Laricobius erichsonii Rosenhauer, 1846

Leschen, Richard A. B., 2011, World review of Laricobius (Coleoptera: Derodontidae), Zootaxa 2908, pp. 1-44 : 9-11

5. Laricobius erichsonii Rosenhauer, 1846

(figs 5, 22, 24, 26, 31, 36)

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

Description. Length 2.36–2.78 mm (x = 2.55, n = 16). Body unicolored black (in southern European forms) or more typically bicolored with head, prothorax, scutellum, epipleura, and ventrites light brown to black, elytra along sides to apex (covering striae 7 or 8–10) and suture, and femora light brown to black, or sutural stripes distinct only to basal 1/3, with the broad central disc red brown; antenna reddish brown to light tan with AI and club often slightly darker, palpi, tibiae, and tarsi reddish brown to tan (tibiae lighter than femora). Head with ocelli; u-shaped furrow present; interocular distance about 4x the width of the eye; macropunctures weakly to strongly impressed, ovate or fused and lineate, sometimes present at the center of the frons; micropunctures coarse; setation elongate, mostly erect to suberect, average length about 2/3 the width of the eye. Antenna with length of A3 about equal to A4, ratios 2.1:1.6:1.6:1.4:1.3:1.2:1.1:1.0:1.4:1.6:2.1; A11 not strongly asymmetrical. Prothorax transverse and dorsoventrally flattened, widest at middle, sides weakly sinuate or unevenly convex, with margin converging more sharply posteriorly than anteriorly; about 0.72 x as long as wide (pronotal length/greatest pronotal width = 0.72– 0.80, x = 0.84); depth = 0.26–0.36 mm (x = 0.31); pronotum laterally broadly explanate, lateral carina with a distinct sharp edge; anterior angle about 65° and forming a tooth; posterior angle indistinct and broadly rounded and often with a short tooth; foveae visible in dorsal view; macropunctures ovate, deep, usually well-separated, may sometimesbe contiguous; micropunctures coarse; setae erect and elongate, about as long as width of eye. Elytra about 3.30 x as long as wide (elytral length/greatest elytral width = 3.14–3.58, x = 3.30) and 3.17 x as long as pronotum (elytral length/pronotal length = 2.96–3.29, x = 3.17); surface typically not incurvate (present in some specimen, but usually very weak) at basal third; macropunctures not coalescing posteriorly to form grooves (apart from those of striae 1 along the suture at the apical 1/ 3 in some specimens), separated by an average of 1/2 puncture diameter; micropunctures fine; microsculpture present or absent; vestiture mostly consisting of suberect setae with scattered erect setae, elongate and average length about 2/3 the length of the eye. Aedeagus with phallobase transverse, about 1/2 the length of the median lobe, median carina absent; median lobe projecting slightly beyond apices of parameres, relatively broad with its greatest width larger than the width the parameres, apex acute, median groove or carina absent, ostium subapical; parameres moderately broad and subacute, long and short setae present on apices, internal subapical ridge absent. Spiculum gastrale apically acute and narrowed.

Comments. Laricobius erichsonii can be distinguished from other members having an explanate pronotal margin by the bicolored elytra, anterior lateral margin forming a tooth, and the tibiae pale, lighter than femora. The last character, in combination with the large elytral punctures that are uniform in size will separate L. erichsonii from the similar looking L. rubidus .

Gorham (1878) referred to a species in the Fry collection from France as possibly identical to “ lituratus , Costa” and a “new species” supposedly listed in Chevrolat (1874: 28). Neither the species name “ lituratus ” nor the genus Laricobius was in Chevrolat (1874) cited by Gorham (1878) and the page referred to concerns Orthoptera. The Gorham reference was mistaken by Háva (2007) who incorrectly listed L. lituratus Gorham, 1878:156 as a synonymn of L. erichsonii ; the former name originally described in Salpingus Illiger is now recognized as Lissodema lituratum ( A. Costa, 1847:158; see Pollock and Löbl (2008)).

The type specimens of L. erichsonii were listed questionably in the MNHN by Háva (2009) but were obtained from MFNB. Pic (1895:88) named a variety from Southern Europe, the subspecies niger, that has black elytra and stronger punctation than the typical bicolored forms elsewhere. Háva (2009) listed the type depository of L. erichsonii niger as MNHN but specimens were not located there. Black specimens were examined from Switzerland and France, but the series are mixed with very dark forms, most with consistent elytral color patterns as seen in typical forms and there was no marked difference in the punctation among these specimens.

I have examined no recent specimens of L. erichsonii which was introduced to North America (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Washington and Oregon, see Clark & Brown 1958, 1960, Hatch 1962, Lawrence & Hlavac 1979, and Majka 2007) after first being reported in Maine ( Lovell 1915). This observation was followed up by collection queries to North American museums and literature searches (systematic, biocontrol, and faunistics). These data corroborate evidence that L. erichsonii was last observed in North America in 1974 and all vouchers of field recovery one or more years following release in eastern North America were L. rubidus (M. Montgomery, pers. com.).

Hosts ( Franz 1958a). Plants: Larix decidua Mill. , Pinus cembra , L., Pinus mugo Turra , Pinus sylvestris L. Adelgids : Adelges nusslini (Bomer) , Adelges piceae (Ratzeburg) preferred host according to Franz 1958a), Pineus pineoides (Cholodkovsky) , Pineus strobi (Hartig) .

Biology. Natural history ( Franz 1958a, b; Clark & Brown 1958).

Distribution ( Háva 2007). Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Serbia and Montenegro.

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE ( MFNB). 1 (unknown sex, point mounted on very short point), 17843/ HIST.-Coll. ( Coleoptera ) Nr. 17843 Laricobius Erichsonii Rosenh. Tyrol. Rosenhauer Zool. Mus. Berlin (black bordered white label)/ Erichsonii Rosenhauer * Tyrol. Rosenh. (elegant hw on black bordered faded white label)/ SYNTYPUS Laricobius erichsonii Rosenhauer; 1846 labelled by MNHUB 2009/ LECTOTYPE Laricobius erichsonii Rosenhauer , desig, R. Leschen, 2009. PARALECTOTYPES ( MFNB). 3, (unknown sex, point mounted on very short point), HIST.-Coll. ( Coleoptera ) Nr. 17843 Laricobius Erichsonii Rosenh. Tyrol. Rosenhauer Zool. Mus. Berlin (black bordered white label)/ SYNTYPUS Laricobius erichsonii Rosenhauer; 1846 labelled by MNHUB 2009/ PARALECTOTYPE Laricobius erichsonii Rosenhauer , desig, R. Leschen, 2009.

Additional material examined. EUROPE: Austria: 2, Zirbitzkogel, Eduard Knirsch ( FMNH). Czech Republic: 3, Kostelec n. Boh. 7.53.; ex coll. Pfeffer ( NMPC). England: 1, Shrubland Estate (ES) TM 15., 31/V, C. Johnson ( NZAC). France: 3, G. Serullaz, Modane, Laric. erichsonii vr niger, Coll. A. Méquignon ( MHNG); 13, Alp. Hte Prov.; Col. d'Allos, 2150m; 12.IX.1982 Löbl ( MHNG); 1, Gard, Mt. Aigual, 1300m, Col de Serreyrede, 6.IV.1980, Löbl ( MHNG). Germany: 14 Süd-Tyrol, Reittter (1, CAS; 7, FMNH; 6 NMPC); 2, Hanau ( RASC); 2, Limburg, Suffrian ( MFNB); 1, Ex. Adelges, Black Forest , 4. 1969 ( NZAC). Italy: 1, Torino, Sentriéne, 2150 m. 28.VIII.67, A. Comellini ( MHNG). Sweden: 3, Sweden ( NMNH). Swizerland: 2, Grisons, s/Samnaun, (2050 m) 26.VIII.68, Cl. Besuchet ( MHNG); 1, Ti, Gambarogna, 1600.6/38, Toumayeff ( MHNG); 1, Grisons, Val Poschiavo, 2050 m, s/ Cavaione 27.VIII, C. Besuchet 83 ( MHNG); Zuoz, Eng. Gr, Coll. 9/74 1640, Toumayeff ( MHNG); 5, Enga din; Helena Pavlov; кол. РЭО (Елены Павл.) ( RASC). NORTH AMERICA (all from lab colonies): Canada: Fredricton, New Brunswick, 1954 ( CNC); 3, Vancouver, 1964 ( CNC). United States: Bent Creek Lab, NC; 5-17-60, G.D. Amman ( YPM).