Lucanus planeti Planet, 1899

A quite common species that found from Thailand, Vietnam and South China (Yunnan, Shichuan, Guangxi); they are very varietal in body size. It close to Lucanus vitalisi and Lucanus laminifer but clearly difference in structure of clypeus.

 

 
Male of Lucanus planeti Planet, 1899

Prismognathus and Eligmondontus from North Vietnam

In 1997, Haruo Ikeda described three new species of Prismognathus from North Vietnam on Gekkan-Mushi, a Japanese entomological journal. They are small size Lucanidae beetles and only found from in high elevation forests. Recently, DNA studies showed that they are closed to Lucanus genus. In this group, before Ikeda's publication, there had been only Eligmondontus kanghianus Didider & Seguy, 1953 that recorded for Vietnamese fauna.

Eligmodontus kanghianus from Lao Cai Province (Sa Pa) (scanned picture from Ikeda's description)

In his paper, except species P. katsurai that found from Cao Bang Province, type specimens of two species P. siniaevi and P. miyashitai found from Sa Pa, Lao Cai Province. Name of the species P. katsurai was honored to a Japanese collector, Mr. Nobuhiko Katsura who still is collecting insect from Vietnam until now; Mr. Victor Siniaev and Mr. Tetsuo Miyashita were honored in two remain species.

Species E. kanghianus and P. siniaevi later also recorded from Pia Oac Mountain, Cao Bang Province but P. miyashitai seem quite rare and only found from Sa Pa, Lao Cai Province in Vietnam.

Prismognathus miyashitai (male holotype and female paratype) in the original description.

Holotype of Prismognathus siniaevi (from original description)

Holotype (large male) and paratype (small male) of Prismognathus katsurai with a remarkable horn of eye canthus (from original description)

There is an interesting part of the description, all the holotype and paratype of three new species were deposited in private collections, not any public collection (Museum or Public collection). It is not to much problem in this case of Prismognathus because it is not too hard to find that three species in locality of holotype. Many taxonomial journals now ask the author deposite the holotype in a public collection before accept the manuscript, then it will help other researchers can access or study the holotype without private problems; particularly if we can not finding the species in locality of type specimens.

Actias chapae bezverkhovi Sochivko & Ivshin, 2008

This species is one of the most beautiful moth of Saturniidae family that found from Vietnam with very long tails of the hind wings.  The species was described based on material that collected from Sa Pa (as its name, Chapa), Lao Cai Province.

Since 2008, two subspecies of Actias chapae have been found: A. chapae chapae and A. chapae bezverkhovi. The previous subspecies distributed in North Vietnam and South of China and the later is only found from South Vietnam. They are high elevation moths and live in pristine forests with high level of humidity. A. chapae bezverkhovi be in mature form in April to October duration of the year. The subspecies was record in 2 provinces, Lam Dong and Dak Lak.

Male, photographed by Cuong Do, Chu Yang Sin National Park, Dak Lak

Atrocalopteryx laosica Fraser, 1933

Species name is specified the locality of holotype which was recorded from Laos.

                                               

A large size damselfly, the body is shining metallic green. The legs are slim with long spin rows. In the sunlight, the body reflects from metallic red-green to blue-green in colour. Two pairs of wing always fold up above the abdomen; they are red-black and darker than those of Atrocalopteryx coomani. The abdomen is somehow flattened in dorsal-ventral side.

The mature forms fly at opened but clear streams with rich of oxygen on highlands of west-north of Vietnam. The damselflies usually appear from middle to the end of rain season with high humidity. They are not very active insects and often perch on vegetation near the water.

Male, photographed by Cuong Do, Lao Cai

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.