Miridiba tuberculipennis (Moser, 1913)

Gao, Chuan-bu & Coca-Abia, María Milagro, 2021, Revision of the genus Miridiba Reitter, 1902 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae): genital morphotypes and new taxonomic data, European Journal of Taxonomy 749, pp. 1-94 : 44-46

Miridiba tuberculipennis (Moser, 1913)

Figs 60–62

Holotrichia tuberculipennis Moser, 1913a: 55 (type loc.: Myanmar).

Neodontocnema ardoini Frey, 1970: 245 (in key).

Neodontocnema tuberculipennis – Arrow 1948: 51 (combination).

Neodontcnema tuberculiventris – Frey 1970: 245 (lapsus calami).

Miridiba tuberculipennis – Nomura 1977: 88 (combination). — Itoh 1995: 199 (combination). — Keith 2006: 45 (nom. nud.). — Coca-Abia 2008: 683–684, figs 19–20 (type material; in key). — Gao et al. 2018: 17 , figs 5b, d, f, 6 (catalogue); 2019: 462 (species list; in key).

Miridiba ardoini – Keith 2006: 45 (as combination of N. ardoini ). — Coca-Abia 2008: 676. — Keith 2010: 232 (synonym).

Diagnosis

External morphology of adult ( Fig. 60 ). Body size 20.0–24.0 mm. Dorsal surface glabrous, at most, with tiny setae in each puncture hardly visible. Clypeus shorter than frons, concave, with anterior edge emarginate at middle. Frons very sloping, strong carina sunk at middle. Pronotal anterior margin with a perpendicular anterior face with sparse and short setae; posterior margin glabrous, finely flanged and with a row of punctures, except at middle where is a little bulky; lateral margins smooth and glabrous, strongly convergent and elevated at anterior half; anterior angles acute, not projected forward; posterior angles obtuse and rounded. Prosternal process cone-shaped. Scutellum glabrous, with punctures except at sides. Each elytron with a wart on apex only in females; epipleuron with setae at basal half. Foretibia with insertion of inner spur closer to third outer tooth than second one in females, in males almost equidistant between both outer teeth; with moderate carina. Mesotibia with transverse carina interrupted at middle in females, complete in males. Metatibia with transverse carina complete in both sexes; inner margin of dorsal surface with spines. Prepygidium roughly punctate and pubescent. Pygidium pubescent, irregularly punctate, truncated cone shaped, blunt, and apical margin moderately raised. Ventrite 5 moderately depressed at posterior half with pubescence longer on depressed part. Ventrite 6 moderately concave and bulging at anterior margin. Male genitalia: parameres ( Fig. 61 ) without pubescence, dorsal branches starting slightly below collum, long, thin and ventrally curved, apices of ventral branches bent outwards ninety degrees. Endophallus ( Fig. 61 ) asymmetrical in lateral view, with a dorsal part armed with a very strong spine and a ventral part with numerous setae. Apophysis of temones with distal ends separated from each other. Female genitalia ( Fig. 62 ): genital chamber with vestigial sternites reduced to an area with a few sensillae. Median oviduct reduced with epithelium not sclerotized placed behind peduncle of bursa copulatrix that is strongly sclerotized.

Material examined

Lectotype of M. tuberculipennis

MYANMAR • ♂; “ Burma ” [Myanmar]; A.K. Weld Downing leg.; “Zool. Mus. Berlin” [ Zoologisches Museum in Berlin ]; “ Holotrichia tuberculipennis Mos. Type ♂”; “SYNTYPUS Holotrichia tuberculipennis Moser, 1913 labelled by MNHUB 2004”; “Lectotype Miridiba tuberculipennis (Moser, 1913) M. Coca-Abia , det. 2005”; MFNB.

Paralectotype of M. tuberculipennis

MYANMAR • ♀; same collection data as for lectotype of M. tuberculipennis ; MFNB .

Paralectotypes of M. tuberculipennis (here indicated)

MYANMAR • 1 ♀; “Burma” [Myanmar]; “ A. K. Weld Downing Burma ”; “781”; “Andrewes Bequest B.M. 1922-221”; “ Holotrichia tuberculipennis Type Mos.”; “Type” [round label]; “Type” [red print label]; “Paralectotype Miridiba tuberculipennis (Moser, 1913) Chuan-bu Gao & Coca-Abia det. 2019”; BMNH • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; cotype; BMNH .

Holotype of M. ardoini

VIETNAM • ♀; “Vietnam; 1960”; “Type”; “ Neodontocnema ardoini n sp. det G. Frey, 1970 Type”; “ Holotype Miridiba ardoini ( Frey, 1970) Chuan-bu Gao & Coca-Abia det. 2017”; NHMB.

Other material of M. tuberculipennis

MYANMAR • 1 ♂; Burma ; A.K. Weld leg.; BMNH • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; BMNH • 1 ♀; Shan State, Kalaw ; 4000 ft; Apr. 1916; F.M. Mackwood leg.; BMNH .

Remarks

Neodontocnema ardoini was described based on only one female specimen from Vietnam ( Frey 1970). The external morphology described by Frey (1970) led Keith (2006) to consider the transfer of N. ardoini to Miridiba . Later, Keith (2010) synonymized M. ardoini with M. tuberculipennis after studying the type of M. ardoini and two non-type specimens of Miridiba from Vietnam (male and female), concluding that the features of these two specimens, female and male, matched well those of M. ardoini and M. tuberculipennis , respectively. However, to establish this synonymy, types of M. tuberculipennis should also have been studied. In this work, we have studied types of M. ardoini and M. tuberculipennis and verified that features of the external morphology and female genitalia that characterize M. tuberculipennis are present in M. ardoini . Therefore, we confirm the synonymy of M. ardoini with M. tuberculipennis , and we include this species into morphotype I “ Trichophora ”. In addition, two further former syntypes of M. tuberculipennis are recognised as paralectotypes (BMNH), and the unique female specimen of M. ardoini is labelled as holotype (NHMB).

Distribution

Laos, Myanmar (Shan State), Thailand, Vietnam.

Figures

Figs 60–62. Miridiba tuberculipennis (Moser, 1913). 60–61. Paralectotype, ♂ (MFNB). 62. Non-type, ♀ (BMNH). 60. Habitus in dorsal view. 61. Male genitalia: parameres and endophallus in lateral view. 62. Female genitalia in dorsal (A) and ventral (B) views. Scale bars: 60 = 5.0 mm; 61–62 = 1.0 mm.