straight parameres of the aedeagus in dorsal view (Fig. 18A). In contrast, L. rugosa has almost unicolor elytra and sinuate parameres.

Distribution. Japan (Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu, and Izu Islands) and Russian Far East (PERKOVSKY 1988, needs confirmation). New to Honshu, Shikoku, and Honshu.

Taxonomic note. In the original description of L. izuensis, NAKANE (1989) mentioned that the elytra of L. izuensis are not strigose which may separate the species from L. circinipes . However, I examined the type series of L. izuensis and found that its elytra are strigose. In addition, other morphological characters of L. izuensis, dorsal coloration, punctures of elytra, and the shape of the mesotibiae and metatibiae are almost the same as those of L. circinipes . Therefore, I conclude that it is not possible to distinguish L. izuensis from L. circinipes, and L. izuensis thus becomes a junior subjective synonym of L. circinipes .

PERKOVSKY (1988) recorded a single specimen of L. circinipes from the Russian Far East and did not provide any figures and morphological diagnosis justifying his identification, nor did the author examine Japanese specimens or type material. It is therefore possible that the specimen is misidentified and I express doubts about the presence of L. circinipes in the Russian Far East. The specimen identified by PERKOVSKY (1988) may be Leiodes rugosa whose elytra are transversely strigose as L. circinipes .