Laricobius taiwanensis Yu & Montgomery, 2007

Leschen, Richard A. B., 2011, World review of Laricobius (Coleoptera: Derodontidae), Zootaxa 2908, pp. 1-44 : 28

20. Laricobius taiwanensis Yu & Montgomery, 2007

(figs 20, 48)

Diagnosis. Body bicolored. Head dark; ocelli absent. Prothorax transverse with well-developed lateral carina and sides explanate. Pronotum dark; posterior tooth present. Scutellum dark. Surface of elytra usually not incurvate; elytral punctures not confluent. Epipleura dark. Ventrites dark. Femora dark. Tibiae usually dark. Aedeagus with median carina on phallobase; medium lobe subacute; apices of parameres without an internal ridge.

Description. Length 1.58–2.54 mm (x = 2.67, n = 15). Body bicolored with head, prothorax, scutellum, elytra along sides to level of abdominal ventrite 5 (usually extending to stria 4 and covering striae 5–10), along suture (though maybealit reduced or absent), epipleuron, and venter black or chocolate brown; elytra dark red brown; antenna with A1 dark brown, funicle yellow brown, and club red-brown; palpi and legs dark brown, tarsi brown, but lighter in some specimens. Head without ocelli; u-shaped furrow present; interocular distance about 4x the width of the eye; macropunctures rounded and distinct, impressed and sometimes fused into trenches and set into depressions; micropunctures moderately coarse; setae erect, elongate with an average length as long as 2/3 to full width of the eye. Antenna with length of A3 about equal to A4, ratios 2.1:1.4:1.1:1.2:1.3:1.1:1.1:1.0:1.3:1.2:1.9; A11 not strongly asymmetrical. Prothorax transverse and rectangular, dorsoventrally flattened, and widest at middle, sides weakly convex, converging anteriorly from widest point and weakly convex, subparallel anteriorly and convergent posteriorly; about 0.79 x as long as wide (pronotal length/greatest pronotal width = 0.75–0.83, x = 0.79); depth = 0.16–0.38 mm (x = 0.29); pronotum laterally broadly explanate, lateral carina with a distinct sharp edge; anterior angle 90º to about 80° and subacute, not forming a tooth; posterior angle distinct, rounded, and with a short tooth; foveae visible in dorsal view; macropunctures on disc distinct, well-impressed and well-separated; micropunctures coarse; setae erect, moderately long with length 2/3 to full width of eye. Elytra about 2.91 x as long as wide (elytral length/greatest elytral width = 1.86–3.71, x = 2.91) and 2.92 x as long as pronotum (elytral length/ pronotal length = 1.73–3.30, x = 2.12); surface not or weakly-incurvate at basal third; macropunctures not coalescing to form grooves, separated on an average by 1/2 puncture diameter; micropunctures fine; microsculpture not visible; setae suberect to decumbent, short and on average about 2/3 to full length of the eye. Aedeagus with phallobase transverse (wider than long), 2/3 the length of the median lobe, median carina present; median lobe projecting slightly beyond apices of parameres, somewhat narrow with its greatest width equal to width of the parameres at their basal 1/3, apex subacute, median groove or carina absent, ostium subapical; parameres, slender and narrow, apically acute, very short setae present apically and along inner margin, internal subapical ridge absent. Spiculum gastrale narrow.

Comments. There are no discernable ocelli in this species, though the color of the cuticle that surrounds the deeper cephalic macropunctures may be lighter. Among the species that lack ocelli, L. taiwanensis has the sides of the prothorax weakly convex, which will distinguish this species from the others. Having the dark tibiae will distinguish L. taiwanensis from L. naganoensis , the presence of of the posterior pronotal tooth will distinguish L. taiwanensis from L. osakensis , and the dark red coloration and presence of a median carina on the basal piece will distinguish L. taiwanensis from L. kangdingensis .

The holotype (NMNS) was not examined, but several paratypes were, belonging to the same series.

Hosts. Plants: Tsuga chinensis . Adelgid: Adelges tsugae .

Biology. Habitat and rearing ( Yu & Montgomery 2007).

Distribution. Taiwan: Kao Hsiung.

Type material examined. PARATYPES: 21 (10, BMNH [with all original labels hw]; 4, NMNH; 3, YPM; 4, USDA, one each with Havill Sample # 08-50, Havill Sample # 08-51), TAIWAN Kao Hsiung Co. Road 20, 2 Km west of Ya Kou Hotel 26 May 1994 S.T. Murphy/ PARATYPE Laricobius taiwanensis, Yu and Montgomery (yellow green label).