Klapperich beetle (Gonioctena klapperichi) and Oberthür beetle (Gonioctena oberthueri) from China

NEWS - Gonioctena Chevrolat, 1836, is currently known from the Palaearctic, Nearctic and Oriental regions. In China it now has 53 species of which about 60% are endemic with the addition of the Klapperich beetle (Gonioctena klapperichi) and Oberthür beetle (Gonioctena oberthueri).

G. klapperichi is similar to G. scutellaris Baly, 1862, and G. melanota Kippenberg, 2010, but can be distinguished by the long oval aedeagus (vs. the apical 1/3 of the aedeagus is very slender in G. scutellaris and the apical 1/3 is tapering to blunt in G. melanota). G. oberthueri can be easily distinguished from the other species by its unique coloration, slightly elongated antennae VII-XI and the shape of the male genitalia.

Hee-Wook Cho of the Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources in Sangju, named Klapperichi after the German entomologist Johann Friedrich Klapperich, who collected specimens in Fujian. Oberthueri is named after the French entomologist René Oberthür who obtained the type specimen from a missionary in Kangding, Sichuan.

Gonioctena is one of the most diverse genera of the subfamily Chrysomelinae, with 9 subgenera. The main features of the other genera are the middle and hind tibiae each with an angled subapical projection, appendicular tarsal claws, elytral epipleura visible in lateral view, well-developed hind wings and a procoxal cavity opening posteriorly.

Original research

Cho H-W (2024). Two new species of the genus Gonioctena Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) from China. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e132778, DOI:10.3897/BDJ.12.e132778

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