Leucopholis semperi Brenske, 1896

Calcetas, Orlando A., 2023, Three new species of the genus Leucopholis Dejean, 1833 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae, Leucopholini) from the Philippines and designation of a neotype for L. semperi Brenske, 1896, European Journal of Taxonomy 890, pp. 184-203 : 192-196

Leucopholis semperi Brenske, 1896

Figs 11–16

Leucopholus [sic!] Semperi Brenske, 1896: 194 (incorrect original spelling).

Leucopholis semperi – Dalla Torre 1912: 178 (catalogue). — Schultze 1916: 179 (catalogue).

Differential diagnosis

The metaventral process is barely or not constricted subapically. The pronotum has the medio-subanterior portion with very few to no scales (easily detached) and is mostly covered with ovoid scales. The elytron is covered mostly with narrow spindle-shaped to lanceolate scales. The species can be distinguished from all other species of Leucopholis in the Philippines by the paramere with the apical process being bird bill-like and rounded apically. Both L. semperi and L. stainesi sp. nov. have a shorter apical processes and distinctly shorter phallobase while they are long and spatulate apically in L. ratcliffei sp. nov., and long and tapered apically in L. bezdeki sp. nov. The depression on each side of the lateral margin of the paramere is shallow and with a rugose surface in L. semperi , L. bezdeki , L. ratcliffei and L. stainesi or with a distinct deep depression in L. ratcliffei and L. stainesi . The metaventral process is also extended in front of the prosternal process in all four above mentioned species while it is slightly extended in all other species of Philippine Leucopholis . The abdominal scales of L. semperi are short ovoid and with longitudinal furrows while these furrows are absent in L. bezdeki , L. ratcliffei and L. stainesi . The posterolateral margin of the elytron of L. semperi and L. stainesi are vertically flattened laterally.

Material examined

Neotype (here designated) PHILIPPINES • ♂; “ Surigao, Mindanao , Baker ”; “ Leucopholis semperi Brenske ”; “NEOTYPE ♂, Leucopholis semperi Brenske , des. O.A. Calcetas, 2022”; MNHN-16275 .

Additional material

PHILIPPINES • 2 ♀♀; Philippinen, Leyte, Burauen ; 16 Apr. 1915; S. Antln leg.; ZMHB • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 20 Apr. 1915; ZMHB .

Type locality

Philippines: Surigao

Redescription of the neotype

BODY LENGTH. 36.0 mm.

BODY WIDTH. 17.0 mm.

COLOUR. Dorsum monochromatic blackish. Head, pronotum, scutellum, elytra, legs, blackish; covered with yellowish white scales ( Fig. 11 ). Venter blackish, covered with whitish scales ( Fig. 12 ).

HEAD. Clypeus with medial anterior margin nearly straight anteriorly; slightly cleft, slanted at 60° angle laterally; anterior surface uneven, lustrous, impunctate subanteriorly; above clypeo-labral suture with row of moderate-sized, rounded to rugose punctures adjacent to posterior margin; each puncture with stiff brownish hair or seta; anterior and lateral margins carinate dorsally, slightly concave medially; anterior angle widely rounded; dorsal surface covered with short or long, elongate, lanceolate, rounded to tapered apically scales. Apical maXillary palpomere rice grain-like, with spindle-shaped to oval flattened area. Mentum pot-shaped, lustrous, glabrous; with very few hairbrushes on each side of medial cleft subanteriorly; with slightly sunken surface on each four corners. Antennal lamellae length 3.2 mm, distinctly longer than entire length of antennomeres II–VII.

PRONOTUM. Anterior margin evenly, widely concave, nearly straight medially; anterior angle obtuse, with lustrous, glabrous, impunctate callosity subapically; rounded apically; lateral margin widely convex; anterolateral at 45° angle, crenulate; medial margin crenulate; posterolateral margin wedge-shaped, slightly crenulate; posterior angle at 90° angle, strongly sinuate, rounded apically; posterior margin widely concave, deeply rounded medially, distinctly extended posteriorly; surface covered with variable scales; covered mostly with short, ovoid, elongate, rounded apically scales medio-subanteriorly; covered mostly with elongate, spindle-shaped, tapered apically scales medio-subposteriorly; covered mostly with elongate, lanceolate, tapered apically scales submedially; covered mostly with short, ovoid, stout medially, rounded apically scales adjacent to lateral margin.

VENTRAL SIDE OF THORAX. Prosternal process short, nearly isosceles triangulate; widely rounded apically; with flattened impunctate area medially and apically; covered with very few hairs or seta, with very few elongate, thin, narrow, parallel-sided, tapered apically scales. Metaventral process length 4.8 mm; distinctly wide, triangulate basally, elongate towards apex; not constricted subapically; subapical lateral margin distinctly long, nearly parallel-sided; widely rounded apically; surface lustrous, glabrous, impunctate dorsally; with faint, longitudinal thin dark line medially; dark line much distinct in metasternum; each side and ventrally covered with scales of variable shapes and sizes; covered with very long stiff hairs ( Fig. 15 ). Metasternum with medial depression, covered mostly with elongate, ovoid, stout medially, tapered apically scales.

LEG. Foretibia bidentate, widely rounded apically; posterior metatibia with 22 spicules.

SCUTELLUM. Covered with small, moderate-sized to long, elongate, ovoid, slightly stout medially, rounded apically scales; lustrous, impunctate, without scales medially and around posterior margin.

ELYTRON. Anterior margin slightly wedge-shaped; anterior angle widely rounded; thickly carinate, explanate; with narrow suture towards anterior angle; margin, evanescent medially; posterolateral margin vertically flattened towards posterior angle; posterior angle obtuse, widely rounded, moderately eXplanate, evanescent towards sutural angle; posterior margin smooth, slightly concave towards sutural angle; sutural angle slightly obtuse; sutural margin medially and towards sutural angle distinctly carinate, towards scutellum infleXed, not carinate; surface mostly covered with elongate, narrow, spindle-shaped to lanceolate, tapered to round, bent apically scales.

ABDOMEN.Abdominal sternites I–V covered mostly with short, ovoid, inverted-lanceolate, tapered basally, widely rounded to truncate apically scales; scales with distinct longitudinal grooves or furrows starting basally and terminating medially; sternite VI covered with variable shapes and sizes scales.

PYGIDIUM. Anterolateral margin thickly carinate towards anterior angle, disappearing medially; posterolateral margin widely explanate medially towards posterior margin; posterior margin slightly concave, narrowly explanate, depressed medially; subposterior margin sloping downward laterally; surface covered mostly with large, elongate spindle-shaped, stout medially scales.

MALE GENITALIA. Genitalia length 12.8 mm; phallobase with dorsal anterior margin W-shaped, moderately convex medially ( Fig. 13 ). Paramere with dorsal basal margin bisinuate, bowl-shaped, slightly concave medially. Apical process length 3.0 mm, distinctly shorter than phallobase; bird bill-like, with widely rounded apex; apical margin bisinuate; posterior margin slightly extended, rounded apically. Lateral margin of paramere with wide, shallow, rugose surface longitudinal depression on each side ( Fig. 14 ).

FEMALE. Anterior margin of clypeus slightly slanted medially at 45° angle laterally. Antennal lamellae nearly as long as antennomeres II–VII. Posterior metatibiae with 24–32 spicules.

Distribution

Philippines (Visayas, Mindanao).

Remarks

Brenske (1896) described L. semperi probably from a single male specimen from: “ Philippinen, Dugang (Semper, 4.-10. Juli 1864)”. However, there is no place in the Philippines with the name ʻDugangʼ, it is a Waray word for ʻadditionalʼ, probably it is a case of miscommunication about the locale during that time. Moreover, it is highly probable that the type locality of the specimen is in the Visayas region particularly, in the Leyte area since Waray is the local dialect of the people.

According to primary description, the type series was deposited in the collection of René Oberthür. During and after the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020–2021 several request attempts were made to MNHN for the whereabouts of the type material of L. semperi , but curators at MNHN did not find it. No type specimen was found in the collection of Ernst Brenske (now housed at ZMHB, Berlin, Germany). Thus, it is probable, that original type material of L. semperi is lost. To avoid ambiguity about the identity of L. semperi , a neotype specimen is designated in the present paper. Fortunately, in Brenske’s collection, one male specimen collected by Charles Baker in Surigao, Mindanao and three female specimens from Burauen, Leyte identified as L. semperi were found. The male ( Fig. 16 ) perfectly fits the original description of L. semperi and was collected near the original type locality. That is why, this specimen was selected as the neotype. The neotype specimen is currently on loan from ZMHB, Berlin, Germany, and will be deposited at Oberthür’s collection at MNHN, Paris, France for stability and upon consultation with experts.

Figures

Fig. 11–14. Leucopholis semperi Brenske, 1896, neotype, ♂ (MNHN). 11. Habitus, dorsal aspect. 12. Metaventral process, dorsal aspect. 13. Male genitalia, dorsal aspect. 14. Male genitalia, lateral aspect.

Fig. 15–16. Leucopholis semperi Brenske, 1896. 15. Neotype, ♂ (MNHN), metaventral process, dorsal aspect. 16. Nontypes, ♀♀, dorsal aspect (photograph of Brenske’s non-type series from ZMHB courtesy of Dr Joachim Willers).