Notosacantha timorensis, Świętojańska, Jolanta & Borowiec, Lech, 2016

Świętojańska, Jolanta & Borowiec, Lech, 2016, A new species of Notosacantha Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) from Timor-Leste with a key to the Notosacantha vicaria - group, Zootaxa 4175 (3), pp. 274-280 : 274-279

Notosacantha timorensis sp. nov.

Etymology. Named after its terra typica, Timor island.

Type. Holotype: TIMOR LESTE Ramelau | below sum’t plat. 8°54’45’’S | 125°29’40’’E 28/05/2012 | stunted eucs / plantago / grass | 2600–2700m C. Reid | TL2012/090/579 || Australian Museum K414800 (preserved in Australian Museum, Canberra, Australia) .

Diagnosis. Notosacantha timorensis belongs to the Notosacantha vicaria group of species from the Oriental Region characterized by stout body, elytra with complete set of costae but without distinct tubercles, elytral marginalia with humeral and posterolateral spots or at least pale fenestrate spot, present apical costa, and anterior and posterior branch of dorsal costa in principal elevation converging in different points ( Figs 1–3 , 6–8 , 11–13 , 15– 17 ).

Notosacantha timorensis n. sp., N. sumbawaensis Świętojańska & Borowiec, 1999 and N. flavicornis (Spaeth, 1913) are the only species of the vicaria -group with long and slim antennae ( Figs 5 , 10 , 14 , 18 ), with antennal segments 8–10 not or only slightly wider than long and humeral costa straight not bent outwards ( Figs 11, 12 , 15, 16 ). Notosacantha flavicornis differs in yellow to yellowish-red pronotum (mostly black in N. timorensis — Fig. 1 ), and N. sumbawaensis differs in legs and ventrites yellow (mostly black in N. timorensis— Figs 4 , 9 ) and antennae slimmer ( Figs 10 , 18 ) with club only slightly wider than pedicel and segment 8 longer than wide, while in N. timorensis antennae are stouter, club distinctly wider than pedicel and segment 8 slightly wider than long ( Figs 5 , 14 ). In N. sumbawaensis elytral costae are thinner and sharper than in N. timorensis ( Figs 1 , 6 , 11 , 15 ), clypeus slightly narrower, approximately 1.3 times as long as wide ( Fig. 9 ) while in N. timorensis almost as long as wide ( Fig. 4 ).

Description. Length: 4.9 mm, width: 4.05 mm, width of pronotum: 3.4 mm, length/width ratio: 1.21. Body short-oval, sides moderately rounded ( Figs 1 , 11 ). Head including frontal plate black ( Figs 1, 4 ). Pronotal disc and explanate margin up to external row of punctures deep black, external margin yellow. Scutellum black. Elytral disc black up to marginal row, only top of sutural branch of dorsal costa yellowish brown. Explanate margin of elytra yellow with broad, black humeral spot extending to 4/5 width of marginalia, and broad posterolateral spot extending to margin of elytra, border between dark spots and pale marginalia distinct, sharp ( Figs 1–3 ). Underside of head and clypeus black, labrum and apices of mandibles yellowish brown ( Fig. 4 ). Thorax black, abdomen mostly black with yellow lateral margins. Legs mostly black, only trochanters brown, knee of fore legs and tarsi yellow. Antennae yellow, club on dorsal side slightly darker than pedicel ( Figs 1, 5 ).

Head with short, triangular frontal plate, with shallow apical cleft ( Fig. 4 ). Pronotum broad, with maximum width in 2/3 length, sides regularly rounded, basal corners angulate. Disc on sides before the middle with deep, punctate impression, and at base with two deep punctate impressions. Explanate margin with moderately large pores, disposed regularly, lateral margins not serrate. Scutellum at apex with transverse impression. Base of elytra as wide as base of pronotum. Elytral disc regularly convex with almost complete set of costae, without tubercles ( Figs 1–3 , 11–13 ). Dorsal costa complete but low and obtuse, anterior branch softly curved to suture, posterior branch almost straight. Anterior and posterior branch of dorsal costa in principal elevation converging in different points. Sutural branch of dorsal costa complete, obliquely rised anterad and connected with sutural elevated margin. Lateral branch of dorsal costa complete, extending almost to submarginal row. Apicolateral costa complete, apicosutural costa in form of short, transverse fold extending to half width of punctate area between dorsal costa and suture, costa ultima short, connected with apicolateral costa. Furca interna incomplete, low, forms an arch, rised almost parallel to lateral branch of dorsal costa and connected with dorsal costa knob of principal elevation. Humeral costa very low in form of slightly elevated interval. Puncturation between costae coarse, distance between punctures narrower than puncture diameter. Puncturation of explanate shallow, disposed irregularly, on dark parts of marginalia punctures run in transverse, deep grooves ( Figs 11–13 ). Antennae slim, elongate, club as long as 0.45 times length of antenna, distinctly wider than pedicel but without distinct border between pedicel and club, second antennal segment elongate, 1.4 times as long as wide, segment 7 approximately 1.4 times as long as wide, segments 8–10 slightly wider than long ( Figs 5 , 14 ). Head as long wide, clypeus slightly longer than wide, with narrow, deep median, triangular impression and sharp clypeal elevations. Labrum very shallowly emarginate apically. Prosternal process in the middle twice narrower than width of coxa with deep, narrow median channel, apex strongly explanate, 1.8 times wider than area between coxa with slightly granulate surface, posterior margin of prosternal process forms soft arch ( Fig. 4 ).

Remarks. The Notosacantha vicaria -group is restricted to the Oriental Region and comprises 11 species distributed mostly on Sunda islands. They can be identified by the key given below.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Notosacantha timorensis sp. nov. 1. dorsal view; 2. lateral view; 3. hind view; 4. head; 5. antenna.

FIGURES 6 – 10. Notosacantha sumbawaensis. 6. dorsal view; 7. lateral view; 8. hind view; 9. head; 10. antenna.

FIGURES 11 – 14. Notosacantha timorensis sp. nov. 11. dorsal view; 12. lateral view; 13. hind view; 14. antenna.

FIGURES 15 – 18. Notosacantha sumbawaensis. 15. dorsal view; 16. lateral view; 17. hind view; 18. antenna.