Psammoecus hiranoi Yoshida & Hirowatari, 2013

Yoshida, Takahiro & Hirowatari, Toshiya, 2014, A revision of Japanese species of the genus Psammoecus Latreille (Coleoptera, Silvanidae), ZooKeys 403, pp. 15-45 : 36-37

Psammoecus hiranoi Yoshida & Hirowatari, 2013 Fig. 2E

Psammoecus sp. 1: Hirano 2009: 63, 66, 82, fig. 6. - Hirano 2010: 12, 15.

Psammoecus sp. 2: Hirano 2009: 63, 66, 82, fig. 7. - Hirano 2010: 12, 15.

Psammoecus hiranoi Yoshida and Hirowatari 2013: 86-90.

Diagnosis.

This species is closely similar to Psammoecus fasciatus and morphological differences between these two species were stated in diagnosis of Psammoecus fasciatus .

Remarks.

Yoshida and Hirowatari (2013) described this species from the Nansei Islands, Japan including Nakanoshima (Tokara Islands), Amami-Ôshima, Tokunoshima, Okinawa, Ishigaki and the Iriomote Islands. It is closely similar to Psammoecus fasciatus , and these two species occur allopatrically across the Watase Line, which is one of the biogeographic borders proposed between the Palaearctic and Oriental regions passing through the Tokara Straits ( Yoshida and Hirowatari 2013).

Yoshida and Hirowatari (2013) described this species and regarded the undetermined species, Psammoecus sp. 2 of Hirano (2009) and Hirano (2010), as conspecific. In addition, in the present study, Psammoecus sp. 1 illustrated by Hirano (2009) and Hirano (2010), which was represented by only one female, is also found to be conspecific with this species. We had the opportunity to examine some specimens possessing features of Psammoecus sp. 1 (Fig. 2E) and were able to conclude that morphological characters including the male genital structure of these specimens belonged to the range of morphological variation of Psammoecus hiranoi .

The following specimens were found after description of this species:

Specimens examined.

JAPAN: [Okinawa Pref.] 1 male & 4 exs., Mt. Yonaha-dake, Kunigami Village, Okinawa Island, 3 –IV– 1974, T. Kinoshita leg. (EUMJ); 10 exs., Ôkuni-rindô, Kuigami Village, Okinawa Island, 4 –XI– 2013, T. Yoshida leg. (ELKU).