Leiodes koreana species group

Species included. Leiodes koreana Park & Ahn, 2007, L. masatsugui sp. nov., L. toyoshimai sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Elytra unicolor, with sparsely arranged large punctures between rows of punctures (Figs. 27D, 30D, 33E); mesoventrite with or without excavation between median carina and transverse carina (Figs. 27E, 30E, 33F); tarsomeres 2–4 of male protarsi expanded (Figs. 28A, 31A, 34A); mesotibiae without sexual dimorphism, simply square at interoapical corner (L. koreana and L. masatsugui sp. nov.) or sexually dimorphic, with male mesotibiae more widening from base to apex than in female (in L. toyoshimai sp. nov, Figs. 34C, D); dorsal posteroapical projection of metafemora small and not showing sexual dimorphism (Figs. 28G, 28H, 31H, 31I, 34I, 34J); pubescence of metaventrite without or with indistinct sexual dimorphism (Figs. 33G, 33H); aedeagus robust, bearing some large sclerites in inner sac (Figs. 29A, 32A, 35A); male abdominal sternite 8 weakly to strongly curved (Figs. 29C, 32C, 35D); female abdominal sternite 8 with a bifurcate projection (Fig. 29D) or two projections distant from each other at anterior margin (Figs. 32D, 35E).

Differential diagnosis. The Leiodes koreana species group can be separated from other species groups by having a robust aedeagus with large sclerites in the inner sac, and female abdominal sternite 8 with a bifurcate projection or two projections distant from each other at the anterior margin.

Note. Female abdominal sternite 8 of most of species of Palaearctic Leiodes has not been examined until now. Hence, I cannot exclude that additional Palaearctic species also having females with similar abdominal sternite 8’s and belonging to the L. koreana group.