Dictyoptera marginicollis Boheman, 1858

Dictyoptera marginicollis Boheman, 1858

Dictyoptera marginicollis Boheman, 1858: 73 .

REMARKS. The detailed description of Dictyoptera marginicollis reads as follows: ‘ Oblongus , parum convexus, nigro-fuscus, sub-opacus, breviter pubescens; prothorace subtiliter punctato, utrinque longitudinaliter impresso, late flavotestaceo-marginato; elytris crebre, mediocriter punctato-striatis, interstituus angustis, leviter elevatis ’ Long. 4 3/4, lat. 1 3/4 millim. Patria: China ( Hongkong).— Caput deflexum , rotundatim, leviter convexum, nigrum, sub-opacum, basi latum, os versus angustatum, sub-rostratum. Palpi nigro-fusci. Oculi rotundati, convexi, distantes, nigri. Antennae longitudine dimidii corporis, crassae, compressae, nigrae, pubescentes, articulo secundo parvo, ferrugineo. Prothorax latitudine postica brevior, apice rotundatus, basi truncatus, lateribus pone apicem rotundato-ampliatus, dein sensimoblique dilatatis, angulis posticis retrosum productis, acuminatis; superne in dorso leviter convexus, subtiliter punctulatus, nigro-fuscus, sub-nitidus, utrinque longitudinalliter impressus, late, confuse flavotestaceo-marginatus, extus reflexus. Scutellum triangulare, nigro-fuscum, sub-opacum. Elytra antice truncata, prothorace non latiora at illo fere quadruplo longiora, pone basin sensim nonnehil ampliata, apice conjuctum rotundata, superne fere plana, nigro-fusca, sub-opaca, breviter, minus dense pubescentia, mediocriter, crebre punctata-striata, interstitiis angustis, leviter elevatis. Corpus subtus nigro-fuscum, opacum, breviter, parce pubescens. Pedes graciles, nigro-fusci; femoribus anterioribus basi flavo-testaceis [Oblong, slightly convex, blackish-brown, sub-opaque, briefly pubescent; prothorax finely punctate, longitudinally impressed on both sides, broadly yellow-testaceously margined; elytra densely, moderately punctate-striated, with narrow, slightly elevated interstices. Length 4 3/4, width 1 3/4 millim. Patria: China ( Hongkong).—Head deflexed, rounded, slightly convex, black, sub-opaque, broad at the base, narrowed towards the mouth, sub-rostrate. Palps black-brown. Eyes rounded, convex, distant, black. Antennae half the length of the body, thick, compressed, black, pubescent, with a small rusty second joint. Prothorax shorter than wide posteriorly, rounded at the apex, truncate at the base, laterally with a rounded-enlarged apex, then sensibly dilated, posterior corners produced backwards, acuminate; above on the back slightly convex, subtly punctuated, black-brown, sub-bright, longitudinally impressed on both sides, broadly, confusedly yellow-testaceous-margined, externally reflexed. Scutellum triangular, black-brown, sub-opaque. Elytra truncate at the front, not wider, but almost four times longer than prothorax, base slightly widened, apex rounded, almost flat above, black-brown, sub-opaque, briefly, less densely pubescent, moderately, frequently punctate-striated, with narrow, slightly elevated interstices. Body black-brown underneath, opaque, briefly, sparsely pubescent. Legs slender, black-brown; anterior femora yellowish at base] ( Boheman, 1858).

The sub-rostrate head, short second antennomere, pronotum laterally with a ‘rounded-enlarged apex’ and punctate-striated elytra of D. marginicollis mentioned in the description suggest this species may not belong to Dictyoptera , but rather to some other genus, perhaps, not of the subfamily Erotinae , and maybe not even to Lycidae . A study of the type specimen is needed to clarify the actual systematic position of this taxon.

DISTRIBUTION. Hong Kong, eastern China.