Meishania sichuanica Konstantinov, Ruan and Prathapan, 2018

Ruan, Yongying, Konstantinov, Alexander S., Prathapan, K. D., Zhang, Mengna, Jiang, Shihong & Yang, Xingke, 2018, New contributions to the knowledge of Chinese flea beetle fauna (III): revision of Meishania Chen & Wang with description of five new species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), Zootaxa 4403 (1), pp. 186-200 : 197-199

6. Meishania sichuanica Konstantinov, Ruan and Prathapan , new species

( Fig. 6 )

Etymology: This new species is named after the type locality. Distribution: China (Sichuan).

Description: Body length: 2.30–2.40 mm. Body width: 1.25–1.35mm. Body length to width ratio: 1.75–1.85. Pronotum width to length ratio: 1.90–2.00. Pronotum width at base to width at apex ratio: 1.15–1.20. Elytron length (measured along suture) to width of both ratio: 1.35–1.45. Length of elytron to length of pronotum ratio: 3.80–3.90. Width of elytra at base (measured across middle of humeral callus) to width of pronotum at base ratio: 1.28–1.38.

Pronotum yellow brown; elytra dark brown with metallic blue luster. Antennae entirely yellow brown, with distal antennomeres slightly darker. All legs yellow brown. Body ovate in dorsal view.

Vertex glabrous and impunctate, with one supraorbital pore on each side near eye. Antennal calli well delimited with weak supracallinal, supraantennal, and suprafrontal sulci. Frontal ridge narrow, pointed at dorsal end. Midfrontal sulcus well developed. Width of frontal ridge to antennal sockets (excluding ridges) ratio: 0.60– 0.70. Distance between eyes (just above antennal sockets) to transverse diameter of eye in frontal view ratio: 2.30– 2.40. Longitudinal diameter of eye to transverse diameter of eye in frontal view ratio: 1.70–1.80. Anterior margin of labrum weakly emarginated.

Proportions of antennomeres as follows: 17:10:10:10:13:11:14:14:13:13:20. Length to width of antennomere 9 ratio: 2.23–2.33. Length to width of antennomere 10 ratio: 2.37–2.47. Length to width of antennomere 11 ratio: 2.85–2.95.

Pronotum with weak and shallow punctures barely visible. Lateral margins of pronotum nearly straight, converging anteriorly. Posterior margin feebly sinuate. Anterolateral callosity protruding antero-laterally, weak and round; posterolateral callosity poorly developed, projecting postero-laterally.

Elytra with humeral calli well developed. Punctures on elytron closely placed, confused. Elytra nearly parallel sided.

Length (excluding trochanter) to maximum width ratio of metafemur: 2.32–2.42. First protarsomere and mesotarsomere of male extremely enlarged; length to width ratio of first protarsomere: (in dorsal view): 2.05–2.15. First metatarsomere of male, length to width ratio: (in dorsal view) 2.45–2.55. Length of first metatarsomere to length of second metatarsomere ratio: 1.95–2.05.

Aedeagus short and robust; almost straight with apex and base slightly bent ventrally. In ventral view, parallel sided, with apex narrowing abruptly.

Type: Holotype: ♂, labels: 1) CH, S Sichuan, NE of Mianning, 8km NW of Lajiajia, upper forest, 3000– 3400m, 5.08.2002, Belousov & Kabak leg, 2) Holotype, Meishania sichuanica n. sp. des. Konstantinov & Ruan, 2016 ( IZCAS).

Diagnosis: Meishania sichuanica sp. nov. can easily be separated from other species in the genus by the strongly enlarged first tarsomere of the front and middle legs and the unique body color (elytra is dark brown with metallic blue luster and the rest of the body is yellow brown).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Meishania sichuanica sp. nov. A: habitus (Holotype, male). B: prothorax, dorsal view (Holotype). C: head, frontal view (Holotype). D: aedeagus, ventral view (Holotype). E: aedeagus, lateral view (Holotype). F: apex of aedeagus, dorsal view (Holotype).G: foreleg (Holotype), red arrow indicates strongly enlarged fist protarsomere of male.