Thranius multinotatus multinotatus Pic, 1922

Thranius multinotatus multinotatus Pic, 1922 is a member of tribe Thraniini, subfamily Cerambycinae. They are wasp mimic cerambycinae beetles with the reduced elytra which be slender apically. Thranius multinotatus is wide distribute species, from Tibet to Japan (in some islands) and down to Indochina, however it is hard to be sure that they all be a same species. In my collection, Thranius multinotatus multinotatus Pic, 1922 was collected from Ha Giang, North Vietnam.

Thranius multinotatus multinotatus Pic, 1922 - dorsal view

Thranius multinotatus multinotatus Pic, 1922 - lateral view

Thranius multinotatus multinotatus Pic, 1922 - oblique view

Aphrodisium (Aphrodisium) cantori (Hope, 1840)

A shining blue (and green in some cases) metallic insect, they are medium to large size long horn beetles. They are wide distribution in Indochina area however not common even locally. Matures found in middle or late of summer every year and only found in pristine forests. A brighten and very beautiful insect.

Aphrodisium (Aphrodisium) cantori (Hope, 1840) dorsal view

Aphrodisium (Aphrodisium) cantori (Hope, 1840) lateral view

Aphrodisium (Aphrodisium) cantori (Hope, 1840) head in close view

Aphrodisium (Opacaphrodisium) griffithi Pic, 1932

The species is the second species of subgenus Opacaphrodisium. Its related species Aphrodisium (Opacaphrodisium) alabardae was recorded from Java, Indonesia. A. griffithi found from Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and maybe also South China. The subgenus is an evidence of relation of Indochina and Indonesia-Malaysia fauna.

Aphrodisium griffithi - lateral view

Aphrodisium griffithi - dorsal view

Aphrodisium griffithi - Head close up

Priotyrannus closteroides (Thomson, 1877)

A quite common species that found in Indochina, they are high elevation forest insects that can be collected mainly by light trap. Small to medium size, the body covered with shining yellow hair.
Season of mature about May to July, they must be found in South China and Laos as well, they are not so common but locally there were not many individuals be observed. Male and female similar in shape.

Priotyrannus closteroides (Thomson, 1877), male

Aegosoma katsurai (Komiya, 2000)

The species was described based on holotype that collected from North Vietnam, recently they also found in Southern mountain forest of Vietnam and Laos as well. In publication by Do, 2015 of the genus, author proposed the species related to A. curnecornis from Myanmar because similar in structure of antenna. Evolution of two species of the group were proposed independent in Indochina area where separated from fauna of Indonesia-Malaysia lands.
They are medium size insects, male and female quite similar in shape. Southern individuals somehow larger than species found in North Vietnam.

Aegosoma katsurai (Komiya, 2000), male

Palaeomegopis lameerei Boppe, 1911

In Vietnam, there are only two species belong tribe Eurypodini. Not common as Eurypoda batesi Gahan, 1894; the species Palaeomegopis lameerei Boppe, 1911 somehow is rarer. They found in mountain forests from North Vietnam. It also be recorded in Laos and South China. Male and female of the species are quite similar in shape.
They are small medium insects the the color of almost individuals are black, somehow reddish in teneral forms.

Palaeomegopis lameerei Boppe, 1911, male

Dorysthenes walkeri (Waterhouse, 1840)

Dorysthenes walkeri (Waterhouse, 1840) is one of largest species of the genus Dorysthnes of Vietnamese fauna. It is quite common species with two long mandible. Black and shining body, the species really attractive in the collection. They are a wide distributed species and live in lowland areas.

Dorysthenes walkeri (Waterhouse, 1840), male

Vietetropis viridis Komiya, 1997

 Vietetropis viridis Komiya, 1997 is a remarkable species of Prioninae beetle from Indochina with colorful body. As name of the species, both male and female have metallic shining color, the male is metallic green while female is shining blue. In the paper, Komiya described the new species belong a new genus Vietetropis, until now, there is only one species of the genus has been known.

They are day-flying insects so it is impossible to collect them by light trap, the matures were found from pine forests at elevation about 700m. The species was described based on materials that collected from North Vietnam. The species also was recorded in Laos and south China.

 Vietetropis viridis Komiya, 1997, male

 Vietetropis viridis Komiya, 1997, female

Priotyrannus hueti Drumont, 2008

This species is one of two members of the genus that found from Vietnam. P. hueti was described from North of Vietnam by Alain Drumont in 2008 base on materials from Tam Dao National Park, Vinh Phuc Province.
It is medium large size, as compared to related species Priotyrannus closteroides (Thomson, 1877). The most remarkable characteristic of the species is a lobe on lateral side of pronotum on both male and female specimens.

Male of Priotyrannus hueti Drumont, 2008

Casiphia (Raucocasiphia) takakuwai Komiya, 2009

A special species of Prioninae, Casiphia takakuwai is second member of the genus that found in Vietnam, the species is closed to related species C. vietnamica. Casiphia belong to tribe Anacolini of subfamily Prioninae with very particular antenna of male. The two species of the genus belong to subgenus Raucocasiphia and female of both species with simple antenna.
Not same to C. vietnamica, female of C. takakuwai colorful and there are 2 forms of males, black form and yellow/orange or red form. The characteristic for quick recognizing two species is apex of the elytra, in C. takakuwai the tips are point but round in C. vietnamica.
C. takakuwai only known in the location where the holotype of the species was found, Pu Mat National Park, Nghe An Province with elevation about 700m.
There is no much information about behavior of the beetles of Casiphia, however they are day flying insects and the males be attracted by some kind of  organic compose that released by female, the organic compose maybe similar to product as burning gasoline because the males of the genus also come to exhaust of machines/generators.

Male of Casiphia (Raucocasiphia) takakuwai - Black form

Male of Casiphia (Raucocasiphia) takakuwai - Yellow/orange or red form

Female of Casiphia (Raucocasiphia) takakuwai

Aegolipton roubali Komiya, Drumont & Lorenc, 2012

Aegolipton roubali was described based on the materials collected from Vietnam and Laos.
The holotype was collected from Ngoc Linh, Kon Tum Province, South Center of Vietnam in 2010.
In Laos, this speces found in Dackchung and belong to Sekong Province.
Name of species to honor Mr. Viktor Roubal, University of Ulm (Germany)
Whole body of the species is covered with yellow-whitish hairs.

Male of Aegolipton roubali, specimen from Kon Tum Province

Dinoprionus cooperi Drumont & Do, 2015

A new species of longhorn beetle, Prioninae, Cerambycidae found from Indochina area, the new species was name after Dr. Bob Cooper in Army Malaria Institute. Dr. Cooper had co-worked with the second author of the species on Malaria mosquitoes in Vietnam for 5 years (2005-2010).
This is the second species of the genus has been described.

Dinoprionus cooperi Drumont & Do, 2015

Dr. Bob Cooper, feeding the mosquitoes by his blood 

Aegosoma george Do, 2015 new species of Prioninae from South Vietnam

As reviewing the genus Aegosoma, the author found a new species of the genus from South Vietnam, and it was named after an cartoon character, George Pig, Aegosoma george.

Male and female of Aegosoma george

Male of holotype of Aegosoma george

George is a character in the children's cartoon video series 'Peppa Pig', which is produced by the English television entertainment company Astley Baker Davies Ltd. George is Peppa's little brother and the youngest member in the family. The author's five-year old son suggested George as the species epithet for this new Aegosoma, because A. george is the latest discovery in the genus.

George Pig in blue, he love playing with dinosaur toy and he is youngest member in Peppa Pig family

George Pig and Peppa Pig

Casiphia, reduced elytra long horn beelts from Vietnam

There are two species of Casiphia from Vietnam, the males of the genus with reduced elytra and they are one of very interesting prioninae of Vietnamese fauna. Casiphia vietnamica found from Tam Dao National Park while Casiphia takukawai found from Pu Mat National Park, Nghe An Provincee. Not like almost of other Prionid beeltes, species of genus Casiphia can be collected by catching during the day, not light trap.

Except the elytra of the males, antenna of males also very special shape with combed form. While male of species Casiphia vietnamica is black or red black, the species Casiphia takakuwai has two forms, black form and yellow (orange) forms. 

Casiphia takakuwai male have elytra shape clearly difference from it of Casiphia vietnamica. In C. takakuwai there is a spine at apical lateral side of elytra but in C. vietnamica, there is no spine in the same position and the elytra somehow look shorter.

Casiphia vietnamica, female (above) and male (below)

Black form of Casiphia takakuwai

Aegosoma xentoc Do & Drumont, 2014

In the entomological survey to South Vietnam, we found a new species of Aegosoma (Prioninae, Cerambycidae) from Lam Dong Province. The species was found in pristine forests with elevation about more than 1200m. Specimens were collected in 2013 and the description was published in 2014 based on both males and females.

The species is typical with long antenna and red brown in color, costae of elytra are visible clearly. It is medium large prionid beetle and difference from any known Aegosoma, it also not belong to any known group of the genus. Name of the species means "long horn beetle"  in Vietnamese.

Male of Aegosoma xentoc, figure made by Cuong Do from holotype

Necydalis from North Vietnam

Necydalis is very interesting genus of long horn beetles (Cerambycidae), very diversity in Indochina area. They belong to Lepturinae subfamily, some authors arrange them as a distinguish subfamily, Necydalinae. They are tiny beetles with a short elytron and the hyaline hind wings appear clearly so they look like wasps.

In nature, they are really perfect mimic beetles and under sun light, they look same to small wasps, not only the wings but also the abdomen. The reason for many kind of cerambicidae beetles "want to be" look like a wasp maybe because most of them are flower beetles, and wasp is a good subject around flower for mimicking, poisonous insects. So if you are not poisonous, you still can be an creature that look like poisonous, at least it helps you alive.

They are day flying insects and the best method to collect them is summit collecting during sunny days. With a big insect net, waiting at the top of mountains, above of the canopy of the tropical forests, collectors can catch them as they fly up with the wind. Because of small size and fast flying, they are not easy to be catch, particularly in a shining sunny day, they seem are invisible insects flying with hyaline hind wings.

Male of Necydalis alpinicola Nisanto et Ohbayashi 2003 (scan from the original description), this species found from Sa Pa, Lao Cai Province.

Male of Necydalis araii Niisato 1998 (dorsal view)

Male of Necydalis araii Niisato 1998 (ventral view)

Necydalis concolor Niisato et Ohbayashi  2004 is stout species with black body in color, they found from Tam Dao National Park, North Vietnam.

Male of Necydalis shinborii shinborii Takakuwa et Niisato 1996 (dorsal view)

Male of Necydalis shinborii shinborii Takakuwa et Niisato 1996 (ventral view)

There are two subspecies of of N. shinborii, N. s. shinborri found from Tam Dao National Park and N. s. hainana found from Hainan, China as its name.

Male of Necidalis choui Nisanto, 2004 (dorsal view)

Male of Necidalis choui Nisanto, 2004 (ventral view)

This species maybe new record for Vietnam fauna, it be found from Yen Bai this year (2014), it has been known as a Chinese species, beautiful and rare species.

Komiyasoma lei Drumont & Do, 2013

In the field trip last year (2013), we collected some strange specimens that closed to the new described genus Metaegosoma which consisted of two members, M. annamensis and M. pinci.

After examination the series of materials from South Center of Vietnam, we concluded that it is an undescribed genus then erected the genus Komiyasoma that obtained only single species K. lei.
The species is seem to an endemic species and found from highland forests in South Center of Vietnam.
The species was named after Mr. Le Van Huong, director of Bidoup National Park, Lam Dong Province while the name of the genus for honor Mr. Ziro Komiya, a Japanese who contributed many works on taxonomy of Prioninae of the World.

Male paratype of K. lei

Female paratype of K. lei

Hystatoderes weissi Lameere, 1915

In my collection, there is a male prionid that was collected from south center of Vietnam last year (2013), as trying to identify the specimen, I found that it is maybe closes to Drumontiana, a genus that erected by Mikhail Danilevsky in 2001. I emailed to Mikhail for the original description and checked all the document on Drumontiana published by Komiya and found that my material is true closed to Drumontiana but not belong the genus because the number of antenna segments. There are only 9 segments in Drumontiana but 11 of them in my specimen.

There is another genus that I considered, the very rare Psephactus that found from Taiwan, Japan and Malaysia. However I quickly found that my material can not be Psephactus because its elytra, not same to Psephactus, my material with long elytra and not as short as all member of the genus. So only one male of my collection not yet known in genus level and maybe something very rare. I continued searching all the genus that closes to Drumontiana, in the area, there are only 2 genera of the tribe Mecroscelisini that not be confirmed with my specimen: Hystatoderes and Sarmydus. But the Sarmydus is clearly separated by the short tibia and tarsus, the antenna also very depressed. Then the last confusing is Hystatoderes, a genus with single species H. weissi by Lameere in 1915, under the genus Emphiesmenus.

On the species H. weissi, this species is well known with the female rather than the male, my material is male specimen. In the original description,  Lameere described this species base on a single female that collected from North Vietnam, the specimen was deposited in Paris Museum of Nature. I try to find the photo of the female in the Museum website but it did not worked, no photo at all.

Making some emails to my fellows, Francesco, Antonio and Mikhail, I got the paper by Drumont et al. with the reviewing of the genus Emphiesmenus in 2000 from Francesco. In the paper, Alain and his fellows confirmed about the female specimen that Lameere described as vitalisi in 1917 is the synonym of weissi and the species be placed in the genus Hystatoderes. The photo of the female also given in Drumont et al. paper. In my database, Ziro sent me his pdf before, the Komiya and Nisanto, 2001 in which the male and female photos of the species be published, however the photo of the male is very poor and look like there is only one lateral spine on pronotum. The full structure of the male had not been known and I did have to continue finding the description.

Antonio helped me some descriptions of the female H. weissi and he suggested that the male description should be published by Gressit and Rondon in 1970. And it is the reason why the species be recorded in Laos. I emailed to Mikhail and asked him about the paper because Antonio did not have this book with him that time. Milkhail replied that he could not find any Hystatoderes in the book, I asked him try again with Emphiesmenus. Mikhail sent back to me later the description of the male of E. weissi, very clear and understandable structure with black and white photos of both male and female. My specimen is true H. weissi and all the characteristics matched very well with the description.

So happy with the result, my material male is true H. weissi and recorded the first time in South Center of Vietnam. I did hope that maybe it is a new species because Sa Pa and Hoa Binh are two sites of type specimens but very far from center of Vietnam. And in the Komiya and Nisanto paper, the pronotum looks only has 1 lateral spine. Now everything clear enough to understand, H. weissi the only species of the genus can be found not in a narrow area, maybe in the past, the species quite common in the Indo-China region, my opinion maybe this species can be found in Yunnan, or South of China. It is not a new species, but interesting taxon in my collection.

Hytatoderes weissi Lameere, 1915 (Do Collection)

The first description of the male by Gressit and Rondon in 1970.

Thank you so much to my fellows and friends: Francesco, Antonio, Ziro, Alain and Mikhail for helping me.

Note: There still a confusing, it is the photo of the male in Komiya and Nisanto paper, the male in my view looks only with a single spine on lateral side of pronotum and two composed eyes of the specimen looks not close together. Until the specimen in the paper be confirmed, I have not been sure about the taxonomical position of the species that gave by Komiya and Nisanto.