Table Of ContentElytra,Tokyo,36(2):287-289,November22,2008
SupplementaryNotesonPlatycerussueIMURA,2007
(Coleoptera, Lucanidae)
Yuki IMURA
Shinohara-cho1249-8, Kohoku-ku,Yokohama,222-0026Japan
Abstract DetailedlocalityofPlatycerussueIMURA,2007isgiven,withabrief
commentonitsdistributional range,habitat, foodandestimatedannual lifecycle.
PlatycerussuewasdescribedveryrecentlybyIMURA(2007)asaremarkablenew
species of the genus discovered in Japan for the first time in twenty years. The
distributional rangeof thislucanidbeetleisnarrowlyrestrictedtothehighaltitudinal
areaofacertainmountainrange,anditisobviousthat,ifonceexposedtoanexcessive
huntingpressure,thenewspecieswillhaveaharmfuleffect. Ontheotherhand,neither
relevant laws nor measures for conservation of thewildlife areenacted in that area,
thoughthegreater partof thedistributional rangeof thenewspecies is locatedina
quasi-national park. Detailed locality of thenew species was therefore tentatively
maskedatthetimeoforiginaldescriptiontoavoiddisturbancecausedbycollectorsor
dealers aimed at t」nis beetle. OnMarch24,2008, thespecieswas designatedbythe
MinisterofEnvironmentasaspeciestemporarilyprotectedaccordingtoArticle5ofthe
LawfortheConservationofEndangeredSpeciesofWildFaunaandFlora. Thespecies
willbeprotectedprovisionally for thenext three years, and further field researches
entrustedbytheMinistryofEnvironmentwillbecarriedoutinthemeantimeunderthe
leadership of theJapaneseSocietyof Coleoptero1ogy. Final decision on thewayof
protectingthespecieswillbemadeaftertakingtheresultofthesesearchesintoaccount.
Inthispaper,IamgoingtogivedetailedcollectingdataofthetypeseriesofPsue,
withabriefcommentonitsdistributionalrangeandhabitataswellassomebionomica1
notesobtained throughmyfieldworksmadefromJunetoNovember, 2007. Their
detailswillbepresentedatajointmeetingoftheJapaneseSocietyofColeoptero1ogy,
JapanColeoptero1ogicalSocietyandJapaneseSocietyofSystematicEntomologytobe
heldinMatsuyamaon22-23November2008.
PlalycerussueIMURA, 2007
PlatycerussueIMURA,2007,Elytra,Tokyo,35,p492,figs.1-3;originallydesignatedtypearea:mountainous
regionofJapan. - IMuRA,2008a,SaikakuTsushin,Tokyo,(16),p51,fig5;2008b,Coleopterists'
News,Tokyo,(162),pp.17,figs.1-3;2008c,Gekkan-Mushi,Tokyo, (450),p5, figs6,10.
1)etailedcollectingdatc1of thetypeseries. Holotype: ,easternshoulder of Mt.
288 Yuki IMURA
Ishizuchi-san 石[ 鎚山], 1,600-1,700minaltitude,onthebordersofSaijo-shiand
Kumakogen-cho inEhimePrefecture,Southwest Japan, 4-VI-2007, Y. IMURAleg.
Paratypes: 7 1早,samedataasfortheholotype;7 9早早,samelocality, larvae
, ,
collected in the field from June to July, 2007andemerged in the laboratory in
September,2007.
Typedepository. Aswasdesignated in theoriginaldescription, theholotypeis
depositedinthecollectionoftheDepartmentofZoology,NationalMuseumofNature
andScience,Tokyo.Paratypesarenowintheauthor'scollection,butapartofthemw1j1
be deposited in the following institutions after following prescribed procedure: 1)
HokkaidoUniversityMuseum,Sapporo;2)DepartmentofZoology,NationalMuseum
ofNatureandScience,Tokyo;3)OsakaMuseumofNaturalHistory;4)Entomological
Laboratory,FacultyofAgriculture,EhimeUniversity;5) 0mogoMountainMuseum
(Kumakogen-cho inEhimePrefecture); 6) GraduateSchool ofSocial andCultural
Studies,KyushuUniversity;7)MuseodiStoriaNaturaledeltaUniversitadiFirenze;8)
NaturalHistoryMuseum, London.
Distribution. Highaltitudinalarea(from1,520mto t,820minaltitude,usually
above1,600m)ontheIshizuchiMountains(theIshizuchiMountainRangeinanarrow
sense and its northeastern continuation, the Hosei Mountain Range) lying in the
northernpartofShikoku,SouthwestJapan. Thewesternmostlocalityhithertoknown
is Tengu-dake, themain peak of Mt. Ishizuchi-san. In the southern part of the
distributionalrange,thespeciesisrecordedfromMt.Tebako-yamaofIno-choinKochi
Prefecturewhichmaybecomethesouthernlimit. Thenortheasternmostpointknown
uptothepresent isthealpineareaofMt.Higashi-akaishi-yama.
Bionomica1notes. Themainhabitatofthepresentspeciesisdeciduousbroadleaved
forestsmainlycomposedofAcer,Fagus,Fra;xinus,Quercus,Lindera,Symp1ocos,Vjbur_
numandseveralkindsofazalea,etc.,lyingfromtheupper temperatetolowersubarctic
zones. Inthelowermostpartofitsdistributionalrange(1,500-1,600minaltitude),the
speciesoftenoccurssympatrica11ywithP.sugitai,thelatterofwhichisconsideredtobe
ranged fromca. 1,000 to t,600mintheIshizuchiMountains. General habit ofP. sue
isalmost thesameasinothermembersofthegenusbelongingtothegroupofp
acutlco11is. Adulthasitsmainactivitypeakforreproductionfromlateinthespringto
earlyinthesummer,correspondingtotheendofMaytothebeginningofJuneinthe
alpinezoneoftheIshizuchiMountains. Adultmaleoccasionallycomesflyingtoyoung
leavesofQuercuscrispulaorFraxinussp. Thefemalestartsovipositingtothesurfaceof
foodplant (rottenbranch)usuallyfromthebeginningofJune. Their larvaepreferto
feedonbrown-orsoftlyrottenpartofrathernarrowbranchlyingontheforest floor.
AsisobservedinothermembersofthegenusdistributedinEastAsia,thisspeciesleaves
apeculiarovipositionmarkonthesurfaceofitsfoodplant. Preimagina1development
takesoneyearandafewmonthsattheshortest,orpresumablytwofullyearsandseveral
monthsincertaincases. FromtheendofSeptembertothenextspring,newlyhatched
adultsinhibernationare found, togetherwith thelarvae, from thewitheredwood.
SupplementaryNotesonPlatycerussue 289
Inclosingthisshortarticle,IwishtoexpressmycordialthankstoMr.ShinjiYANo
oftheOmogoMountainMuseumforhiskindhelpinvariousways. Thanksarealsodue
toDr.Shun-lobi U直NOof theNational Museumof NatureandScience, Tokyo, for
revisingthemanuscriptofthispaper.
要 約
井村有希: タカネルリクワガタに関する補足知見. - タカネルリクワガタPlatycerussueは
20年ぶりに発見された邦産同属の新種として, 2007年の秋に記載された. しかしながら,同種の
生息範囲は特定の山塊の高所に限定されている可能性がきわめて高いうえ,同地域においては野
生動物の捕獲に関する法的規制がとくに設けられておらず, 採集者の殺到による個体数の減少が
強く危惧されたため, 原記載の時点では具体的な産地名の公表を敢えて控え, 保全策の整備を待
つという方針がとられた.本種はその後,環境省から種の保存法に基づく緊急指定種に指定され
ることになり, 2008年3月24日づけで公示が行われ, 法的規制下に置かれている. 今後, 最長3
年間にわたる指定期間中に, より詳細な学術調査が行われ, 本種の保全に対する最終的な方針が
たてられる予定である. これを受けて本稿では, 昨年の本学会において予告したとおり, 本種の
具体的な生息地をあきらかにし, あわせて分布域や生息環境, 生態など, これまでに判明してい
る知見の概要について述べた. 本種は四国西部の石鎚山系 (狭義の石鎚山塊と法星山脈) の高所
のみに分布し, これまでに確認されている水平分布の西限は石鎚山天狗岳, 南限は手箱山, 北東
限は東赤石山である. 垂直分布は標高1,500m強から1,800m強に及ぶが, 主たる生息域は1,600
m以上の地域である. また, 垂直分布の下限にあたる標高1,500~1,600m近辺では, シコクルリ
クワガタP.sugitaiとの混生が確認されている. おもな生息環境は温帯林帯上部から亜寒帯林帯
下部に位置する落葉広葉樹林で, ブナ帯の上部にあるカェデ, トネリコ, ミズナラ, ツツジなど
を主体とした疎林を好む. 幼虫の食餌資源は広葉樹の細い接地材で, 早は材の裏面にルリクワガ
タ類特有の産卵マークをつける. 成虫は5~6月頃にミズナラやトネリコ類の新芽に飛来するこ
とがあり, 卵から成虫の繁殖活動までに2ないし3年の期間を要するものと推測される.
References
IMuRA,Y.,2007.Aremarkablenewspeciesof thegenusPlatycerus (Coleoptera,Lucanidae)fromJapan.
Elytra,Tokyo,35:491-496.
- 2008a.Howtopreparetheendopha1licexamplesofmalegenitaliaofthegenusPlatycerus.Saikaku
Tsushin,Tokyo,(16):45-53.(InJapanese)
- 2008b.MorphologicalcharactersofPlatycerussue -forcorrect identification- Coleopterists'
.
News,Tokyo,(162):17-23.(InJapanese)
- 2008c. An up-to-datemovementon thegenusPlatycerus (Coleoptera, Lucanidae)ofJapan.
Gekkan-Mushi,Tokyo, (450):2-9. (InJapanese,withEnglishtitle)
