New or rare Madagascar tiger beetles- 21. Physodeutera (Microlepidia) propripenis sp. nov., Ph. (M.) marginemaculata (W. Horn) and Ph. (M.) peyrierasi Rivalier (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae)
Author
Moravec, Jiří
Mendel University in Brno, Department of Forest Ecology, Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Author
Brzoska, David
2740 Island Pond Lane, Naples, Florida 34119, U. S. A
Author
Vybíral, Jan
Biosférická rezervace Dolní Morava, o. p. s., Národních hrdinů 23, 690 02 Břeclav, Czech Republic
text
Zootaxa
2021
2021-03-05
4941
1
33
50
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.4941.1.2
1175-5326
4594651
77262AD3-7FA4-4F48-BC44-58AE8B21688C
Physodeutera
(
Microlepidia
)
peyrierasi
Rivalier, 1967
(
Figs 40–49
,
52
)
Physodeutera
(
Microlepidia
)
peyrierasi
Rivalier, 1967: 268
.
Physodeutera
(
Microlepidia
)
peyrierasi
:
Moravec 2002a: 91
, figs: 234–243, 712.
Type
locality
. “Ankarana”.
Type material
.
Holotype
♁ (by monotypy) in
MNHN
, labelled: “Ankarana” [handwritten // “Type” [red, printed] // “Peyrierasi / Rivalier / type” [handwritten // “aedéage 1814” [handwritten, referring to the aedeagus mounted separately by Rivalier] // “
Holotype
(by monotypy) /
Physodeutera (Microlepidia)
/
peyrierasi
Rivalier, 1967
/ design. by J. Moravec, 2000” [red, printed] // “
Physodeutera (Microlepidia)
/
peyrierasi
Rivalier, 1967
/ det. Jiří Moravec 2000” [printed].
Other material examined
. 2 ♁♁,
1 ♀
in
MNHN
: “Mus. Paris / Ankarana / XII.67, Vadon et Peyrieras”. 1 ♁ in
CCJM
(ex
APCA
): “Ankarana / XII.67 / Vadon et Peyrieras” // “
Ph. peyrierasi
/ Rivalier /
Rivalier
det.” “
Physodeutera (Microlepidia)
/
peyrierasi
Rivalier, 1967
/ det.
Jiří Moravec
1999”
.
Recent
data: 1 ♁,
1 ♀
in
MHCW
,
1 ♀
in
CJVB
,
1 ♀
in
CCJM
: “N.
Madagascar
, Ankarana N.P. / Mahamatsina [Mahamasina] env.,
5-6.I.2007
/
S12°58´08.7´´
;
E49°08´10.3´´
/
Jan Vybíral
leg.”. 1 ♁ in
CCJM
with same locality label except for: “
F. Pavel
leg.” // “
Physodeutera (Microlepidia)
/
peyrierasi
Rivalier, 1967
/ det.
Jiří Moravec
2020”
.
Differential diagnosis.
Physodeutera
(
Microlepidia
)
peyrierasi
shares the sexually dimorphic shape of labrum (
Figs 42–44
) and truncate aedeagus apex (
Fig. 46
) with
Ph
. (
M
.)
marginemaculata
, but may be distinguished by its generally somewhat smaller body (particularly in males), longer male labrum with better indicated (
Fig. 43
) or even wide, blunt median tooth (
Fig. 42
) and more elongate, parallel-sided elytra with wider humeri and elytral surface evenly convex with indistinct juxtahumeral and discal impressions and markedly reduced elytral maculation (
Figs 47–49
). Nevertheless, similarly to
Ph
. (
M
.)
marginemaculata
treated above, the elytral maculation is rather variable also in
Ph
. (
M
.)
peyrierasi
. It may consist of only small humeral macula in males or possessing also small sublateral-median macula in both sexes, or the elytra may be immaculate in some females (the humeral macula is always absent in females).
Variability
. Besides the above-mentioned variability in the number of whitish elytral maculae, the male labrum may also possess somewhat prolonged anteromedian lobe (but never forming acute tooth) as in
Fig. 42
, while the anteromedian lobe in other males may be truncate in middle and with only indicated minute tooth (as in
Fig 43
), corresponding also with the male labrum illustrated by
Rivalier (1967
. fig. 7) for the
holotype
.
Distribution and biology
(
Fig. 52
).
Physodeutera
(
Microlepidia
)
peyrierasi
is a very rare species known hitherto only from the
holotype
and three above-listed historical specimens, all with “Ankarana” on their labels. Four other examined specimens were caught quite recently in a dry deciduous forest inside the Special Reserve of Ankarana near the eastern entry to the reserve (
S12°58´08.7´´
;
E049°08´10.3´´
). The locality is near a camping site with bungalows called Mahamasina (in error written as “Mahamatsina” on the labels). Adults had the same behaviour as those of
Ph
. (
M
.)
marginemaculata
.
Remarks
. For detailed redescription see the monograph (
Moravec 2002a
).
As discussed previously (
Moravec 2002a
), the sympatric occurrence in the area of the massif of Ankarana apparently excludes the possibility to consider
Ph
. (
M
.)
peyrierasi
to be a geographic subspecies of
Ph
. (
M
.)
marginemaculata
. Consequently, and taking into consideration the tremendous biodiversity in
Madagascar
, we prefer also here to consider the differences between these two taxa sufficient to keep them as two separate species.