Hypocaccus (Baeckmanniolus) varians varians (Schmidt, 1890)

Lackner, Tomas & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2017, A monograph of the Australopacific Saprininae (Coleoptera, Histeridae), ZooKeys 689, pp. 1-263 : 40-41

Hypocaccus (Baeckmanniolus) varians varians (Schmidt, 1890) Figs 183, 184-192, 193-201, 756

Saprinus varians Schmidt, 1890: 55.

Type locality.

Japan.

Type material examined.

Saprinus varians Schmidt, 1890: Lectotype, present designation: ♂, glued on the mounting card, with the following labels: “Japan” (written); followed by: “Type” (brick-red label, printed); followed by: "coll. J. Schmidt" (printed); followed by: " varians / m." (black-yellow margined label, written); followed by: " Saprinus / varians Schmidt / Coll. Schmidt-Bickhardt" (printed); followed by: " Saprinus varians / Schmidt, 1890 / LECTOTYPE 2014 / des. Lackner & Leschen" (red label, written) (ZMHUB). Paralectotypes, present designation: 4 specs., probably ♀♀, carrying the same hand-written labels “Japan” and “Type” and the printed label " Saprinus / varians Schmidt / Coll. Schmidt-Bickhardt", followed by the paralectotype labels identical to that of the lectotype (ZMHUB). This species has been described from unknown number of specimens and the lectotype designation fixes the taxonomic identity of the species.

Additional material examined.

AUSTRALIA. Western Australia: 1 spec., Monte Bello Island (ANIC). Northern Territory: 1 ♂ & 1 ♀, Groote Eylandt, N.B. Tindale (SAMA). Queensland: 1 ♀, Cairns (SAMA).

Biology.

See above.

Distribution.

Described from Japan, the nominotypical subspecies is found also on Sakhalin Island, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Australia. The two other subspecies are H. (B.) varians hatsune Nakane, 1977, described from the Ogasawara Islands (southern Japan) and H. (B.) varians continentalis Reichardt, 1941 described from Russian Far East (Primorsky Kray) and found also in eastern China (Shandong) ( Mazur 2011).

Remarks.

The species H. (B.) varians has a faint pronotal punctation indicating that it should be transferred into the nominotypical subgenus Hypocaccus . According to Bousquet and Laplante (2006; see above) the outer margin of metatibia of the subgenus Baeckmanniolus has three rows of denticles instead of two rows present in Hypocaccus . The metatibia of Hypocaccus (B.) varians possesses two rows on the metatibia supplemented by another 2 (occasionally 3) denticles between the two rows. The presence of vague and weakened pronotal punctation and by possessing denticles between the two rows on the outer margin of metatibia, this species represents a transitional form between the two subgenera and its exact taxonomic position should be determined by a thorough morphological study of all known species of Hypocaccus s. l. Hypocaccus (B.) varians varians is diagnosed above, as well as provided with a differential diagnosis that separates it from other Australopacific taxa. Most important differences between the members of the genus Hypocaccus are outlined in the key to the subgenera above. We chose not to fully re-describe Hypocaccus (B.) varians varians here, leaving its re-description to the revision of the genus Hypocaccus . For the sake of the better species recognition, however, we decided to depict it here, including its male terminalia.