Epicauta (Epicauta) obscurocephala Reitter, 1905

Pan, Zhao & Ren, Guo-Dong, 2020, New synonyms, combinations and status in the Chinese species of the family Meloidae Gyllenhal, 1810 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea) with additional faunistic records, Zootaxa 4820 (2), pp. 260-286 : 270-271

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4820.2.3
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:581C6773-3B96-48FD-9835-33E26B3B6FEB
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4397949
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038C87A0-FFFE-CE28-61F9-FD13FEE2FD3A
treatment provided by	Plazi (2020-12-29 02:26:55, last updated 2020-12-29 04:03:29)
scientific name	Epicauta (Epicauta) obscurocephala Reitter, 1905
status

Treatment

Epicauta obscurocephala Reitter, 1905: 195 . Type locality: “Tientsin” (= Tianjin, China) . Type depository: HNHM .

Epicauta xantusi Kaszab, 1952a: 592 . Type locality: “ Shanghai, China ” . Type depository: HNHM, MGFT, ZMHB. syn. nov .

Epicauta xantusi ab. unicolora Kaszab, 1952a: 594 (unavailable name; homonym). Type locality: “ Kansu, Hweisin , China ” (= Hui County, Gansu, China) . Type depository: HNHM .

Epicauta xantusi ab. unicoloroides Kaszab, 1958b: 189 (unavailable name; replacement name).

Type material examined. Epicauta obscurocephala : Holotype: ♀, “ China Tientsin ”, “ obscurocephala sp. Tientsin”, “ Holotypus // 1905 ♀ // Epicauta obscurocephala Reitter ” ( HNHM; Fig. 13 View FIGURES 13–19 ).

Epicauta xantusi : Holotype: ♂, “ China, Shanghai // J. Xántus ”,“ Holotypus // 1952 // ♂ // Epicauta Xantusi Kaszab ” ( HNHM; Fig. 14 View FIGURES 13–19 ) . Paratypes: 1 ♀, “ China, Shanghai // Xántus J.”, “2”, “305/918”, “ Allotypus // 1952 // ♀ // Epicauta Xantusi Kaszab ” ( HNHM) ; 1 ♂, “ China, Shanghai // J. Xántus ”, “ Paratypus // 1952 // ♂ // Epicauta Xantusi Kaszab ” ( HNHM) .

Epicauta xantusi ab. unicolora: Holotype: ♂, “ Hweisin // Kansu ”, “ Holotypus // 1952 // Epicauta xantusi ab. unicolora Kaszab ” ( HNHM; Fig. 15 View FIGURES 13–19 ).

Other material examined from China. HEBEI: 1 ex., Anxin, Dazhangzhuang , 2012.VIII.2, Peng Jidong & Wang Nanning leg. (MHBUa); 4 exx., Yi County, Yangguzhuang, 1981.VII, Xu Shao leg. ( MHBU) ; 1 ex., Huanghua , 2004.VI.24, Shi Fuming leg. ( MHBU) ; 1 ex., Mt. Xiaowutai , 2001.VII.6 ( MHBU) ; 6 exx., Yu County, Mt. Xiaowutai , 2006.VII.7–10, Mao Benyong & Shi Fuming leg. ( MHBU) ; 8 exx., Yu County, Mt. Xiaowutai , 2008. VII.6–17, Li Yalin leg. ( MHBU) ; 123 exx., Yu County, Jinhekou, 2005.VII.10–16, Li Jing & Wang Fengyan leg. (1 cMAB; 122 MHBU); 15 exx., Mt. Xiaowutai , Jinhekou , 2006.VII.7–11 ( MHBU) . SHANXI: 21 exx., Datong, Yungang , 2010.VIII.20, Ren Guodong et al. leg. ( MHBU) ; 1 ex., E Yangquan (N37°53.655’ E113°35.783’, Elev. 721 m) GoogleMaps , 2012.VII.18, Niu Yiping & Sun Xiaojie leg. (MHBUa); 2 exx., Zuoyun, Santun (N40°10.157’ E112°41.647’, Elev. 1567 m), 2012.VII.22, Niu Yiping & Sun Xiaojie leg. (1 MHBU;1 MHBUa). INNER MONGOLIA: 1 ex., Darhan Muminggan, Baiyan Hua , 2004.VII.13–15, Du Zhigang & Liu Haoyu leg. ( MHBU) ; 1 ex., Liangcheng , 2006. VII.17, Ren Guodong & Ba Yibin leg. ( MHBU) ; 1 ex., Chahar Right Back Banner, Baiyin Chagan (N41°26.683’ E113°17.490’, Elev. 1480 m) GoogleMaps , 2012.VII.23, Niu Yiping & Sun Xiaojie leg. (MHBUa); 2 exx., Ulanqab, Chang- hanliang (N40°46.982’ E112°49.278’, Elev. 1663 m), 2012.VII.23, Ba Yibin & Niu Yiping leg. (MHBUa); 1 ex., Hinggan League, Jalaid Banner, Tumuji National Natural Reserve (N46°17.632’ E123°1.036’, Elev. 128 m) GoogleMaps , 2014. VII.23, Pan Zhao et al. leg. (MHBUa). LIAONING: 2 exx., 1983.VI.1, Ren Guodong leg. ( MHBU) . JILIN: 1 ex., Tongyu, Mt. Xinglong (N44°47.473’ E112°28.883’, Elev. 152 m) GoogleMaps , 2012.VII.29, Ba Yibin & Niu Yiping leg. (MH- BUa); 212 exx., Changling, Taipingchuan (N44°26.027’ E123°15.098’, Elev. 156 m), 2012.VII.30, Ba Yibin & Niu Yiping leg. (205 MHBU; 7 MHBUa). SHAANXI: 2 exx., Qingjian , 2002.VIII.10, Wang Wenqiang leg. ( MHBU) . QINGHAI: 7 exx., Jainca, Yangjiang (N35°51.519’ E102°03.937 ’, Elev. 2081 m), 2012.VIII.2, Ren Guodong et al. leg. ( MHBU) GoogleMaps . NINGXIA: 8 exx., Pingluo , 1989.VII.30 ( MHBU) ; 10 exx., Pingluo, Nuanquan (N38°49.179’ E106°10.725’, Elev. 1135 m), 2010.VII.22, Wang Xinpu & Pan Zhao leg. (MHBUa) GoogleMaps .

Distribution. China: Beijing, Gansu, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, Jilin (new record), Liaoning, Ningxia, Qinghai (new record), Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanghai, Shanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin, Zhejiang.

Remarks. The type locality of Epicauta xantusi ab. unicolora Kaszab, 1952 is “Hweisin, Kansu ”. Růžička et al. (2002) indicated this locality was Hua Xian, and gave its longitude and latitude, ca. 33°46´ N 106°04´ E. How- ever, no county is named Hua in Gansu Province. We searched the longitude and latitude, and found this locality is placed in the Hui County (= Huxian, in Chinese) of Longnan City, Ganus, which has a similar pronunciation to “Hweinsin”. Therefore, we considered the correct name of the type locality as Hui County.

E. xantusi Kaszab, 1952 could be distinguished from E. obscurocephala by their red temples, according to its original description ( Kaszab 1952a). Based on the examination of the type specimens of these two species, we confirm Kaszab’s point of view. However, after the study of more than 400 specimens (MHBU), we found that the red portion of temples varies greatly. Especially, in a few cases, the temples have only a very small brown spot, which are almost invisible. Meanwhile, as in the case of E. sibirica ( Pallas, 1773) , we conclude that this feature is not useful to determine species in Epicauta ( Liu et al. 2016) . In conclusion, E. xantusi is synonymized with E. obscurocephala .

References

Kaszab, Z. (1952 a) Die Palaarktischen und Orientalischen Arten der Meloiden-Gattung Epicauta Redtb. Acta Biologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 3, 573 - 599.

Kaszab, Z. (1958 b) Neue Meloiden-Namen (Coleoptera). Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici, 50, 189 - 191.

Liu, S. P., Pan, Z. & Ren, G. D. (2016) Identification of three morphologically indistinguishable Epicauta species (Coleoptera, Meloidae, Epicautini) through DNA barcodes and morphological comparisons. Zootaxa, 4103 (4), 361 - 373. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 4103.4.4

Pallas, P. S. (1773) Reise durch verschiedene Provinzen des russischen Reichs. Zweyter Theil. Zweytes Buch vom Jahr 1771. Kayserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften, St. Petersburg, pp. 371 - 744.

Reitter, E. (1905) Ubersicht der mir bekannten Arten der Coleopteren-Gattung Epicauta Redtb. aus der palaearktischen Fauna. Wiener Entomologische Zeitung, 24, 194 - 196. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. part. 27183

Ruzicka, J., Schneider, J., Sikes, D. S. & Hava, J. (2002) Distributional records of carrion beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) from China, Part II. Klapalekiana, 38, 227 - 253.

Figures

FIGURES 13–19. Type specimens. 13. Epicauta obscurocephala Reitter (HNHM): a. habitus, dorsal view; b. labels. 14. Epicauta xantusi Kaszab (HNHM): a. habitus, dorsal view; b. labels. 15. Epicauta xantusi ab. unicolora Kaszab (HNHM): a. habitus, dorsal view; b. labels. 16. Lytta badeni Haag-Rutenburg (HNHM): a. habitus, dorsal view; b. left antenna; c. labels. 17. Epicauta badeni sinica Kaszab (HNHM): a. habitus, dorsal view; b. labels. 18. Lytta choui Wang, Wang et Ren (MHBU): a. habitus, dorsal view; b. labels. 19. Zonabris calida var. bacicalica Pic (MNHN): a. habitus, dorsal view; b. labels. Scale bars (a): 5 mm.