Caraphia laticeps

10. Caraphia laticeps (Pic, 1922)

(Figs 28, 29, 30, 31, 59, 75, 91, 107, 122, 135)

Microrabdium laticeps Pic, 1922: 10 (Type locality: Yunnan fou, China).

Encyclops laticeps: Gressitt, 1951: 52; Hua, 2002: 206.

Neosalpinia laticeps: Villiers & Chûjô, 1970: 53.

Caraphia laticeps: Hayashi & Villier, 1985, 4, 25; Hua, 2002: 199; Hua et al., 2009: 451.

Leptura reductipennis Pic (misidentification? see Remarks): Hayashi & Villiers, 1985, 4, 24, pl. 3, fig. 7.

Caraphia reductipennis: Hua et al., 2009: 451.

Diagnosis. Male: BL= 11.2–11.9 mm; EW=3.0– 3.2 mm. Body dark reddish brown, rather stout. Antennae moderate in length, 1.35 times as long as body length with apical two and a half segments exceeding the apex of elytra; relative lengths of segments from base to apex: 67: 15: 68: 68: 99: 92: 87: 85: 84: 83: 104. Pronotum nearly as long as wide, constricted at apical fourth, then expanded laterally near middle; disk shallowly sculptured with a pair of indistinct protuberant at apical fourth and basal depression. Elytra 2.74 times as long as wide, densely and rather regularly foveate in 12–13 rows, and most of foveae associate with pale yellow scales which are suberect, slightly curved, and twice as long as the diameter of each fovea.

Genitalia (Fig. 123) with paramere of tegmen 4.00 times as long as basal width, parallel-sided in basal 2/3, then gently narrowed apically, 0.28 times as long as the length of tegmen. Median lobe with dorsal plate distinctly shorter than ventral plate; basal struts short, ca 1/4 length of median lobe. Endophallus (Fig. 135) with MPH gently curved in S-shape, with dense hair-like fine spicules and a pair of sclerites near base; APH narrowed, with a rodlike sclerite.

Female: BL= 13.5–16.5 mm; EW= 3.5–4.5 mm. Similar to male in body color, foveae and scales. Antennae not so long, 1.15 times as long as body length with apical one and a half segments exceed the apex of elytra; relative lengths of segments from base to apex: 60: 12: 68: 65: 88: 77: 74: 66: 68: 62: 75.

Type material examined. Holotype: ♂, Yunnan fou / Microrabdium laticeps Pic / HOLOTYPE / Type / Neosalpinia Mats. laticeps Pic, A Villiers det, 1970 (MNHN);

Other material examined. 1♀, Env de Yunnan fou / HOLOTYPE / Type / Pic det. / L. reductipennis Pic (MNHN); 1♂, Kunming, Yunnan, 10-VI-1978, Yong-Shan Shi leg. (IZAS, IOZ (E) 1906483); 1♂, 1♀, Weibaoshan, 2,700–3,000 m, Weishan County, Dali Zhou, Yunnan, 30-VI–17-VII-1993, C. Holzschuh leg. (PCCH).

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Remarks. This species can be distinguished from the other species by combination of dark body color and nearly parallel-sided elytra with 12 rows of scales.

Hayashi & Villiers (1985) introduced the Leptura reductipennis Pic, in litt. as a Caraphia species with a photograph of the specimen of MNHN. This specimen (Fig. 30) has a holotype label with handwritten determined label as L. reductipennis Pic (Fig. 31), but it is not Pic's handwriting. In addition, no description by Pic was found to coincide with features of this specimen. According to our examination, this specimen is unquestionably a female of C. laticeps Pic, 1922. On the other hand, there is another type of Leptura reductipennis Pic, 1928 in MNHN. It coincides well with Pic's description and also with the type locality. This species is now regarded as belonging to the genus Paranaspia, and there is no relation with the genus Caraphia. Thus the type label with scientific name on the Caraphia specimen is presumably someone's unintentional mistake.