Gergithoides, Schumacher, 1915

Jérôme Constant & Hong-Thai Pham, 2017, Gergithoides Schumacher, 1915 in Vietnam, with two new species, and taxonomic notes on the genus (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Issidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 296, pp. 1-20 : 12-15

Gergithoides sp.

Four additional female specimens of Gergithoides from Vietnam were also examined, representing maybe four additional species, or only three if the two specimens collected in Ba Vi National Park ( Fig. 6A–C and D–F ) are conspecific. This will have to be established by examination of the genitalia of corresponding males.

It appears interesting to list and illustrate those undescribed species to give a better view of the actual diversity and distribution of Gergithoides in Vietnam.

Material examined

VIETNAM: 1 ♀ ( Figs 6A–C , 7 ) [Coll. I.R.Sc.N.B., Vietnam, Hanoi pr., BaVi N.P. , 21°4′4″ N 105°21′30″ E, 25-29.vi.2015 day collecting, Leg. J. Constant & J. Bresseel, I.G.:33.092 ] ( RBINS) ; 1 ♀ ( Fig. 6D–F ), same data ( RBINS) ; 1 ♀ ( Fig. 6G–I ) [ Vietnam, Da Krong Nat. R., Quang Tri prov. 16°37′ N 106°47′ E, 5-10.vii.2011, Leg. J. Constant & J. Bresseel, I.G.: 31.933 ] ( RBINS) ; 1 ♀ ( Fig. 6J–L ) [ Vietnam, Lam Dong, Bi Doup massif, Da Lat, Ghang Ly , 1467m, 12°11.052′ N 108°40.669′ E] [Museum Paris, 12-VI-2008, beating, open range & forest edge, Th. Bourgoin réc.] [Museum Paris, MNHN (EH) 22873 ] [ Gergithoides sp. Gnezdilov det. 2014] ( MNHN) .

This specimen was mentioned by Gnezdilov et al. (2014).

Gergithoides carinatifrons Schumacher, 1915

Gergithoides carinatifrons Schumacher, 1915: 126 .

Daruma nitobei Matsumura, 1916: 103 (synonymised by Ishihara 1965a).

Gergithoides carinatifrons – Esaki 1932: 1795 (described), fig. 1 (illustrated). — Kato 1933: pl. 4, fig. 1 (illustrated). — Metcalf 1958: 120 (catalogued). — Ishihara 1965a: 208 (senior synonym of Daruma nitobei Matsumura, 1916 (misspelled Darma nitobei ), recorded from Japan). — Ishihara 1965b: 131 (listed), pl. 66, fig. 6 (illustrated – specimen from Shikoku, Japan). — Hori 1969: 62 (records from Japan), figs 2, 5–7 (frons, clypeus and male genitalia illustrated), pls 2, 7–8 (habitus illustrated). — Chan & Yang 1994: 17 (described; male genitalia), fig. 5 (wings, frons and clypeus, vertex, pro- and mesonotum, and male genitalia, illustrated). — Che et al. 2003: 103 (keyed; recorded from Hainan, in Chinese), 107 (recorded from Hainan, in English). — Gnezdilov 2009: 85 (notes on type specimens; records from Taiwan; senior synonym of Daruma nitobei ), figs 5–6 (dorsal and frontal view of specimen from Taiwan). — Sun et al. 2012: 50 (compared with Neogergithoides tubercularis Sun, Meng & Wang, 2012 ), figs 43–45 (illustrated). — Rahman et al. 2012: 295 (keyed). — Chen et al. 2014: 37 (keyed, described, recorded from Guizhou, in Chinese; distribution map), fig. 2-6 (habitus, details and male genitalia illustrated – photographs of specimen from Guizhou, drawings reproduced from Chan & Yang 1994), 187 (recorded from Guizhou, in English).

Darumara nitobei – Metcalf 1952: 227 ( Darumara = replacement name for Daruma ). — Metcalf 1958: 158 (catalogued). — Chan & Yang 1994: 20 (described).

non Gergithoides carinatifrons – Kwon & Huh 1995: 40 (recorded from South Korea (based on misidentification, see Rahman et al. 2012)). — Kwon & Huh 2001: 310 (listed from South Korea, based on misidentification, see Rahman et al. 2012).

Remarks

This species was described based on two specimens from Taiwan by Schumacher (1915), together with one variety, G. carinatifrons var. uniformis Schumacher, 1915 . Unfortunately, the syntypes of G. carinatifrons are destroyed (only one hind wing still exists, see Gnezdilov 2009), but the species was redescribed by Chan & Yang (1994) based on specimens from Taiwan. It was also mentioned from Japan ( Ishihara 1965a, 1965b; Hori 1969), China ( Che et al. 2003; Chen et al. 2014), and South Korea ( Kwon & Huh 1995, 2001).

South Korean specimens were checked by Rahman et al. (2012), who found them to belong to another species which they described as G. jejudoensis Rahman, Kwon & Suh, 2012 . Considering this wrong record of G. carinatifrons in South Korea, it remains questionable if the species is present in Japan. Indeed, the male genitalia represented in Hori’s (1969) publication do not match the drawings of Chan & Yang (1994), but it is unclear if these authors used a specimen from Taiwan (where there might be more than one Gergithoides species) or from Japan, and this requires further investigation.

The presence of the species in China (Hainan), reported by Che et al. (2003) is probably based on misidentified specimens, as the characters extrapolated from their identification key (tegmina dark brown with black marking – S. Chen pers. comm. Sep. 2016) do not match the illustration of a Taiwan specimen of G. carinatifrons provided by Gnezdilov (2009).

The Guizhou (China) specimens identified as G. carinatifrons and G. rugulosus mentioned and illustrated by Chen et al. (2014) belong to the same collecting event: Xiaodanjiang, Leigongshan, Guizhou, 16 Sep. 2005. The genitalia illustrations for G. carinatifrons in Chen et al. (2014) are reproduced from Chan & Yang (1994). The specimens of G. carinatifrons and G. rugulosus illustrated in Chen et al. (2014) are probably conspecific and belong to a species characterized by the male genitalia illustrated under the name G. rugulosus in their book. However, this taxon is most likely neither G. carinatifrons nor G. rugulosus , and it represents an undescribed species.

Finally, the Chinese specimen of G. carinatifrons illustrated and described by comparison with Neogergithoides tubercularis Sun, Meng & Wang, 2012 by Sun et al. (2012) does not match Gnezdilov’s (2009) description and it belongs to another species. Unfortunately, Sun et al. (2012) failed to mention the origin of the illustrated specimen they attributed to G. carinatifrons .

As a conclusion, we consider that the presence of G. carinatifrons outside Taiwan still needs to be confirmed by the examination of male genitalia.

Figures

Fig. 6. Gergithoides ♀♀, unidentified species from Vietnam. A – C. Specimen from Ba Vi National Park (LT = 6.0 mm). D – F. Specimen from Ba Vi National Park (LT = 6.0 mm). G – I. Specimen from Da Krong Nature Reserve (LT = 6.6 mm). J – L. Specimen from Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park (LT = 5.9 mm). A, D, G, J = dorsal view; B, E, H, K = ventral view; C, F, I, L = lateral view.

Fig. 7. Gergithoides ♀, unidentified species from Ba Vi National Park. A – B. Live specimen, 29 Jun. 2015 (photographs © J. Constant – RBINS).