Species-group Macrolycus ligulatus (Coleoptera, Lycidae) from China has five new species

NEWS - Researchers used macrophotography to describe the sex and aedea habits of net-winged beetles (Lycidae Waterhouse 1878) and reported five new taxa. Macrolycus ligulatus living in China has diversified into M. expansus, M. quartus, M. costus, M. opacipennis, and M. curtus.

Yun Li, Ladislav Bocak and Hong Pang in 2015 divided the genus Macrolycus into nine species groups based on molecular phylogeny. The species groups are generally defined based on the shape of the apical part of the phallus and the shape of the attached structures.

The M. ligulatus species group can be distinguished from the others by the phallus which is usually ventrodistrally widened, has a U- or V-shaped notch and a tongue-like lamella at the apex. However, some species do not fit this diagnosis very well.

M. chapaensis and M. extrusus have a ventrally or dorsally widened phallic apical similar to most species of the M. murzini species group. Some species were originally included in the M. ligulatus group, such as M. parvus, M. bocakorum, and M. notaticollis, but the phallic apical portion is slightly laterally narrowed in lateral view and resembles the M. venustus species group.

Morphological similarities between the M. ligulatus and M. venustus groups have been noted, but they are treated as separate groups because they belong to different clades, although with lower support values obtained in molecular phylogenies.

These individual species are considered to be the result of convergent evolution. It is difficult to assign species to the M. ligulatus or M. murzini groups in the absence of molecular data. More samples or data are needed to clarify the classification within Macrolycus.

Now Ruolan Du, Yuxia Yang and Haoyu Liu of Hebei University in Baoding, China, and Xingke Yang of the Institute of Zoology in Beijing report five new species that closely match the M. ligulatus group diagnosis and can be distinguished from other species in the identification key.

Original research

Du R, Yang Y, Yang X, Liu H (2024). Five new species of the Macrolycus ligulatus species-group from China (Coleoptera, Lycidae). ZooKeys 1208: 315-330. DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1208.125938

Yun Li, Ladislav Bocak, Hong Pang (2015). Molecular phylogeny of Macrolycus (Coleoptera: Lycidae) with description of new species from China. Entomological Science 18: 3, 319-329. https://doi.org/10.1111/ens.12133 DOI:10.1111/ens.12133

Sea almond (Terminalia catappa)

Ketapang or tropical almond or beach almond or talisay tree or umbrella tree or sea almond ( Terminalia catappa ) is a species of plant in the Combretaceae, a shady tree, fast growing, forming a multilevel canopy, often used as a shade tree in gardens and on roadsides. T. catappa grows large, up to 40 meters in height and up to 1.5 meters in trunk, shady canopy with branches that grow flat and terraced, young trees often look like pagodas while old and large trees often have aerial roots up to 3 meters. The leaves are scattered, mostly at the end of the twig, rounded egg upside down, 8-38 cm long, 5-19 cm wide, the tip is wide, the base is narrow, the upper surface is smooth, green but turns red if to fall out and short stalks. The flowers are small, collected near the tips of the twigs, 8-25 cm long and green-yellow in color. The flowers are not crowned, the petals have five taju, are plate or bell shaped, 4-8 mm long and are white or cream in color. Stamens in two circles and arra...

Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus)

Teki or purple nutsedge ( Cyperus rotundus ) is a species of plant in the Cyperaceae, an erect annual growing to a height of up to 140 cm, the leaves sprout in rows of three from the base to a length of 5-20 cm, ribbon-shaped, pointed tip and green in color. The inflorescence has a stalk with a triangular cross section and is green. The inflorescence has three to eight unequal spikes. The flower is bisexual, has 3 stamina and the pistil has three stigmas. The fruit is achene and triangular. Teki prefers dry places, but will tolerate moist soil and often grows in wastelands and in crop fields. Tubers are an important source of nutrition for migratory cranes. Source of carbohydrates in the tropics in times of famine. The initial stage forms a white fleshy rhizome, 25 mm long and in chains. Some of the rhizomes grow upright above the ground, then form a tuber-like structure from which new shoots and roots grow, new roots and new rhizomes grow. Other rhizomes grow horizontally or down...

Asian foxtail (Uraria crinita)

Asian foxtail or cat's tail bean ( Uraria crinita ) is a species of plant in Fabaceae, a perennial, upright shrub with woody stems at least at the base, up to 2 meters high in forests, agricultural land, waterways, used as a medicinal herb, green manure and sometimes planted in the garden as an ornamental plant. U. crinita has elongated leaves, rounded base, pointed tip, a bone in the middle with several pinnate veins, rough surface, dark green with white spots. Petiole short or less than 0.5 cm and brownish red. Compound flower in spike shape, purple and white triangular crown. Long flower stalk, erect, 15-20 cm long and only at the end of the flower. The crown slowly falls off and leaves behind a stalk that is shaped like coir or light yellow pads. Asian foxtail grows in dry grasslands, open forests, trash cans, roadsides, sandy areas and sometimes in deciduous forests, elevations of 0-1500 meters and does not grow in waterlogged places. The different parts are often used in t...

Dlium