Corticarina minuta (Fabricius, 1792), 2007

Ho, Yu-Hsiang, Li, Hou-Feng & Chan, Mei-Ling, 2024, Fig. 2. Kaplan-Meier survival curve for Trophon geversianus embryos. Temperature treatments were 13 in Positive association between PTN polymorphisms and schizophrenia in Northeast Chinese Han population., Zoological Studies 63 (22), pp. 1-11 : 7-8

Corticarina minuta (Fabricius, 1792)

Dermestes minuta Fabricius, 1792: 235 .

Latridius fusculus Gyllenhal, 1827: 133 , synonymized by Johnson, 2007: 78.

Corticaria brevicollis Mannerheim, 1844: 52 , confirmed by Johnson, 2007: 646.

Corticaria trifoveolata Redtenbacher, 1849: 211 , confirmed by Johnson, 2007: 646.

Corticaria compta LeConte, 1855: 301 , synonymized by Fall, 1899: 181.

Corticaria melanocara Gistel, 1857: 585 , synonymized by Johnson, 2007: 78.

Corticaria ovalipennis Reitter, 1875: 441 , synonymized by Johnson, 2007: 79.

Melanophthalma fuscula (Gyllenhal, 1827) : Grouvelle, 1913: 75 (Taiwan).

Corticarina minuta (Fabricius, 1792) : Johnson, 2007: 646 (catalogue); Rücker, 2018: 321 (description); Rücker, 2020: 26 (catalogue).

Distribution: Cosmopolitan species ( Johnson 2007; Rücker 2020).

Remark: No specimens of the species are available for this study.

Corticarina tenuis Ho, Li & Chan , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1C , 2E–F ) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:AFB0ED4A-18A2-4036-AAB4-34C32DD4E9F8

Material examined: Holotype. ò. TAIWAN, Nantou County, Ren’ai , Meifeng. 24.0965, 121.1793. 31.VIII.2021. Beating. Y. H. Ho & C. T. Hsu leg. ( NMNS) . Paratypes. 6ò 4ñ. Same collection data as holotype. (NMNS). 5ò 2ñ. Same collection data as preceding. 15.X.2021. (NMNS). 1ò. New Taipei City, Wulai, Happen. 9.XII.1985. Sweeping net. C. C. Chiang leg. (NMNS) (NMNS ENT 2493-8). 1ex., sex undetermined. Nantou County, Shanlinchi. 10.V.1990. Sweeping net. C. C. Chiang leg. (NMNS) (NMNS ENT 630-7). 1ñ. Kaohsiung City, Tenchih. 24.IV.1990. Sweeping net. C. C. Chiang leg. (NMNS) (NMNS ENT 601-2).

Diagnosis: This species is closely related to C. bhutanensis Johnson in external morphology, and can be distinguished by the following characters: 1) Elytra more elongate (EL/EW ≥ 1.5) than in C. tenuis , while more oval in C. bhutanensis (EL/EW ≤ 1.46); 2) median lobe more elongate (four times longer than wide, while in C. bhutanensis the median lobe is three times longer than wide). This species can be distinguished from C. clareae by following characters: 1) elytra more elongate (EL/EW ≥ 1.5) than in C. tenuis , while more oval in C. clareae (EL/EW ≤ 1.45); 2) median lobe more elongate (four times longer than wide, while in C. clareae the median lobe is three times longer than wide).

Description: Length 1.62–1.83 mm. Measurements are given in table 1. General body dark brown, with appendages light brown.

Head wider than long (HL/HW = 0.59–0.67). Eyes large and protuberant, with more than twenty facets. Interocular space large (IO/HW = 0.63–0.70). Temple weakly developed, barely visible. Frons sparsely covered with long hairs and punctures, separated by one to two times of puncture diameter, covered with densely and transversely reticulated microsculpture. Clypeus short, about half as long as labrum; surface of clypeus and labrum sparsely covered with long hairs. Antennae eleven-segmented and covered with short hairs, with apical three segments strongly clubbed.

Pronotum broadly cordate, wider than long, widest at middle, narrowest at anterior end, surface densely covered with long hairs and punctures, separated by half to one time of puncture diameter; posterior one third with a shallow round depression. Anterior margin straight, narrower than head. Lateral margins smooth, broadly curved outwardly, without any denticles, hind angle each with a small projection. Posterior margin straight to feebly curved outwardly, narrower than elytra.

Elytra cylindrical (EL/EW = 1.50–1.65), lateral margins subparallel, broadest at anterior one third, apex round, slightly convex in lateral view. Shoulders round, not protruding at anterior margin. Each stria with a row of punctures, interstria with smaller punctures; each puncture with hairs, subequal in length; interstria without strong carinae. Scutellum broadly pentagonal.

Prosternum wider than long, surface sparsely covered with short hairs, a pair of transverse depressions present on the anterior margin. Procoxae contiguous, large and protuberant. Prosternal process short, situated at base of prosternum. Mesoventrite short, surface sparsely covered with short hairs and densely and transversely reticulated microsculpture. Metaventrite moderately wide, surface covered with moderately long hairs and sparsely covered with punctures, separated by one to one and half times of puncture diameter; posterior margin having an adjacent row of punctures, separated at middle.

Abdomen with six ventrites, each surface covered with long hairs and densely and transversely reticulated microsculpture, 1st ventrite three times longer than rest of ventrites. Apical margin of 6th ventrite curved outwardly.

Legs subequal in length. Femur densely covered with short hairs. Tibia covered with moderately long hairs, becoming longer towards apex. Tarsus long, two thirds of tibia length. Tarsomeres 3-3-3, 3rd tarsomere long, longer than 1st and 2nd combined, 1st tarsomere strongly expanded, reaching apex of 2nd tarsomere; arolium indistinct. Foretibia slender, straight, male with a distinct tooth at middle; mid- and hindtibia without any teeth. Female without any tooth on legs.

Aedeagus with median lobe long, strongly sclerotized, lateral margins parallel in ventral view, slightly constricted at anterior one fifth; curved outwardly at posterior one fifth in lateral view, straight at anterior one fifth. Ejaculatory duct and median strut absent. Tegmen long, as long as median lobe.

Distribution: This species is endemic to Taiwan and is mainly distributed in mid- to high-altitude areas ( Fig. 3 ).

Biology: This species can be collected in large numbers by beating dead leaves of Poaceae in the type locality.

Molecular analysis

The alignment of COI sequences resulted in a

658-bp dataset, and the alignment of 28S sequences resulted in a 916-bp dataset. We successfully acquired the COI and 28S sequences for the three species in this study, with fourteen specimens for Corticarina bhutanensis , eight specimens for C. clareae , and three specimens for C. tenuis sp. nov. Corticarina minuta was not included in this analysis due to absence of specimens. The analysis results are shown in figure 4, with the ultrafast bootstrap values, the SH-aLRT values, and the posterior probability given for each node. The analysis results of ML analysis and BI analysis show strong support for the clade of each species, with ultrafast bootstrap values greater than 90 and posterior probability greater than 0.90, strongly supporting our taxonomic results.

The analysis results of COI genetic distances for Corticarina are provided, and the values are shown in table 2. The intra- and interspecific genetic distances show significant divergence, with intraspecific genetic distances ranging from 0.41% to 0.73%, and interspecific genetic distances ranging from 9.30% to 11.39%.

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus of Corticarina species of Taiwan. A, C. bhutanensis Johnson, 1977. B, C. clareae Johnson, 1972. C, C. tenuis sp. nov. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 2. Aedeagus of Corticarina species of Taiwan.A–B, C. bhutanensis Johnson, 1977. C–D, C. clareae Johnson, 1972. E–F, C. tenuis sp. nov. A, C, E: lateral view. B, D, F: ventral view. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 3. Distribution map of Corticarina in Taiwan. Red circles: Corticarina tenuis sp. nov. Blue circles: C. bhutanensis. Green circles: C. clareae.