Forum Entomologi Italiani

Does anybody know the species? Thank for help in advance.

In my opinion is Catascopus mirabilis Bates, 1892

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«Discendiamo da scimmie evolute, non da angeli caduti» Robert Ardrey

Thanks. It looks like it (http://www.flickr.com/photos/coleoptera-us/3077722796/).

I have checked the excellent monography of the genus Catascopus by Straneo and the results are very dubious. The subg. Dentiscopus includes three species: C. mirabilis, C. thailandicus and C. horni. The last one if endemic from Taiwan and should be different, the differences between the two former ones, in contrast, are very subtle and C. thailandicus is known only upon few specimens from Thailand (Chiang Mai). The characters shown by this photo are very doubtful ans seem almost intermediate between C. mirabilis and C. thailandicus, moreover none of the species were formerly known from Laos and Thailand is really near. After all I would be inclined to determine this specimen as C. thailandicus rather than as C. mirabilis, but still with doubt.

The only way to solve this doubt would be if Maurizio - Gomphus wanted to compare the type of C. thailandicus that is preserved in the Museum of Milan.

Waiting for this process I propose to label this discussion as:

Catascopus (Dentiscopus) thailandicus Straneo, 1994 cf.

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Riccardo

ciao

after several days, i was able to check straneo's collection, which contains holotype and allotype of thailandicus and three specimens (1 paratype) of mirabilis

the differences between the two seem not so subtle; apart from coloration (mirabilis is blackish, with very faint bronze shining, and greyish-silvery patches here and there on elytra, while thailandicus is definitely bronze), mirabilis has pronotum sides clearly more convergent rearwards, with distinctly narrower base, while thailandicus pronotum does not differ from specimen here presented

however, this specimen does not match completely thailandicus, in the latter (both specimens) elytra slightly widen behind humeri, while the former has the maximum width at base of elytra; considering distance between the localities (about 900 km) and high specific diversity within the genus, i suggest to maintain "thailandicus (cf.)" until further informations will become available

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maurizio

Thanks You all for help