Review of the genus Pterolamia Breuning, 1942 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) with description of a new species from China

Abstract

In this study, the genus Pterolamia Breuning is briefly reviewed, and the second species, Pterolamia quadricristata sp. nov., from Hunan, China, is described and illustrated.

Full text

New Taxon
Accepted by Cheng-Bin WANG: 20.X.2024; published online: 21.X.2024
Copyright Guang-Lin XIE. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CCBY 4.0), which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
ICE, 1 (4): 21–26 (2024)
ISSN (Online) 3065-1107
www.indochinaentomologist.com
https://doi.org/10.70590/ice.2024.01.04
http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0185B098-9942-458D-88F7-33F846F8AB5F
 Review of the genus Pterolamia Breuning, 1942 (Coleoptera,
Cerambycidae) with description of a new species from China
Guang-Lin XIE
Institute of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, Hubei province, China;
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3273-8985; xieguanglin@yangtzeu.edu.cn
Abstract: In this study, the genus Pterolamia Breuning is briefly reviewed, and the second species, Pterolamia
quadricristata sp. nov., from Hunan, China, is described and illustrated.
Keywords: Lamiinae, longicorn beetle, new species, taxonomy
 坡沟胫天牛属研究回顾及中国一新种记述（鞘翅目：天牛科）
谢广林
昆虫研究所，农学院，长江大学，荆州 434025，湖北省，中国
摘要：本文简要回顾了坡沟胫天牛属 Pterolamia Breuning 并记述了采自湖南的该属第二种：四脊坡沟胫天
牛Pterolamia quadricristata sp. nov.
关键词：沟胫天牛亚科，天牛，新种，分类学
Citation: Xie G-L 2024: Review of the genus Pterolamia Breuning, 1942 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) with description of a new
species from China. The Indochina Entomologist, 1 (4): 21–26. [谢广林 2024: 坡沟胫天牛属研究回顾及中国一新种记述（鞘
翅目：天牛科）. 中南半岛昆虫学家, 1 (4): 21–26.]
https://doi.org/10.70590/ice.2024.01.04

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A new Pterolamia from China
Introduction
The monotypic genus Pterolamia was established by Breuning (1942) for the species Pterolamia strandi
Breuning, 1942, originally from an unknown locality (Tavakilian & Chevillotte 2024). Hua (1986) was the first to
record P. strandi in Hainan, China. Later, Lin & Tavakilian (2019) listed the type locality of this species as Hainan
in the Catalog of Chinese Coleoptera but provided no further annotations or notes.
In the present study, the second species, Pterolamia quadricristata sp. nov. is described and illustrated based
on a specimen from Hunan, China.
Material and methods
Photographs were taken using a Canon 7D Mark II DSLR camera with a Canon EFS 100 mm lens and edited
using Adobe Photoshop 2020 release. Extended depth of field at magnifications was achieved by combining
multiple images from a range of focal planes using Helicon Focus software.
The label text for all studied specimens is provided exactly as it appears, without any corrections or additions,
and is enclosed in single quotation marks. Individual labels are separated by a semicolon, and information from
different rows is separated by a single slash. Any additional or explanatory comments from the author are placed in
square brackets.
The material examined for this study is deposited in the following collections: USNM—National Museum of
Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA; YZU—Insect Collection, College of Agriculture,
Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China.
Taxonomy
Genus Pterolamia Breuning 坡沟胫天牛属
Breuning 1942: 128; Breuning 1962: 492; Lin and Tavakilian 2019: 370.
Type species: Pterolamia strandi Breuning, 1942, by original designation and monotypy.
Diagnosis. Body elongate-oval, clothed with greyish-white erect hairs, especially on antennae and legs, and
decorated with hair tufts on elytral ridges. Head retractable, frons much wider than high, vertex depressed; eyes
coarsely faceted, deeply divided. Antennae moderately thick, slightly longer (male) or shorter (female) than body,
fringed underneath; antennal tubercles flat; scape moderately long, slightly thick; antennomere 3 about as long as
antennomere 4, barely longer than scape. Pronotum transverse and convex, rounded laterally, with a small tubercle
on each side of disc midline. Elytra nearly oval, very convex, rounded apically, with base barely wider than
pronotum. Prosternal process narrow, lower than coxae, and evenly arcuate; mesosternal process gradually slopes
forward; Metasternum shortened. Hindwings completely reduced. Legs moderately long, femur clavate, mesotibia
without an oblique groove near external apex.
Distribution. China (Hainan, Hunan (new provincial record)).
Remarks. This genus is distinguished from its congeners by its suboval and very convex elytra, completely
reduced hindwings, shortened metasternum and relatively robust antennae.
Species of this genus have two tiny tubercles on the disc of the pronotum and a low, short longitudinal ridge at
the base of each elytron. These features make them somewhat similar to certain species of the genus Pterolophia,
such as Pterolophia bituberculatithorax (Pic, 1930), Pterolophia fractilinea (Pascoe, 1865) and Pterolophia
occidentalis Schwarzer, 1931. However, in the latter species, the elytra are more elongated and the length of the
metasternums are normal.

The Indochina Entomologist, 1 (4): 21–26
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Pterolamia strandi Breuning, 1942 坡沟胫天牛
Figs 1a–d; 2a–f
Breuning 1942: 129; Breuning 1962: 493; Hua 1986: 213; Hua et al. 1993: 45, 269; Hua 2002: 227; Hua et al. 2009: 111, 248; Lin &
Tavakilian 2019: 370.
Type locality: not specified originally.
Type material examined. Holotype: ♀ (USNM), ‘Type [p, label rectangular, red]; Pterolamia / villosa / mihi Typ [h] /
det. Breuning [p]; BLNO / 000870 [p, black frame]; 48. Pterolamia / Brg. [h, black frame]; villosa Brg. [h, black frame]’.
Non-type material examined. 2♂♂ (YZU), China, Hainan, Wuzhishan National Nature Reserve [五指山自然保护区],
18°52′54.40″N, 109°40′07.54″E, Alt. 637 m, May 17, 2014, leg. Lanbing Xiang; 2♀♀ (YZU), China, Hainan,
Changjiang county, Bawangling National Nature Reserve [霸王岭自然保护区], Dong’er Protection Station [东二管护
站], 19°05′51.52″N, 109°10′46.63″E, Alt. 1006 m, May 29, 2014, leg. Lanbing Xiang.
FIGURE 1. Holotype of Pterolamia strandi Breuning, 1942, ♀: a dorsal view b lateral view c, d labels. (©
Smithsonian Institution)
Distribution. China (Hainan).
Remarks. Breuning (1942) described this species based on a female specimen without locality from the
collection of Tippmann. Hua (1986) was the first to report its distribution in Hainan, China. Subsequently, Hua et
al. (1993, 2009) included the pictures of this species in their works, which closely resemble the holotype images of
Pterolamia villosa Breuning displayed on the Smithsonian Institution’s website (Lingafelter SW et al. 2024).
Additionally, Bezark (2024) cited the holotype images of P. villosa Breuning under the name P. strandi in his
Photographic Catalog of the Cerambycidae of the World. However, no record of P. villosa Breuning can be found
in formal publications, indicating that this name was never formally published and is therefore a nomen nudum. It
is believed that when Breuning identified this specimen, he initially named the new species Pterolamia villosa, but

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A new Pterolamia from China
later published it under the name Pterolamia strandi.
Lin & Tavakilian (2019) listed the type locality of this species as Hainan in the Catalog of Chinese Coleoptera
but provided no further annotations or notes. However, on the Smithsonian website, detailed collection information
for the type specimen indicates that the locality is Panama, collected by J. Herrera on October 3, 1948. Therefore,
the type locality of this species requires further verification.
Pterolamia quadricristata sp. nov. 四脊坡沟胫天牛
https://zoobank.org/DD283414-098A-402F-B3FD-0AB090F8E66A
Figs 2g–i
Type material examined. Holotype: ♀ (YZU), China: Hunan, Pingjiang county, Nanjiangqiao town [南江桥镇], MuFu
Mountain [幕阜山], Yunteng temple [云腾寺], Zhiqing pavilion [知青亭], May 11, 2012, leg. Lujing Yang.
Etymology. The specific epithet of this new species is derived from the Latin words ‘quadri-’ and ‘cristata’,
referring to the elytra have four conspicuously raised short ridges near the base and the middle.
Description. Holotype, female. Body length 7.1 mm, humeral width 2.4 mm. Body mostly dark brown,
clothed with dark brown and greyish-yellow pubescence. Head clothed with sparse greyish-yellow pubescence;
labrum and clypeus clothed with sparse short erect hairs, with slight yellowish edges. Antennae slightly dark reddish
brown, clothed with sparse and evenly distributed dark brown pubescence intermixed with greyish-yellow
pubescence, fringed with short greyish-yellow setae bellow. Pronotum clothed with dark brown to greyish-yellow
pubescence, forming three obvious greyish-yellow patches: anterior one at centre, posterior two on either side of
base. Scutellum clothed with dark brown pubescence in middle and greyish-yellow pubescence on sides. Elytra
mostly clothed with greyish-brown pubescence, provided with a light pubescent patch around scutellum, a pale
oblique pubescent band on each side of basal fourth, extending to epipleuron, a large pale pubescent patch behind
middle, with greyish-yellow base and slightly greyish-white apex, anterior margin extending obliquely backward
from suture to sides, posterior margin arcuate at middle, and a tuft of dark brown setae on basal longitudinal ridges
and base and apex of middle longitudinal ridge. Legs partially dark reddish-brown, mottled with dark brown and
greyish-yellow pubescence. Ventrites mottled with greyish-yellow and dark brown pubescence, each with greyish-
yellow membranous part at end.
Head coarsely reticulate-punctate, frons transverse, slightly bulged. Antennae shorter than body, about reaching
to basal three-fourths of elytra; antennal insertions elevated and widely spaced; scape stout, coarsely and shallowly
punctate, slightly shorter than antennomere 3; antennoere 3 slightly longer than antennomere 4, remaining gradually
decrease in length. Pronotum slightly broader than long, anterior margin slightly broader than posterior margin,
lateral margin slightly constricted after middle; disc slightly convex, with punctures denser and thinner than those
on head and elytra and a tiny tubercle on each side of middle. Scutellum short, broadly rounded apically. Elytra
oblong-ovate, about 2.0 times as long as width across humeri, strongly swollen above, steeply sloping behind middle,
with rounded apices; punctures coarse and sparse at base, gradually becoming finer towards apex; each elytron
provided with a well-developed short longitudinal median ridge at base, followed by a relatively long longitudinal
ridge, slightly concave above at middle, extending from basal one-third to basal two-thirds of elytron, and other
three somewhat obvious longitudinal carinae on outer side of these two ridges, of which outer and inner ones long,
extending nearly to preapex, middle one short, reaching about to middle. Distal ventrite provided with a median
longitudinal sulcus. Legs moderately long, robust, with metafemur extending to posterior margin of third ventrite.
Male. Unknown.
Differential diagnosis. The new species is distinguished from the type species P. strandi by the elytra with
more elevated subbasal and middle short ridges, a large fan-shaped light-coloured marking after the middle, and an
additional light-coloured oblique band at the basal one-quarter.
Distribution. China (Hunan).

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FIGURE 2. Habitus of Pterolamia spp.: a–f Pterolamia strandi Breuning, 1942 g–i Pterolamia quadricristata sp. n ov.,
holotype a–c male d–i females.

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A new Pterolamia from China
Acknowledgements
The anonymous reviewers are thanked for valuable comments and manuscript improvement.
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Additional information
Author contributions: The author solely contributed to this work.
Conflict of interest: The author have declared that no competing interests exist.
Data availability: All of the data that support the findings of this study are available in the main text.
Ethical statement: No ethical statement was reported.
Funding: This study was self-funded by the author.
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