ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Tomus 81. Budapest, 1990 p. 109-114. Revision of the Plamius quadrinotatus species-group (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) by J. PICKA, Prague J. PICKA: Revision of the Plamius quadrinotatus species-group (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae). - Annls hist-nat Mus. natn. hung. 1989,81:109-114. Abstract -Plamius kaszabi sp. n. (NW China) and P. fuldenensis sp. n. (China, Fukien) are described and illustrated. P. quadrimaculatus KASZAB is removed from the synonymy of P. quadrinotatus Pic and a key to the/*, quadrinotatus species-group is given. With 1 phototable and 8 figures. The genus Plamius, comprising about 300 species, is distributed mainly in the Oriental region, only a few species are known also from the southeastern part of the Palaearctic region. KULZER (1955) mentioned in his monograph that there is only one species possessing four elytral spots. MASUMOTO & KONDO (1984) synonymized Plamius quadrimaculatus KASZAB with P. quadrinotatus Pic described from Tonkin. However, comparing my material collected in northern Vietnam (= Tonkin) with the specimens from Taiwan it was found that P. quadrinotatus Pic from Tonkin and P. quadrimaculatus KASZAB from Taiwan are two distinctly different species. I also had the opportunity to study material of this group of species in the Hungarian Natural History Museum (= HNHM), Budapest. Here, I found specimens from Fukien and northwestern China belonging to two new species, which are described in this paper. These four species form a distinct natural group of closely related species, and they all possess four red elytral spots. This conspicuous character led to determinations by former authors which were based on the colouration only and other characteristics were neglected. KEY TO THE PLAMIUS QUADRINOTA TUS-GROUP 1 (2) Elytra widest in midlength, anterior margin of pronotum almost straight, anterior corners of pronotum obtuse, not projecting anteriorly, lateral margins of pronotum narrowly bordered. - Taiwan P. quadrimaculatus KASZAB 2(1) Elytra widest in posterior third. 3 (4) Anterior margin of pronotum widely flattened, anterior corners projecting anteriorly, lateral margins widely flattened. - N Vietnam P. quadrinotatus Pic 4 (5) Anterior margin of pronotum slightly, widely emarginate, anterior corners not projecting anteriorly, lateral margins flattened. 5 (6) Posterior corners of pronotum rectangular, elytra lustrous with interstiae moderately vaulted. - N W China P. kaszabi sp. n. 6 (5) Posterior corners of pronotum sharp, directed posteriorly, elytra with flat interstriae, shagreened, slightly lustrous. - China: Fukien P. f ukienensissp. n.
Plamius quadrinotatus (Pic, 1925) (Figs 2,5,10) Rehumius quadrinoiatm Pic, 1925, Mél. exot. Ent. 44:11. Plamius quadrinotatus (Pic, 1925): MASUMOTO & KONDO 1984, Spec. Bull. Jap. Soc. Col. 1:2. Type locality: Tonkin. Supplementary description - Head roughly punctate, areas between punctures larger than diameter of puncture. Antennái segments 1-2 yellow, 4-6 brown, 7-11 black. Pronotum 1.63 times wider than long, lateral margins widely flattened, anterior corners projecting anteriorly. Elytra wide, short, widest in last third. Interstriae flat, finely punctate, lustrous. Legs black, claws yellow. Distribution: northern part of Vietnam. Material examined - Vietnam bor., Prov. Vinh-phu, Tam dao, 3-11. VI. 1985, J. PICKA, V. SVIHLA et O. BRODSKY Igt., 20 ex. Tonkin, Mt. Mauson, 1 ex. (HNHM, Budapest). Plamius quadrimaculatus (KASZAB, 1941) (Figs 1,6,9) Cnemandrosus quadrimaculatus KASZAB, 1941, Stett. ent. Ztg. 102:65. Plamius quadrimaculatus (KASZAB, 1941): GEBIEN 1942, Mitt. Münch. Ent. Ges. 32:703. Plamius quadrinotatus (Pic, 1925): MASUMOTO & KONDO 1984, Spec. Bull. Jap. Soc. Col. 1:2. Type locality: Formosa. Supplementary description - Brownish black, disc of elytra with metallic lustre. Pronotum dull or very slightly lustrous, between punctures shagreened. Elytra longh/ oval (1.62 times longer than wide), interstriae slightly vaulted, slighty corrugated, always strongly lustrous. It differs from other species of this group in wide pronotum with straight anterior margin and in longitudinal, almost parallel-sided elytra. Distribution: Taiwan. Material examined - Paratype d Kankan (Koshun) Formosa, V. 1912, H. S ALTER Igt., 1 ex.; Taiwan, Shanmei 600 m, 23. V. 1974, KLAPPERICH Igt. 7 ex.; Formosa, Wu-lai, Tai-pei, Hsien, 31. V. 1976, H. MAKIHARA Igt. 2 ex. Plamius fukienensis sp. n. (Figs 4,8,11) Male - Head flat, roughly punctate, punctures on vertex deeper and sometimes longitudinal, areas between them very narrow, vaulted and strongly lustrous. Eyes globular, strongly projecting from lateral outline of the head. Clypeal sulcus distinct only in its middle. Antennái segments I - VI narrow, longer than wide, segments VII - X strongly dilated, as long as wide, triangular. Last segment longhy oval, as wide as the preceding one, twice as wide as long. Pronotum widest in its midlength, 1.75 times longer than wide. Disc of pronotum strongly vaulted, anterior margin almost straight, anterior corners obtuse, lateral margins flat. Posterior margin of pronotum strongly lustrous on its base, without punctuation, laterally emarginated. Posterior corners of pronotum sharp, directed obliquely backwards. Surface of pronotum, excluding of its base, densely punctate, areas between punctures very narrow, densely shagreened, also inside flat punctures. Elytra slightly lustrous, 1.49 times longer than wide, in their humeral part wider than pronotum, slightly regularly dilating up to last third. Surface of elytra sharply striated, interstriae flat, finely and densely corrugated, striae 6,7 and 8 not reaching base of elytra, humeral bulges without striae, stria 9 deep along the whole length of elytron. Elytral margin flatly, sharply protruding lateral, epipleura very moderately converging to last third of elytra. Apex of elytron forms protrude, obtuse spike, bent ventrally, not exceeding outline of elytron. Legs simple, strongly roughly shagreened, femora slightly strangulated before apex, tibiae slightly curved, roughly punctate, yellow recumbently pubescent on its inner apical portion. Tarsi simple, their ventral surface pubescent. Segment 1 of posterior tarsus as long as segments 2 and 3 together, the last one as long as three preceding ones together. Body entirely piceous with four red spots on elytra. Humeral spot, situated between interstriae 4 to 9, reaching almost elytral midlength, the praeapical one oval, situated between interstriae 2 to 9. Sharp margin of elytron piceous along its whole length, lustrous.
Male genitalia - Páraméra slightly curved dorsoventralry, concrescent, distinct suture visible only in their apical portion. Basal plate as wide as páraméra, almost parallel-sided, widely emarginate at base of páraméra. Female - Excluding of larger body size, not differing essentially from the male. Length 4.3-6 mm, width 1.8-2.8 mm. (Holotype 5.5 mm, 2.1 mm). Holotype d: China, Fukien, Kuantun, 1-10. VI. 1946, TSUNG-SEN Igt.-Allotype and 8 paratypes with same data; 11 paratypes of the same locality: 14.V.461 ex.; 20.-26.V.461 ex.; 23.V.46 1 ex.; 8.VI.46 2 ex.; 12.-20.VI.46 2 ex.; 15.VI.461 ex.; 24.-29.VI.46 1 ex.; 22.-28.VII.461 ex.; Kustun (2300 m), Fukien 27.40 n.br. - 117.40 Ö.L., 15.VI.1938, J. KLAPPERICH Igt. 1 ex. (coll. HNHM, Budapest, 2 paratypes in coll. J. PICKA, Prague). Plamius kaszabi sp. n. (Figs 3, 7,12) Male - Head flat, densely, rugosely punctate, punctures on the vertex connected each other. Anterior margin of head straight, narrowly bordered. Crypeal sulcus slightly visible only in its central portion. Eyes strongly vaulted, strongly protruding from outline of head. Antennái segments I-IV longer than wide, segments V-VI as long as wide, segments VII-X triangular, wider than long, segment XI longry oval, as wide as the preceding one, twice as long as wide. Pronotum 1.47 times wider than long, widest in anterior half of its length. Anterior margin straight, anterior corners obtusely angular, posterior ones rectangular, lateral margins dilated, flat. Surface of pronotum roughly but sparsely and shallowry punctate, areas between punctures on disc bigger than diameter of punctures, entire surface of pronotum finely and densely corrugated excluding of lustrous base, which is only sparsely punctate. Elytra longly oval, 1.59 times longer than wide, apex of them protrudes into short, obtuse spike, which slightly exceeds margin of elytral apex. Surface of elytra with lines of punctures which are distinctly separated each other. Interstriae flat, lustrous, finely microshagreened. Lateral margin of each elytron forms flat, sharp edge. The ninth stria not deeply impressed as it is in the preceding species. Legs simple, roughly rugose, femora on their inner side slightly concaved before apex. Tibiae almost straight, slightly curved only in their terminal portion, recumbently yellow pubescent apically. Tarsi simple, pubescent on their ventral surface. Segment 1 of posterior tarsus longer than two subsequent ones together, the last one shorter than three preceding ones together. Body black, lustrous, elytra dark fuscous with four spots. Humeral spot, situated between the second interstria and the margin of elytron, is reaching two-third of elytral length. Praeapical spot oval, situated in its width like the humeral one. First three segments of antennae and last segments of all tarsi flavous. Male genitalia - Aedeagus simple, basal plate as wide as páraméra, which are curved, concrescent, sulcus between them is visible only in that portion, where apexes of páraméra slightly diverging. Basal plate strongly curved, forms almost regular arch. Female not differing essentially from the male. Length 4.7-5.8 mm, width 1.9-2.5 mm (Holotype 5.2 mm, 2.0 mm). Holotype: NW China, Tienmuschan, REITTER. - Allotype and 2 paratypes with the same data (coll. HNHM, Budapest, 1 ex. in coll J. PICKA, Prague).
References GEBIEN, H. (1938-42): Katalog der Tenebrioniden, Teil II. (Coleoptera Heteromera). -Mitt. Münch. Eni Ges. 28-32: 370-744 [repaged]. KASZAB Z. (1941): Tenebrioniden aus Formosa (Col.) - Stett Ent Zeit. 102: 51-72. KASZAB Z (1941): Neue orientalische Tenebrioniden (Coleoptera).-Arb. mor. tax. Ent 9 (2): 118-127. KULZER, H. (1951): Fünfter Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Tenebrioniden. -Ent Arb. Mus. G. Frey 2: 461-573. MASUMOTO, K. & KONDO, S. (1984): Check-list of Formosan Tenebrionidae (Col.). - Spec. Bull Jap. Soc. Col 1:1-29. Pic, M. (1925): Nouveautés diverses. - Mél exot ent 44:1-32. Author's add re**: Jaroalav Picka Sezimova 7 140 00Praha4 Czechoslovakia
Figs 1-4. 1 = Plamius quadrimaculatus (KASZAB, 1941 ): male, Formosa, Wu-lai. 2 = P. quadrinotatus (Pic, 1925): male, Vietnam bor., Vinn phu prov. 3 «P. kaszabi sp. n.: male, holotype, NW China, 4 = P. fukienensis sp. n.: male, holotype, China, Fukien, Kuantun.