﻿New records and revised distribution of tiger beetles in China (Coleoptera, Cicindelidae)

﻿Abstract Based on the examination of specimens housed in several scientific collections, we expand the known tiger beetle fauna of China, and eight species are recorded from China for the first time. The occurrence of Cicindela (Cicindela) sachalinensis raddei Morawitz, 1863 in Shanxi Province, and Neocollyris (Neocollyris) saphyrina (Chaudoir, 1850) in China are re-established. We provide distribution maps and habitus photographs of examined specimens for the newly recorded and revised species. We also discuss potential research hotspots for future taxonomic studies of tiger beetles in China.


Introduction
Tiger beetles (Coleoptera, Cicindelidae) are a globally distributed family that occupies almost all terrestrial ecosystems (Pearson and Vogler 2001).More than 2,850 species are currently known to science (Wiesner 2020), of which the richest diversity is found in the Oriental realm (Cassola and Pearson 2000;Pearson and Wiesner 2023).China spans both the Palearctic and Oriental realms, with significant climatic differences both between north and south as well as between west and east.In addition, altitudinal zones should be also considered.It features numerous examples of biogeographic isolation that can facilitate speciation.These biogeographic barriers include the Qinling Mountains-Huaihe River, Hengduan Mountains, Tianshan Mountains, Greater Khingan Mountains, Nanling Mountains, and so on.As a result, China has a unique and rich tiger beetle fauna, representing a mixture of Palearctic and Oriental species together with a high degree of endemism (Li et al. 2012).
There has been limited research on the overall distribution of tiger beetles in China (Shook and Wiesner 2006;Wu and Shook 2007;Wu 2011;Aston 2016Aston , 2018)).The distribution data that have been available was primarily sourced from publications, private specimen collections, and local museums.Consequently, the known distributional ranges of some species in China are patchy and the actual ranges of these species may extend far beyond the existing records.Distribution maps were generated using ArcGIS v. 10.2.Map data were sourced online from http://xzqh.mca.gov.cn/map (Fig. 1).The English translations of Chinese provinces and regions were partially extracted from Figure 1.Map of the 34 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities of China (see Table 1).
Remarks.Additional specimens contribute to a better understanding of the distribution and a more robust identification of A. (A.) b. bivirgulata.

Genus
Distribution.China (Beijing, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Gansu, Xinjiang, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Anhui, Henan, Hebei, Hubei, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan, Qinghai, ?Fujian, ?Guangdong, ?Zhejiang, ?Yunnan), North Korea, South Korea, Russia.Remarks.New provincial record for Beijing.Wu (2011) expanded the known distribution of C. (C.) t. hamifasciata Kolbe, 1886 in China by reviewing the Chinese literature, but Wu did not provide specimen data.We provide specimen data for this species from Jilin, Inner Mongolia and Anhui for the first time.Since C. (C.) t. hamifasciata Kolbe, 1886 is a typical Eastern Palearctic species, we believe previous records from Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Yunnan require further confirmation.
Remarks.Gyirong borders Nepal, from where N. saphyrina was previously known.Shook and Wiesner (2006) indicated that records included by Li and Chen (1993) for N. (N.) saphyrina in Yunnan and Sichuan (Xichang) required confirmation.The location reported here, Gyirong, is far from Yunnan and Sichuan, and the closest confirmed distribution of N. (N.) saphyrina to Yunnan and Sichuan is in Cambodia and Laos, but with some similar species present in this area, the records for Yunnan and Sichuan still need to be re-examined.We restore the record of N. (N.) saphyrina for China with a new provincial record for Xizang.Published data.Guangxi (Wu 2011: 30;Wiesner and Geiser 2016: 77), Yunnan (Wu 2011: 30;Wiesner and Geiser 2016: 77).
Remarks.New provincial record for Xizang.With the new records presented here, the tiger beetle fauna of China now includes 208 species, 71 (34%) of which are endemic.Five of the new records reported here are from the Chayu and Motuo, regions in the southeast of Xizang.This area is located at the junction of the Hengduan Mountains and the Himalayas and is surrounded by many biogeographical barriers.These five species were previously known from adjacent regions and countries, including Yunan Province, Sichuan Province, Myanmar, and India, from which they may have dispersed.More research on the tiger beetle diversity in this region, the southeast of Xizang, is needed and has great potential to broaden our understanding of the biogeography of tiger beetles within China.
Recently, Matalin et al. (2024) restored Apterodela (Apterodela) bivirgulata (Fairmaire, 1889) as a separate species.Before the reclassification, Apterodela (Apterodela) lobipennis (Bates, 1888) was regarded as one of the common tiger beetles in China, with many specimens preserved in collections.All these specimens need to be re-examined to determine their exact classification.Therefore, additional specimens and photographic records will facilitate the progress of identification.
Furthermore, we report new provincial records of Therates biserratus Tan, Mo & Liang, 1991 and Therates hunanensis Matalin & Wiesner, 2023 in China.Therates biserratus has been included in the List of Key Protected Wild Animals in China since 2003, although it has not been considered as a separate species for a long time.According to the known distribution, T. biserratus may indeed be widely distributed in Nan Ling Area (24°00'-26°30'N, 110°-116°E).This may ultimately lead to reconsideration of the taxonomic status between these two species.Due to the limited number of specimens included in this and other studies (Matalin and Wiesner 2023), more specimens are needed to adequately determine their status.
To date, taxonomic studies on tiger beetles from Guangxi and Hainan are relatively scarce (Naviaux 2010;Xiong and Wiesner 2022).Here, we report nine new records from Guangxi and four new records from Hainan.We believe that the diversity of tiger beetles in these two provinces far exceeds the currently known records and deserves more attention from taxonomists.
Many of the specimens reported here are old specimens that have not been previously identified.There are likely numerous unidentified tiger beetle specimens in other institutions and museums in China, which hold considerable yet untapped data.We encourage others to recognize and utilize this potential and are willing to help in identification.

Table 1 .
Provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities of China.
reported C. (E.) elisae from Heilongjiang without specimen record and detailed locality which makes it impossible to determine which subspecies was recorded.It is possible that C. (E.) e. hulunbeierensis is distributed in Heilongjiang as well.We hence provide the first record C. (E.) elisae for Heilongjiang.

Neocollyris Horn, 1901 Neocollyris (Neocollyris) saphyrina (Chaudoir, 1850)
New state record for China and new provincial record for Xizang.New state record for China and new provincial record for Guangxi.
New state record for China and new provincial record for Hainan.
DiscussionDuring our investigation of Chinese collections, we encountered a single specimen of Cicindela (Cicindela) japana Motschulsky, 1858 [Anhui, China = CHINE, Prov.ANHWEI-printed label] (Fig.14).Cicindela (C.) japana is only known from Japan, where it occurs on the four main islands and several smaller adjacent islands.One specimen deposited in a museum collection in Vladivostok was collected on Kunashir Island and supposedly blown there from Hokkaido by strong winds (A.V. Matalin pers.comm.).Previous records of C. (C.) japana from China and South Korea that could be examined by us all referred to misidentified specimens of C. (C.) sachalinensis raddei.Thus, it seems unlikely that C. (C.) japana occurs in China, especially in an inland province far from Japan.Given the age of this specimen, and the absence of labels indicating the collector and date, we suspect it may have been mislabeled.