Pempheres picta Heller, 1894

Pempheres picta Heller, 1894 View in CoL ( Fig. 2C View Fig )

Diagnosis: Pronotum with lateral stripe sinuate, space between longitudinal stripes with spotted scales; elytra without or only with indistinct longitudinal lateral stripe, apical half densely covered with spotted, patchy scales; metepisternum covered with a patch of black scales.

Types: Holotype: 1 ñ, Tenasserim / Thagatà / Fea. Apr. 1887 [rectangular label, print] // Typus [red rectangular label, hand writing] // Pempheres (?) pictus Heller / Determ: K.M. Heller. ñ [rectangular label, print and hand writing] // picta / Heller [rectangular label, hand writing] // Pempheres / picta, Heller / typus! [yellow rectangular label, hand writing] // Museo Civico / di Genova [white rectangular label, print] (MSNG).

Other material: LAOS: 1ex., Laos / Kiong Kouang / Vitalis 1919 [rectangular label, hand writing] // picta / Hllr. / det. Solari, 920 [rectangular label, hand writing] // MUSEO GENOVA / coll. Angelo Solari / (acquisto 2000) [white rectangular label, print] (MSNG).

Distribution: Tenasserim, Myanmar ( Heller 1894); Laos (new distribution record).

Remarks: Heller (1894) did not designate a primary type in the original description. However, the species description appears to be based on a single specimen, for which he provided only one measurement and explicitly stated the label details as “Patria: Tenasserim, Thagala, legit Fea, April 1887, Mus. Civico Genua”. There is indeed only one such specimen in his collection at MSNG, which is labeled as “Typus” and recognized as the holotype in this study.

Heller (1894) mentioned the uncertainty regarding the generic placement of this species, as indicated by a question mark in the original description and on the holotype label. Our examinations reveal the morphological similarities between P. picta and Mesochirozetes formosanus , such as sinuated lateral stripes on the pronotum and spotted scale patches on the elytra, suggesting a close relationship between these species. Additional specimens and further morphological and molecular examinations are necessary for verifying the taxonomic status of this species.