Abstract
Two species of the Oriental endemic tribe Protosternini Hansen, 1991 (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Sphaeridiinae), Protosternum arunvallense Hebauer, 2002 and Rhombosternum birmanense J. Balfour-Browne, 1942, are reported from China for the first time. Protosternum arunvallense is the third known species of the genus Protosternum Sharp, 1890 in China, while R. birmanense is the first record of the genus Rhombosternum J. Balfour-Browne, 1942 for the country. Both species are diagnosed and illustrated based on Chinese specimens. An identification key to the Chinese species of Protosternini is provided.
References
- Balfour-Browne, J. (1942) On species of Dactylosternum related to subquadratum (Fairm.) and the description of a new genus Rhombosternum related to Dactylosternum (Coleoptera, Palpicornia). Annals and Magazine of natural History, Series 11, 9 (59), 855–864. https://doi.org/10.1080/03745481.1942.9755528
- Bameul, F. (1997a) A revision of Protosternum Sharp (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae). Nouvelle Revue d'Entomologie, New Series, 14 (1), 17–41.
- Bameul, F. (1997b) A revision of Mucetum dʼOrchymont and Rhombosternum Balfour browne (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) with a phylogenetic analysis of Protosternini. Annales de la Société entomologique de France, 33 (3), 375–403. https://doi.org/10.1080/21686351.1997.12279183
- d’Orchymont, A. (1926) Contribution à l'étude des hydrophilides V. Bulletin et Annales de la Société entomologique de Belgique, 66, 91–106.
- Fikáček, M. (2010) Sphaerocetum gen. n., a new genus of the Protosternini from peninsular Malaysia (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Sphaeridiinae). Zootaxa, 2601 (1), 28–36. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2601.1.2
- Fikáček, M., Liang, W.-R., Hsiao, Y., Jia, F.-L. & Vondráček, D. (2018) Biology and morphology of immature stages of banana-associated Protosternum beetles, with comments on the status of Taiwanese endemic P. abnormale (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae). Zoologischer Anzeiger, 277, 85–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2018.10.001
- Fikáček, M., Maruyama, M., Komatsu, T., von Beeren, C., Vondráček, D. & Short, A.E.Z. (2015) Protosternini (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) corroborated as monophyletic and its larva described for the first time: a review of the myrmecophilous genus Sphaerocetum. Invertebrate Systematics, 29, 23–36. https://doi.org/10.1071/IS14026
- Hansen, M. (1991) The hydrophiloid beetles. Phylogeny, classification and a revision of the genera (Coleoptera, Hydrophiloidea). Biologiske Skrifter, 40, 1–368.
- Hansen, M. (1999) World Catalogue of Insects. Vol. 2. Hydrophiloidea (Coleoptera). Apollo Books, Stenstrup, 416 pp. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004629042_004
- Hebauer, F. (2001) Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Hydrophilidae von Neuguinea.-Ergebnisse der zoologischen Forschungsreisen von M. Balke und L. Hendrich nach West Neuguinea (Irian Jaya) in den Jahren 1990–1998. Acta Coleopterologica, 17 (1), 3–72.
- Hebauer, F. (2002a) Hydrophilidae of northern India and southern Himalaya (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae). Acta Coleopterologica, 18 (1), 3–72.
- Hebauer, F. (2002b) New Hydrophilidae of the Old World (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae). Acta Coleopterologica, 18 (3), 3–24.
- Przewoźny, M. (2022) Catalogue of Palearctic Hydrophiloidea (Coleoptera). Internet version 2022-01-01. Available from: http://www.waterbeetles.eu/documents/PAL_CAT_Hydrophiloidea_2022.pdf (accessed 28 August 2025)
- Sharp, D. (1890) On some aquatic Coleoptera from Ceylon. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London, 1890, 339–359. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1890.tb03026.x