A new species of Lamiogethes Audisio & Cline from Central China (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Meligethinae)

A new species of Lamiogethes (L. acutus Liu, Wang & Audisio sp. nov.) is described based on a series of specimens recently collected in Shennongjia National Forest Park (Hubei Province, Central China). The habitus, and genitalia of this new species are described and figured. Genital characters of the new species are in both sexes markedly different from those of any other known Eastern Palaearctic or Oriental species of Lamiogethes, and its phylogenetic relationships with other members of this huge genus are thus far unclear, although its closer relationships with members of the SW Chinese L. conjungens / potanini species-complex are well supported on morphological base.

The paper also discusses the unexpected evidence that specimens of the new species were collected from flowers of family Hydrangeaceae, a plant family unrelated to any other known host plant of Meligethinae, with high females/males’ ratio (ca. 7:1).