Coptodera (Coptoderina) japonica Bates

Hunting, Wesley & Yang, Man-Miao, 2019, A taxonomic review of the pericaline ground-beetles in Taiwan, with descriptions of new species (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini), ZooKeys 816, pp. 1-164 : 60-65

Coptodera (Coptoderina) japonica Bates Figs 41, 42, 43 A–C, 57C, 59

Coptodera japonica Bates, 1883: 281; Csiki 1932: 1371; Jedlička 1963: 348; Lorenz 2005: 458; Park et al. 2011: 103.

Coptodera formosana Dupuis, 1912: 328; Jedlička 1963: 347.

Types and other material examined.

Cotype (male) labeled: "Japan./G. Lewis./1910-320"; “Cotype” [circular, ringed with green]"; "Ex Coll./Brit. Mus."; " Coptodera / japonica /cotype Bates/H. E. Andrewes det."; “Syntypus” [rectangular, red paper]. Eight specimens of C. japonica , three males and five females. For further details see EH Strickland Virtual Entomology Museum Database.

Type locality.

Japan: Kyushu (Kiushiu).

Diagnosis.

Specimens of this species are easily distinguished from other Taiwanese Coptodera by a combination of elytra with a seta in the apical 1/3 of stria 2 and black lateral margins.

Description.

OBL 9.16 - 10.33 mm. Length (n = three males, five females): head 1.00 - 1.12, pronotum 1.36 - 1.58, elytra 5.50 - 6.33, metepisternum 1.32 - 1.44 mm; width: head 2.00 - 2.20, pronotum 2.40 - 2.76, elytra 4.16 - 4.50, metepisternum 0.80 - 0.84 mm.

Body proportions. HW/HL 1.93 - 2.12; PWM/PL 1.64 - 1.82; EL/EW 1.30 - 1.42; ML/MW 1.57 - 1.67.

Color. Fig. 41. Dorsum of head piceous, area nearest to antennal socket brunneous to rufo-piceous, clypeus black with outer margin brunneous to rufo-brunneous, labrum, antennae, and palpi brunneous to rufo-brunneous; disc of pronotum rufo-piceous to piceous, lateral margins rufo-brunneous, only slightly lighter then disc; elytral disc black, with four testaceous maculae, two anterior and two posterior, anterior macula large, from interval 3 to 7 in most specimens, closest to base of elytra in interval 5 and 6, closest to apex of elytra in interval 4, posterior macula, from interval 2-8 (some from interval 1), closest to base of elytra in intervals 4 and 5, closest to apex of elytra in interval 4; margins of elytra rufo-brunneous to piceous; ventral surface rufo-brunneous to piceous; legs with trochanter and femora and tarsi brunneous to rufo-brunneous, tibia rufo-brunneous to piceous on dorsal surface.

Microsculpture. Dorsum of head with microsculpture somewhat granulate and isodiametric, easily visible at 50 × magnification; pronotum somewhat granulate, isodiametric to somewhat transverse mesh pattern easily visible at 50 ×; elytral intervals with transverse sculpticells, center of striae with isodiametric sculpticells a few cells wide; ventral surface of head with microsculpture transverse, faintly visible at 50 ×; prosternum, proepipleuron, mesepisternum and metepisternum with sculpticells forming a shallow transverse mesh.

Macrosculpture and pilosity. Dorsum of head and clypeus smooth, with relatively dense, fine, scattered setigerous punctures, setae hardly visible at 50 ×; pronotum with relatively dense, fine and scattered setigerous punctures, visible in side view at 50 ×, disc shallowly rugulose; elytra with intervals broadly rounded, single row of fine setigerous punctures in the center of each interval, these punctures larger than additional scattered setigerous punctures throughout disc, striae with single row of fine setigerous punctures hardly visible in lateral view at 50 ×; ventrally, thoracic and abdominal sclerites with scattered setigerous punctures throughout.

Fixed setae. Elytra with two setae in apical 1/3 of stria 2, one seta near base in stria 3.

Luster. Dorsal and ventral surfaces moderately glossy.

Head. Mandibles somewhat curved at apex, relatively long and narrow in form, when measured on outside diameter, visible portion longer than length of labrum; labrum relatively stout and rounded, slightly wider than clypeus at max width, broadly bilobed to almost flat apically.

Pronotum. Transverse impression deep; posterior transverse impression deep, median longitudinal impression moderately deep; lateral margins explanate, apico-lateral margins broadly rounded, posterio-lateral margins obtuse.

Elytra. Apex slightly sinuate.

Legs. Two rows of small squamo-setae on tarsomeres 1-2 of mid-leg; males with two notches apically on ventral side of mid-tibia. Note: one individual with two notches on left mid-tibia and three notches on right mid-tibia has been observed.

Male genitalia. Figs 42, 43 A–C Length 1.86 - 1.92 mm. Ostium catopic, positioned slightly to right when viewed ventrally, phallus cylindrical, slanting right from base of ostium towards apex when viewed ventrally, apical area with short, bluntly rounded apex; endophallus long and narrow, positioned to right of phallus when everted and viewed ventrally, microtrichia dispersed evenly and rather divergently on most of surface, one large and typically more dense microtrichial field (mtf) present on left side of phallus, just before apical constriction, sclerotized ring of spines (esr) at narrowest portion of apical constriction.

Female genitalia. 57C. Width 1.28 mm. One spermatheca (sp1), cylindrical and long, ribbed laterally along length, distinctively curved at base; one spermathecal accessory gland (sg), large and bulbous; spermathecal gland duct (sgd) only slightly longer than length of spermatheca, slightly swollen at apical end, just before gland, attachment site medially on distinctively shaped diverticulum (div) of spermatheca; bursa copulatrix (bc) with distinctive sac at apical end (bs), highly constricted near opening to common oviduct, then expanding out into and oblong mushroom top shaped chamber.

Habitat, habits, and seasonal occurrence.

The known elevational range of C. japonica is from 640 to 2770 meters. Adults of this species are found in mixed forest of montane areas. Little is known of the habits of this species but one specimen of this species was collected on shelf fungus. Specimens have been collected from April to October in Taiwan and methods of collecting include u.v. light, malaise trap, and hand collecting.

Geographical distribution.

Coptodera japonica is known from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. For Taiwan collecting localities see Figure 59.