Entomological Research 40 (2010) 161–163 RESEARCH PA P E R First record of the beetle family Sphindidae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) in Korea Yoon-Gi KIM, Yoon-Ho KIM and Kee-Jeong AHN Department of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea Correspondence Kee-Jeong Ahn, Department of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, Korea. Email: kjahn@cnu.ac.kr Received 21 January 2010; accepted 2 March 2010. Abstract The beetle family Sphindidae, represented by Aspidiphorus japonicus Reitter and A. sakaii Sasaji, are identified for the first time in Korea. Illustrations of habitus, descriptions, and line drawings of diagnostic characters are provided. Key words: Aspidiphorus, Coleoptera, Korea, Sphindidae. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-5967.2010.00279.x Introduction Key to species of Aspidiphorus in Korea The beetle family Sphindidae contains 65 species in nine genera from the world (McHugh 2002; Forrester & McHugh 2007). Most adults and larvae feed on spores of slime mold. Two genera and five species have been reported from East Asia (Smetana 2007). Members of Sphindidae are characterized by the combination of the following features: body light brown to red brown, surface pubescent; antennae with 10–11 antennomeres, apical 2–3 antennomeres large, formed abrupt club; frontoclypeal suture arched; mandible with large central tubercle and setose cavity on dorsal surface; pronotum oval, convex; elytral punctures seriate; tibial spurs usually absent; tarsal formula 5-5-5 in female and 5-5-4 in male. In this paper, we report the family Sphindidae and two species – Aspidiphorus japonicus Reitter and A. sakaii Sasaji – for the first time in Korea. We provide illustrations of habitus, descriptions and line drawings of the diagnostic characters. The specimens studied are deposited in the Chungnam National University Insect Collection (CNUIC, Daejeon), Korea. 1. Antennomere 3 twice as long as 4 (Fig. 3); elytral punctation with complex of each stria (Fig. 4); male sternite VI without tubercles (Fig. 5); aedeagus as in Figure 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. japonicus – Antennomere 4 slightly shorter than 3 (Fig. 8); elytral punctation with single row of each stria (Fig. 9); male sternite VI with a distinct tubercle (Fig. 10); aedeagus as in Figure 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. sakaii Family Sphindidae Jacqelin du Val (Korean name: Dung-geun-a-gi-beol-re-gwa) Genus Aspidiphorus Dejean (Korean name: Dung-geun-a-gi-beol-re-sok) Aspidiphorus Dejean, 1821: 47; Smetana, 2007: 455. Coniporus C. G. Thomson, 1863: 167. Figures 1–2 Habitus. 1 Aspidiphorus japonicus, male, 1.8 mm; 2 Aspidiphorus sakaii, male, 1.3 mm. © 2010 The Authors Journal compilation © 2010 The Entomological Society of Korea and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd Y.-G. Kim et al. Figures 3–7 Aspidiphorus japonicus. 3 antenna, dorsal aspect; 4 elytron, dorsal aspect; 5 male abdomen, ventral aspect; 6 pygidium, ventral aspect; 7 aedeagus, lateral aspect. Scales, 0.1 mm. Figures 8–12 Aspidiphorus sakaii. 8 antenna, dorsal aspect; 9 elytron, dorsal aspect; 10 male abdomen, ventral aspect; 11 pygidium, ventral aspect; 12 aedeagus, lateral aspect. Scales, 0.1 mm. Aspidiphorus japonicus Reitter (Korean name: Dung-geun-a-gi-beol-re) (Figs 1,3–7) Aspidiphorus japonicus Reitter, 1879: 202; Reitter, 1902: 140; Lafer, 1992: 223; Smetana, 2007: 445. Aspidophorus japonicus: Nakane, 1963: 195. Description. Body length about 1.3–2.1 mm, width 1.1– 1.4 mm. Body dark brown, reddish black to pale brown, oval 162 and convex. Head partially visible from above, smaller than pronotum, many distinct punctures present. Antennomere 2 relatively large, about 1.5 times longer than wide, 3 twice as long as 4, 4 about 1.2 times longer than wide, 5–7 about as long as wide, 8–10 large, club shape, densely pubescent, darker than antennomeres 1–7 (Fig. 3). Pronotum moderately convex, as wide as elytra, dorsal surface densely and evenly punctate. Scutellum large, rounded. Procoxal cavities Entomological Research 40 (2010) 161–163 © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 The Entomological Society of Korea and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd Sphindidae new to Korea widely open exteriorly. Pronotal hypomera antero-ventrally concave. Elytra about 1.7 times longer than wide, strongly oval, arrangement of elytral punctation complex, 2–3 punctures together (Fig. 4). Abdomen with five visible sternite Sternite III with many punctures. Sternites IV–VII with punctures scattered and wave-like patterns. Sternite VII with a distinct tubercle at middle (Fig. 5). Pygidium more or less round postero-medially (Fig. 6). Male genitalia as in Figure 7. Material examined. Korea: Chungnam Prov., Daejeoncity, Yuseong-gu, Chungnam-Univ, 15.vii-28.vii.2003, JH Choi, DH Lee, SM Choi, FIT (9씹씸, CNUIC); Gangwon Prov., Hongcheon-gun, Naechon-myeon, Mt. Baekam, Gyeoryeong fall, 25.v-20.vi.2002, KJ Ahn, SJ Park, JS Park, FIT; Pyeongchang-gun, Jinbu-myeon, Mt. Odaesan, Sangwonsa, 18.v-23.vi.2002, SJ Park, JS Park, FIT (8씹씸, CNUIC); CW Shin (2씹씸, CNUIC); 30.iv-4.vi.2001, KJ Ahn, SJ Park, MS Kim, MJ Jeon, FIT (5씹씸, CNUIC); Bangrim-myeon, Unkyo 2-ri, Mt. Baekdeoksasn, 12.vii16.viii.2001, KJ Ahn, SJ Park, CW Shin, FIT (17씹씸, CNUIC); Cheondong-ri, Mt. Sambangsan, 13.vii15.viii.2001, KJ Ahn, SJ Park, CW Shin, FIT (1씹, CNUIC); Youngwol-gun, Suju-myeon, Mt. Baekdeoksan, gwaneumsa, 13.vii-15.viii.2001, KJ Ahn, SJ Park, CW Shin, FIT (6씹씸, CNIUC); Sokcho-city, Mt. Seolak, Osaekyaksu, 31.vii-15.ix.2002, SJ Park, CW Shin, JS Park, FIT (7씹씸, CNUIC); Biseondae, 30.vii-15.ix.2002, SJ Park, JS Park, FIT (2씹씸, CNUIC); Hwa-amsa, 30.vii-14.ix.2002, SJ Park, CW Shin, FIT (3씹씸, CNUIC); Gyeonggi Prov., Yangju-gun, Jangheung-myeon, Songchu, Mt. Bukhansan, 26.vii-31.viii.2001, KJ Ahn, SJ Park, CW Shin, FIT (15씹씸, CNUIC); Gapyeong-gun, Buk-myeon, Mt. Myeongjisan, 25.vii-30.viii.2001, KJ Ahn, SJ Park, CW Shin, FIT (12씹씸, CNUIC). Distribution. Korea, Japan and Russia (Far East). Aspidiphorus sakaii Sasaji (Korean name: Na-do-dung-geun-a-gi-beol-re) (Figs 2,8–12) Aspidiphorus sakaii Sasaji, 1993: 18. Description. Body length about 1.2–1.8 mm, width 0.8– 0.9 mm. Body brown to dark brown sometimes yellowish brown, oval and convex. Head partially visible from above, smaller than pronotum, many punctures and hairs present, shorter than elytra. Antennomere 2 relatively large, about 1.5 times longer than wide, 3 about 2.7 times longer than wide, 4 about 1.5 times longer than wide, 5–7 about as long as wide, 8–10 large, club shape, densely pubescent, darker than antennomeres 1–7 (Fig. 8). Pronotum strongly oval, wider than head, dorsal surface densely punctate. Scutellum large, inverted subtriangle. Elytra about 1.6 times longer than wide, convex with many punctations, arrangement of elytra with a single row puncture of each stria (Fig. 9). Abdomen with five visible sternites. Sternite III with many small punctures. Sternite VI with a distinct tubercle at the posteromiddle margin (Fig. 10). Pygidium postero-medially convex (Fig. 11). Male genitalia as in Figure 12. Material examined. Korea: Gangwon Prov., Sokcho-city, Mt. Seolak, Biseondae, 30.vii-15.ix.2002, SJ Park, JS Park, FIT (3씹씸, CNUIC); Pyeongchang-gun, Jinbu-myeon, Dongsan-ri, Mt. Odaesan, Sangwonsa, 30.iv-4.vi.2001, KJ Ahn, SJ Park, MS Kim, MJ Jeon, FIT (4씹씸, CNUIC); Gyeonggi Prov., Gapyeong-gun, Buk-myeon, Mt. Myeongjisan, 25.vii-30.viii.2001, KJ Ahn, SJ Park, CW Shin, FIT (1씹, CNUIC). Distribution. Korea and Japan. Acknowledgments This research was supported by the project on survey and excavation of Korean indigenous species of the National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR) under the Ministry of Environment, Korea. References Dejean PFMA (1821) Catalogue de la collection de coléoptères de M. le Baron Dejean, pp. viii + 136 + [2]. Crevot, Paris. Forrester JA, McHugh JV (2007) A review of the Sphindidae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) of Madagascar. The Coleopterists Bulletin 61 (4): 590–603. Lafer GS (1992) 64. Sphindidae (Aspidiphoridae). In: Lapa PA (ed.) Opredelitel’ nasekomych Dal’nego Vostoka SSSR v shestykh tomach. Tom 3 – Zhestkokrylye, ili zhuki. Chast 2, pp. 229–233. Nauka, Sankt-Peterburg. McHugh JV (2002) 75. Sphindidae Jacquelin duVal 1861. In: Arnett RH Jr, Thomas MC, Skelley PE, Frank JH (eds) American Beetles, Vol. 2, Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Cuculionoidea, pp. 305–308. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. Reitter E (1879) Die Arten des Gattung Shindus und Aspidiphorus analytisch dargestellt. Verhandlungen der k. k. zoologischbotanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 28: 200–202. Reitter E (1902) Neue Coleopteren der palaearktischen Fauna. Wiener Entomologische Zeitung 21: 137–141. Sasaji H (1993) Contributions to the taxonomy of the superfamily Cucujoidea (Coleoptera) of Japan and her adjacent districs, VII. The Memoirs of the Faculty of Education, Fukui University, Series II (Nateral Science) 44 (2): 17–25. Smetana A (2007) Family Sphindidae. In: Löbl I, Smetana A (eds) Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera, Vol. 4, Elateroidea, Derodontoidea, Bostrichoidea, Lymexyloidea, Cleroidea, Cucujoidea, p. 455. Apollo Books, Stenstrup, Denmark. Entomological Research 40 (2010) 161–163 © 2010 The Authors. 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