Coraebus hastanus Gory & Laporte

Xu, Hongxia, Kubáň, Vítězslav, Volkovitsh, Mark G., Ge, Siqin, Bai, Ming & Yang, Xingke, 2013, Morphological variability and taxonomy of Coraebus hastanus Gory & Laporte de Castelnau, 1839 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae: Coraebini: Coraebina), Zootaxa 3682 (1), pp. 178-190 : 187-188

Coraebus hastanus Gory & Laporte de Castelnau, 1839

( Figs. 2 A–F, 8D–H)

Coraebus hastanus Gory & Laporte de Castelnau, 1839: 10. Type locality: Northeastern India, West Bengal province [“Bengal”].— Kurosawa, 1953: 108; Kubáň, 2006: 410; Bellamy, 2008: 1812.

Coraebus bajulus Deyrolle, 1864: 122 . Type locality: Indonesia, Ceram Island. Synonymy by Théry, 1926: 257.— Kurosawa, 1953: 108 (synonym of hastanus ); Kubáň, 2006: 410 (synonym of hastanus ); Bellamy, 2008: 1812 (synonym of hastanus ).

Coraebus oberthüri Lewis, 1896: 335 , syn. nov. Type locality: Japan, Ryukyu Islands, O-shima Island.

Coraebus hastanus oberthueri: Théry, 1938: 176 (as oberthuri [sic!]): Kurosawa, 1953: 108, 109 (as oberthüri [sic!]); Kubáň, 2006: 410; Bellamy, 2008: 1812 (as oberthuri [sic!]).

Description (based on studied specimens). Elongate, slightly convex dorsally, flattened ventrally, body length 10.5 mm, width across the posterior 1/3 of elytra 3.6 mm; vertex green; frons above supra-antennal groove green with copper tinge; frons below supra-antennal grooves and clypeus black; pronotum green with blue tinge, near posterior angles green with golden tinge; base and apex of elytra green with golden tinge, medial part of elytra with large triangular patch, which is black, with blue or golden tinge; white pubescence forming a small triangular shape at bottom of patch; ventral side, antenna and legs black.

Head. Vertex slightly projecting beyond anterior margins of eyes, with distinct longitudinal median line; eyes oval, large, inner margins weakly arcuate, supra-antennal grooves narrow, deep, closed near eyes; carina above supra-antennal grooves interrupted medially; frontoclypeal keel straight; anterior margin of clypeus straight, shorter than the diameter of antennal socket; sculpture of vertex and upper part of frons consisting of coarse punctures and distinct transverse wrinkles, the punctures usually well-separated. Antennae shorter than pronotum, sharply serrate from antennomere 4; antennomere 1 subovate, shorter than 2; antennomeres 2 and 3 conically truncated, with rounded edges; antennomere 3 0.5 times as long as antennomere 2; antennomeres 4–11 nearly subequal.

Pronotum. 1.7 times as wide as long, convex; widest across basal 1/3, subconically narrowing anteriorly, slightly narrowing posteriorly, with distinct basal impression; anterior margin slightly projecting medially, lateral margins relatively straight, posterior angles obtuse, posterior margin lobate, broadly extended in front of scutellum; sculpture consisting of coarse punctures and wrinkles; punctures generally fused transversely forming sinuous wrinkles.

Scutellum. 1.4 times as wide as long, subpentagonal; margins elevated, keel-like, sculpture consisting of fine punctures.

Elytra. nearly 2.2 times as long as wide, at base almost as wide as pronotal base, humeri prominent, disc deeply depressed between humeri and scutellum; apex of elytra deeply emarginate, each side with long spine; outer spine sharp, long, sutural spine smaller ( Figs. 2 D–F); sculpture consisting of dense, coarse punctures and regularly transverse wrinkles.

Ventral side. Prosternal process subparallel between coxae, apex round, lateral margins elevated, keel-like; sculpture consisting of coarse, large punctures and irregular wrinkles, ventral side covered with long white, sparse pubescence; abdominal ventrite 1 longer than 2, ventrites 3 and 4 subequal, ventrite 5 shorter than 3 + 4, its posterior margin emargined.

Aedeagus and ovipositor as in Figs. 8 F–H.

Type material examined. Coraebus oberthueri Lewis, 1896 : Syntype 3 ( BMNH): “O Shima (Ferriè J [leg.]) [handwritten] / Japan G. Lewis 1910-320 [printed] / Type H.T. [printed, round label with red circle] / Coroebus oberthuri Lewis Type [handwritten].”

Note. According to Bellamy (2008) the types of Coraebus hastanus and C. bajulus are deposited in MNHN, but we could not find them in the MNHN collection. It is quite possible that the types of both species are among 4 specimens labelled “ bajulus (Dej.) ” in the Oberthür collection which includes the specimens from Dejean, Laporte de Castelnau, Gory and Deyrolle collections (V. Kubáň’s observation). Information on the labels of these specimens is as follows: (1) “ type Deyr.”; (2) “Ceram”; (3) no label; (4) “Shanghai”.

Additional material examined. Central BURMA: Karen Hills (“Carin Cheba”) NE of Toungoo, 900–1100 m, 5.viii.1898, L. Fea leg. (3 specimens, ZIN). CHINA: GUIZHOU prov.: Fanjingshan mts., 350 m, vii.1998, Hong Liu leg. (1 3, IZAS). YUNNAN prov.: Cangyuan, 1130 m, 16.–18.vii.2008, Jishan Xu & Zhenhua Zhou leg. (1 Ƥ, HBUM). INDIA: Assam, Chabua, vii.1943, D.E. Hardy leg. (1 Ƥ, USNM). JAPAN: RYUKYU Islands: O-shima Island, Amami (“Nase”), 9.vii.1932, L. Gressit leg. (1 3, USNM); Okinawa Island, vi.1978, W.D. Field leg. (1 Ƥ, USNM). LAOS: Paklay, 15.viii.1917, C.F. Baker leg. (1 3, 1 Ƥ, USNM). PHILIPPINES: LUZON: Los Baños, C.F. Baker leg. (1 Ƥ, USNM); Tayabas, C.F. Baker leg (2 3, 1 Ƥ, USNM). MINDANAO: C.F. Baker leg. (1 3, USNM). NEGROS, v.1991, C.V. Piper leg. (1 3, 1 Ƥ, USNM); Cuernos mts., C.F. Baker leg (23, 2Ƥ, USNM). PALAWAN: Tanabag river, 150 m, xii.1991, Bolm leg. (1 3, VKCB); same data but: 2.–5.i.2007 (1 3, 1 Ƥ, NMPC). POLILLO: C.F. Baker leg. (1 3, USNM). SAMAR, C.F. Baker leg. (1 3, 1 Ƥ, USNM). THAILAND: MAE HONG SON prov.: PAI, 6.–9.vi.1997, M. Snížek leg. (1 Ƥ, VKCB). VIETNAM: Hanoi (2 3, 2 Ƥ, IZAS); GIA-LAI prov., Tainguen, Buon-loi (20km N), 1.–14.xii.1988, A. Gorohov leg. (2 specimens, ZIN).

Variability. Specimens from Laos are distinctly larger, base of pronotum and elytra red with copper tinge ( Fig. 5 A); specimens from Vietnam are blue ( Fig. 8 E); external side of outer spine and sutural side of inner spine from smooth to bearing small teeth or denticles, sometimes sutural side slightly curved to outside, even extending to half of the elytral apex (type of C. hastanus oberthueri Lewis. Fig. 2 D).

Distribution. Bhutan, Burma, China (Fujian, Guizhou, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan), India, Indonesia (Ceram), Japan, Laos, Nepal, Philippines (Luzon, Mindanao, Negos, Palawan, Polillo, Samar), Thailand, Vietnam.

Remarks. Based on the results of our study, two species can be distinguished by the characters as follows: (1) habitus— C. hastanus slender and longer than C. ephippiatus ; (2) elytra—in C. hastanus elytral apex wider and more deeply emarginate, lateral margin relatively straighter towards posterior 1/3 than in C. ephippiatus ; (3) coloration— C. hastanus is lighter, varying from golden-cooper to blue, while C. ephippiatus is green with blue tinge; (4) aedeagus of C. hastanus is narrow, subparallel ( Figs. 8 F, 8G), not dilated as that in C. ephippiatus ( Figs. 4 A, 8B).

Figures

FIGURE 2. The shape of elytral apex. A – C, Coraebus hastanus hastanus; D – F, C. hastanus oberthueri; G – I, C. hastanus ephippiatus.

FIGURE 4. Morphological variability of aedeagus. A, the aedeagus of Coraebus hastanus ephippiatus; B, the relative warps and consensus configuration; and 1, C. hastanus ephippiatus; and 2, C. hastanus hastanus; and 3, C. hastanus oberthueri.

FIGURE 5. Morphological variability of the lateral margin of elytra. A, land marks, specimen from Laos; B, relative warps; C, consensus configuration. and 1, Coraebus hastanus ephippiatus; and 2, C. hastanus hastanus; and 3, C. hastanus oberthueri.

FIGURE 8. Habitus, aedeagi and ovipositors. Coraebus ephippiatus. A: dorsal habitus of the syntype specimen; B: aedeagus; C: ovipositor; C. hastanus. D: dorsal habitus of specimen from Thailand; E: dorsal habitus of the specimen from Vietnam; F, G: aedeagus H: ovipositor.