Amphicoma lalashanensis Li

Li, Chun-Lin, Wang, Chuan-Chan & Chen, Hou-Jay, 2011, Synopsis of the genus Amphicoma Latreille (Coleoptera: Glaphyridae) of Taiwan with special reference to the male genitalia, Zootaxa 2790, pp. 23-34 : 25-28

Amphicoma lalashanensis Li , new species

Figs. 1 , 8 , 11 , 14 , 15, 20 , 23 , 24

Holotype male ( Fig. 1 ). Body oval-elongate, length 12.5 mm; width across humeri 4.1 mm. Body with dorsal surface and venter of thorax metallic green with some goldish green undertones on head, pronotum and basal half of elytra. Pygidium yellowish brown with no metallic reflection. Legs black. Antennae dark brown. Dorsum setose with golden brown setae moderately long, intermixed with longer stout black setae on canthus and along lateral sides of pronotum and apical half surface of elytra; dark brown setae on head and anterior half of pronotum shorter and softer. Head: Surface densely rugopunctate, puncture large, each with an erect seta. Anterior margin of labrum straight with lateral angles rounded. Clypeus rectangular; surface flat, slightly widened basally; anterior angle rounded; margins of clypeus with complete bead. Clypeofrontal suture weakly defined, almost invisible. Frons narrowing basally. Antenna with 10 antennomeres, three-antennomere club approximately 2.4 times as long as stem.

Thorax: Pronotum widest at anterior one-third, round in shape, anterior angles weakly developed with basolateral angles rounded, lateral margin explanate on basal two-thirds, middle of basal margin slightly emarginate; setiferous punctures densely distributed on surface; punctures smaller, more well developed than those on head. Scutellum elongate, triangular, flat; apex rounded; punctures dense, similar to punctures on pronotum. Prosternal process ( Fig. 8 ) protruding with quadrate apex glabrous, inner margin straight; metasternum with midline impressed, well defined, setose laterally; setae as long as setae on prosternum, mesepisternum, metepisternum, mesepimeron, metepimeron; setae on discal center of metasternum thin, shorter than setae on sides. Elytra: Disc surface nearly flat with sutural margins gradually raised apically, discal surface densely rugopunctate; ridged-like epipleura widely expanded, gradually narrowing apically. Abdomen: Pygidial width 2.3 times length medially; disc covered with long setae, slightly convex. Sternites 1–6 with surface setose. Legs: Protibia tridentate. Protarsi pectinate with tarsomeres 1–4 strongly condensed in length. Surface of profemora and mesofemora moderately covered with long setae, metafemora with short, sparse setae intermixed with longer setae. Mesotibiae and metatibiae inner surface with soft, dense setae and outer surface with more robust, sparse setae. Mesotibia with one inner apical spur, spur subequal in length to half of basal mesotarsomeres; basal mesotarsomere 1.7 times as long as second mesotarsomere. Basal metatarsomere 1.4 times as long as second metatarsomere. Male genitalia: Parameres ( Figs. 11 , 14, 15 ) asymmetrical, tip of left paramere upwardly curved with basal margin concave at basal one-third ( Fig. 14 ). Basal piece extension reaching apical one-fourth of paramere ( Fig. 11 , 23 ). Ventral plate ( Fig. 20 ) of genital capsule broadly widened, margins rounded, smooth; median stria well sclerotized, reaching apical one-third. Temones strongly twisted twice and fused apically, minor sclerite longitudinally lying within base of flagellum, flagellum separated basally, longer than paramere and subequal in length to half of basal piece ( Fig. 24 ).

Female. Unknown.

Diagnosis. Amphicoma lalashaensis is similar to A. schneideri Nikodým, 2005 , found in the highland of Sichuan, southwestern China, based on the general metallic green coloration, setal distribution, and strongly curved and elongated antennal club. However, it differs from A. schneideri in the dorsal surface partly goldish green on head, pronotum and basal half of elytra (overall coppery green in A. schneideri ); legs black (rather than reddish brown as in A. schneideri ), basal metatarsomere 1.4 times as long as second metatarsomere (1.8 times in A. schneideri ); and in the tip and basal margin of left paramere in lateral view ( Fig. 14 ) (tip slightly upwardly curved with more smooth basal margin of paramere in A. schneideri )

Type material. The male holotype is pinned and with the following information on the label: Taiwan: Taoyuan, Lalashan, 15. VII. 2009, leg. H.-J. Chen. The holotype is deposited at the Taiwan Agriculture Research Institute, Taichung, Taiwan.

Distribution. Northern Taiwan.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the famous historical collecting site, Lalashan (presently the Dakwanshan Natural Reserve) of northern Taiwan.

Remarks. This new species seems to be quite rare because the type locality has been well collected by naturalists over a long period of time. This region is of interest as a representative of primary mid-elevated cloud forests in northern Taiwan. There were no known collecting records of this new species until the holotype was captured in 2009. The holotype male was found resting on shrub leaves by a trail within the forest. According to Marco Uliana (Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia, Venezia, Italy, personal communication), some glaphyrid adults that do not visit flowers and rarely encountered because they appear as adults for only very short periods.

Figures

FIGURES 23. Male genitalia of Amphicoma lalashanensis in ventral view. Abbreviations: BP = basal piece; BP-ext = basal piece extension; FPM = fusion of paramere and median lobe; ML = median lobe; PM = paramere.

FIGURE 1 – 7. Dorsal habitus of Amphicoma species. 1. Amphicoma lalashanensis, holotype; 2. Amphicoma aurata, male; 3. Amphicoma aurata, male; 4. Amphicoma aurata, female; 5. Amphicoma formosana, male; 6. Amphicoma formosana, male; 7. Amphicoma formosana, female.

FIGURE 8 – 10. Left lateral view of prosternal process of Amphicoma species. 8. Amphicoma lalashanensis; 9. Amphicoma aurata; 10. Amphicoma formosana.

FIGURES 11 – 13. Dorsal view of male genitalia of Amphicoma species. 11. Amphicoma lalashanensis; 12. Amphicoma aurata; 13. Amphicoma formosana. Abbreviations: BP-ext = basal piece extension; FMaB = flagellum major body. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 14 – 19. Parameres of Amphicoma male genitalia in lateral view. 14 – 15. Amphicoma lalashanensis; 16 – 17. Amphicoma auratas; 18 – 19. Amphicoma formosana. Abbreviations: FMaB = flagellum major body. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 20 – 22. 20. Amphicoma lalashanensis genital capsule; 21. Amphicoma aurata ventral plate of genital capsule; 22. Amphicoma formosana ventral plate of genital capsule. Abbreviations: LLP = left lateral plate; MS = median sclerite; RLP = right lateral plate; VP = ventral plate. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 24 – 26. Temones and flagellum of Amphicoma species. 24. Amphicoma lalashanensis; 25. Amphicoma aurata; 26. Amphicoma formosana. Abbreviations: FMaB = flagellum major body; MiS = minor sclerite; TE = temones. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.