Revision of theMelolontha guttigeraGroup (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with a Key and an Annotated Checklist of the East and South-East AsianMelolonthaGroups

Abstract

The Oriental Melolontha guttigera species group is revised with synopsis, a key to species, description of a new species, redescriptions of known species, remarks, illustrations, and distribution map, The guttigera species group is the only representative of the genus with its distribution extending southward from the eastern Himalayas to Indochina and crossing the equator to Java. Five species are known in this group, including a new species, M. setifera, from Myanmar. Lectotypes are designated for Melolontha guttigera Sharp and Melolontha weyersi Brenske. A key for the East and South-East Asian species group of the genus is provided, An annotated checklist of Melolontha species recorded in the region is updated in which several nomenclatural changes are proposed as follows: Hoplosternus carinata Brenske, Hoplosternus malaccensis Moser, Hoplosternus incana Motschulsky, and Hoplosternus shanghaiana Brenske are transferred to Melolontha; Melolontha fuliginosa Fairmaire and Melolontha laticauda Bates are transferred to Exolontha; Hoplosternus laevipennis Blanchard is transferred to Tocama; Hoplosternus heydeni Moser n. syn. = Melolontha chinensis (Guérin-Méneville); Melolontha nitidicollis Blanchard n. syn. = Melolontha indica Hope; Hoplosternus bifurcatus Brenske n. syn. = Melolontha furcienanda Ancey; Melolontha albidiventris Fairmaire n. syn. = Tocama rubiginosa (Fairmaire); Hoplesternus squamulatus Frey n. syn. = Tocama laevipennis (Blanchard); Melolontha hualiensis Kobayashi et Chou n. syn. = Melolontha minima Kobayashi.

One the genus Tocama Reitter (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae), with descriptions of two new species from Indochina

“…The preparation of specimens and morphological terms used in this paper follow Li et al (2010) . Specimens and characters were examined and drawn using a Leica MZ12.5 stereomicroscope (Wetzlar, Germany) equipped with a drawing tube.…”

“…Keith (2006 , 2007 ) subsequently described two new species and one new subspecies on the grounds of genital characters. Li et al (2010) recently transferred two more species from the genus Melolontha and identified two Melolontha species with two Tocama species, respectively, and thus proposed two synonymies. Based on the examination of all known Tocama species, we include additional characters of the clypeus, pronotum, and patterns of setae and punctation along the descriptions of two new species from Indochina.…”

Pleurostict scarabs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): new distributional records in Arunachal Pradesh, north-east India

“…Chronologically the scarab beetle diversity in the north-eastern states of India had been carried out by various researchers namely Arrow (1910Arrow ( , 1917Arrow ( , 1931; Biswas and Chatterjee (1985); Chatterjee and Biswas (2000a, b); Chatterjee (2004);Sewak (2006); Ahrens and Fabrizi (2009);Singh et al (2010) and Li et al (2010). Recently the fauna of the Laparostict scarabs of Arunachal Pradesh has been compiled and constitute 73 species belonging to 14 genera under subfamily Scarabaeinae of family Scarabaeidae (Sewak 2006) while the Pleurostict scarab fauna is completely lacking despite few scattered publications.…”

“…Singh et al (2010) presented a list of 70 species of beetles (Coleoptera) of Kane Wildlife Sanctuary from Arunachal Pradesh and included 12 species of the family Scarabaeidae. Recently Li et al (2010) revised the Melolontha guttigera group and presented interactive keys and described male genitalia as well as the checklist of the East and South-East Asian Melolontha. Records on the diversity and distribution of the scarab beetles of the subfamilies viz.…”

“…Pinned specimens were identified with the help of available keys and faunal works mainly of Arrow (1910;1917) and Li et al (2010). The details of specimens examined, registration number of collected specimens, distribution in India as well as outside India along with the main diagnostic characters of each species are given.…”