Liroetis aeneipennis Weise, 1889

Bezděk, Jan, 2021, Redefinition of Liroetis, with descriptions of two new species and an annotated list of species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 61 (2), pp. 529-614 : 534-535

Liroetis aeneipennis Weise, 1889

( Figs 1–8 , 26 , 32, 37 )

Liroëtis aeneipennis Weise, 1889: 608 (original description).

Liroëtis aeneipennis : Wൾංඌൾ (1924): 128 (catalogue); OǤඅඈൻඅංඇ (1936): 210 (description), 405 (key).

Liroëtes aeneipennis : Jൺർඈൻඒ (1890): 216 (faunistics).

Liroetis aeneipennis : Gඋൾඌඌංඍඍ & Kංආඈඍඈ (1963): 532 (key, faunistics); Wංඅർඈඑ (1973): 475 (catalogue); JංൺඇǤ (1988): 185 (noted); YൺඇǤ (1992a): 569 (faunistics); YൺඇǤ (1992b): 338 (faunistics); YൺඇǤ et al. (1997): 878 (faunistics); YൺඇǤ (1998): 311 (faunistics); WൺඇǤ & YൺඇǤ (2006):164 (faunistics); Bൾൾඇൾඇ (2010): 478 (catalogue);YൺඇǤ et al. (2015): 247 (key), 248 (noted).

Liroetis tiemushannis Jiang, 1988: 186 , 195 (original description). New junior subjective synonym.

Liroetis tiemushannis : YൺඇǤ (1992a): 569 (faunistics); YൺඇǤ (1992b): 339 (faunistics); WൺඇǤ &YൺඇǤ (1998): 93 (faunistics); YൺඇǤ (2002): 639 (noted); WൺඇǤ & YൺඇǤ (2006): 166 (faunistics); ZIJൺඇǤ et al. (2005): 256 (faunistics); Bൾൾඇൾඇ (2010): 478 (catalogue); YൺඇǤ et al. (2015): 247 (key), 250 (noted).

Liroetis tienmushannis [sic!, incorrect subsequent spelling]: YൺඇǤ & Lං (1998): 131 (noted).

Type localities. Liroetis aeneipennis : ‘Kan-ssu’ [= China: Gansu Province]; Liroetis tiemushannis : ‘ Zhejiang: Mt. Tiemu’ [ China: Zhejiang Province: Tianmushan].

Type material examined. Liroetis aeneipennis : Sඒඇඍඒඉൾ: 1 ♀ ( Figs 1–6 ), ‘Kan-ssu / 1885 / G. Patanin [w, p] // Zool. Mus. / Berlin [w, p] // Liroetis / aeneipennis [w, h] // SYNTYPUS / Liroetis / aeneipennis Weise, 1889 / labelled by MNHUB 2012 [r, p]’ ( MFNB).

Liroetis tiemushannis : not examined.

Material examined. CHINA: Gൺඇඌඎ: Venxian env., 18.–26.vi.1995, 2 JJ, Beneš leg. ( JBCB). SΗൺൺඇඑං: Qin Ling Mts., Xi′an env., Jiwozi, 33°50′933 N 108°48′760 E, 1800 m, 1.vii.2007, 1 J, P.Baňař leg.( JBCB); Qin Ling Shan Mts., Ho Zen Zi vill., 30 km SE of Taibai Shan Mt., 1500 m, 26.vi.1998, 2 JJ 1 ♀, O. Šafránek & M. Trýzna leg. ( JBCB); Qin Ling Shan Mts., Ho Zen Zi vill., 40 km SE of Taibai Shan Mt., 1200 m, 11.vi.1998, 1 ♀, Z. Jindra leg. ( NMPC); Qin Ling Mts., Huo Di Tang, 33°26.223′N 108°26.786′E, 1565 m, 5.vi.2013, 6 JJ, A. Konstantinov leg. ( USNM). SංർΗඎൺඇ: Xiao-Zhaizi Nature Reserve, 4 km NNE of Qingpianxiang, Zhenghecun, 32°3′27″N, 103°59′37″E, 1350–1850 m, 23.–26.vi.2017, 1 ♀, O. Konvička leg. ( OKCZ); Xiao-Zhaizi Nature Reserve, 7 km W of Qingpianxiang, Xiaozhaizi, 32°1′25″N 103°56′21″E, 1560–1700 m, 23.–26.vi.2017, 1 ♀, O. Konvička leg. ( OKCZ). ZΗൾඃංൺඇǤ: Anji,Longwang Mt., 800–1200 m, 20.vii.1995, 1 ♀, Hong Wu leg. ( IZAS); West Tianmu Shan, from ‘Blind Alley’ to ‘Immortal Peak’, 30°20.5–21.0′N 119°25.4–7′E, 1200–1500 m, 27.–28.vi.2017, 2 JJ 2 ♀♀, J. Hájek & J. Růžička leg. ( NMPC); Tianmu Shan, 22.vii.1936, 1 J, O. Piel leg. ( ZMUH).

Diagnosis. Colouration. Body and legs pale brown, elytra metallic green. Antennae pale brown or terminal antennomeres gradually darkened. Males with darkened or black short protrusions in middle of posterior margin of penultimate abdominal ventrite.

Body length. JJ: 5.7–8.0 mm, ♀♀: 6.5–8.8 mm (J ♀: 6.0–9.0 mm based on original descriptions).

Male ( Fig. 7 ). Antennae 0.78 times as long as body. Pronotum convex, 1.53 times as wide as long, lustrous, almost impunctate, anterior margin with very narrow but complete and well visible border. Middle part of posterior margin of abdominal ventrite IV obliquely impressed, with short narrow median incision. Last abdominal ventrite with longitudinal impression narrowed in middle part ( Fig. 8 ). Protarsomere I widened, subtriangular, metatibial spur short, tubular, with cut apex.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 26 ). Median lobe of aedeagus 4.40 times as long as wide; basal half wide, almost parallel, apical half widely constricted, apex widely rounded with small apical incision, apex folded down. Lateral view: median lobe of aedeagus moderately rounded; lateral elevation subtriangular with moderately rounded anterior margin, placed in anterior third of aedeagus length. Dorsal process 6.30 times as long as wide, 0.80 times as long as aedeagus; narrow basally and wider apically, with sharp and bent apex.

Female. Metatibial spur absent. Last abdominal ventrite with large trapezoidal excision, posterior margin of excision convex in middle ( Fig. 5 ). Sternite VIII transversely suboval, with three deep narrow incisions surrounding two large denticles, surface with elongate apical impression; tignum very short, 0.22 as long as sternite VIII ( Fig. 37 ). Spermatheca with obliquely oval nodulus, cornu C-shaped with sharp apex, spermathecal duct with subglobular proximal part ( Fig. 32 ).

Differential diagnosis. Having metallic green elytra and pale brown pronotum, Liroetis aeneipennis is similar to L. leechi . Both species can be distinguished by the colouration of head (completely pale brown in L. aeneipennis vs. with black vertex in L. leechi ). Males of both species differ in the structure of median lobe of aedeagus which is, in lateral view, more or less regularly rounded in L. aeneipennis ( Fig. 26 ) but with straight middle part in L. leechi ( Fig. 30 ). Females of L. aeneipennis have last abdominal ventrite with large trapezoidal excision and sternite VIII transversely suboval, with two denticles in middle of posterior margin ( Fig. 37 ), while females of L. leechi have last abdominal ventrite with posterior margin entire and sternite VIII heart-shaped with middle part of posterior margin bisinuate ( Fig. 40 ). Another similar species, L. coeruleus , has head, pronotum and underside orange, and dorsal process of aedeagus in lateral view apically widely divergent with V-shaped incision ( Fig. 27 ).

Host plants. Salix sp. (Gඋൾඌඌංඍඍ & Kංආඈඍඈ 1963).

Distribution. China: Fujian (WൺඇǤ & YൺඇǤ 1998), Gansu (Wൾංඌൾ 1889, WൺඇǤ & YൺඇǤ 2006, present paper), Guizhou (YൺඇǤ 1992b, ZIJൺඇǤ et al. 2005), Henan (YൺඇǤ 1998), Hubei (Jൺർඈൻඒ 1890, Gඋൾඌඌංඍඍ & Kංආඈඍඈ 1963, YൺඇǤ et al. 1997), Hunan (YൺඇǤ 1992a), Shaanxi (present paper), Sichuan (Gඋൾඌඌංඍඍ & Kංආඈඍඈ 1963, YൺඇǤ et al. 1997, present paper), Zhejiang (JංൺඇǤ 1988, present paper). YൺඇǤ et al. (2015) listed it also from China: Ningxia without mentioning particular specimens.

Comments. Wൾංඌൾ (1889) did not specify the number of available specimens when describing Liroetis aeneipennis but mentioned body length span, so he must have had more than one specimen in hand. Consequently, the female type specimen examined in MFNB is a syntype.

JංൺඇǤ (1988) mismatched the females of Liroetis aeneipennis with some other species. Her description of L. tiemushannis is accompanied with a drawing of female abdomen which perfectly fits the female abdomen of the syntype of L. aeneipennis . Although the type specimens of L. tiemushannis were not available for this study, this drawing is sufficient to synonymize L. tiemushannis with L. aeneipennis here. The description of L. tiemushannis contains two different spellings: tiemushannis on pp. 184 and 186 and tiemuchannis on p. 195. I hereby fix tiemushannis as the correct original spelling in accordance with the Principle of the First Reviser (Art. 24.2.3., ICZN 1999).

Figures

Figs 1–8. Liroetis aeneipennis Weise, 1889. 1–6 – Female, syntype (8.2 mm). 1 – dorsal view; 2 – ventral view; 3 – lateral view; 4 – head and pronotum; 5 – apex of abdomen; 6 – labels. 7–8 – Male (6.3 mm). 7 – dorsal view; 8 – abdomen.

Figs 26–31. Aedeagus of Liroetis, dorsal and lateral views. 26 – L. aeneipennis Weise, 1889; 27 – L. coeruleus (Jiang, 1990); 28 – L. coeruleipennis Weise, 1889; 29 – L. ephippiatus (Laboissière, 1930); 30 – L. leechi Jacoby, 1890; 31 – L. nigricollis (Jiang, 1990). Fig. 27 reproduced from JංൺඇǤ (1990). Scale 0.5 mm.

Figs 32–41. Spermatheca (Figs 32–36) and sternite VII (Figs 37–41) of Liroetis. 32, 37 – L. aeneipennis Weise, 1889; 33, 38 – L. coeruleipennis Weise, 1889; 34, 39 – L. ephippiatus (Laboissière, 1930); 35, 40 – L. leechi Jacoby, 1890; 36, 41 – L. nigricollis (Jiang, 1990). Scales 0.25 mm for Figs 32–36, 0.5 mm for Figs 37–41.