Peltoschema filicornis Reitter

Reid, C. A. M. & Ślipiński, S. A., 2001, Peltoschema Reitter, A Hitherto Unrecognised Chrysomeline: Redescription And Synonymy (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 55 (3), pp. 330-337 : 334-336

Peltoschema filicornis Reitter

( Figs 1–6 )

Peltoschema filicornis Reitter 1880:5 .

Paropsis platynota Lea 1924:542 , plate 38; new synonymy.

Description. Shape ( Figs. 1–2 ): elongate­oval and depressed, lateral curvature almost continuous from elytra to pronotum; length c1.5 3 breadth, c3 3 height; length 3.8–4.3 mm.

Colour: entirely yellowish­ or reddish­brown, or yellow (teneral?), or body and appendages brownish­yellow, except vague dark reddish­ or blackish­brown markings on most of disc of head, sides of pronotal disc, and in irregular patches over elytra (but not explanate margins).

Head ( Fig. 1 ): transverse, produced anterior to eyes, with clypeal margin about 0.5x eye length anterior to eyes; head strongly but irregularly punctured, without evident fronto­clypeal margin or lateral grooves; last segment of maxillary palp slightly expanded from narrow base to truncate apex; antenna short, half length of elytra, but with all segments elongate and gradually longer and broader to apex.

Thorax ( Figs. 1–4 ): pronotum broadest at hind­angles, evenly curved to anterior angles which are 0.6 3 width, anterior margin broadly excavate to accommodate head, middle of posterior margin broadly convex; pronotum evenly curved on disc with slightly explanate margins, strongly but irregularly punctured with large and small punctures; sides and anterior of pronotum finely margined, each posterior angle with single seta in a large pit; prosternal process raised above hypomera, elongate, flat and truncate; elytron with 9 irregular striae to apex, plus scutellar striole about one third of elytral length; intervals flat, impunctate, much broader than strial puncture­diameters; striae 6 and 7 not reaching base of elytron, arising from prominent humerus; elytron narrowly punctate at sides, where explanate to apex; metasternum with simple narrow margins ( Fig. 3 ); external margin of each tibia strongly expanded to preapical triangular lobe, then excavate to accommodate basal segments of tarsus, excavation lined with setae not spines ( Fig. 4 ); male first tarsal segment much broader than segment 3; claw feebly lobed at base ( Fig. 4 ).

Abdomen ( Figs. 5–6 ): abdominal ventrite I with simple narrow anterior margins at posterior borders of coxae; apical margin ventrite V shallowly concave to transverse in male, convex in female; male genitalia ( Fig. 5 ): spiculum reduced to two elongate struts, tegmen thin and Y­shaped with short basal stem, penis slightly asymmetric with rounded tip and large flagellum, the latter with a cupped base occupying most of endophallic cavity; female genitalia ( Fig. 6 ): ovipositor reduced to two elongate setose lobes (palpi), spermatheca falciform with long straight base and short duct.

Type Material. Peltoschema filicornis Reitter : Lectotype (this designation): / Australien / Peltoschema filicornis m, ex coll Oberthur/ Type Reitter/ ( MHNP). Paropsis platynota Lea (all SAM): Holotype (by original designation): / platynota Lea Type Toodyay/ Paropsis platynota Lea W. Australia Type/; Paratypes (6): 4, same card and same data as holotype; 1 /W. Australia / Paropsis platynota Lea Cotype / Paropsis platynota Lea W. Australia Cotype/; 1 /K. G. Sound/ cotype/.

Non­types (29). New South Wales: 1/ Polblue Swamp, Barrington Tops SF, 31857S 151825E, pyrethrin fogging euc[alypt] bark, 17.xi.1981, T. Weir ( ANIC) ; Northern Territory: 1/ 56 km SE Alice Springs , 24811S 134801E, 3.x.1978, M. S. Upton ( ANIC) ; 2/ 39 km E Alice Springs , 23841S 134815E, 5.x.1978, M. S. Upton ( ANIC) ; 1/ 53 km NE Alice Springs , 238 35S 134822E, 6.x.1978, M. S. Upton ( ANIC) ; South Australia: 1/ Edmonds Creek , 28820S 135850E, 19.ix.1978, J. C. Cardale ( ANIC) ; 22/ 21 km SE Oodnadatta , 30840S 135837E, 20.ix.1978, M. S. Upton ( ANIC) ; Western Australia: 1/ Coral Bay, near Cardalia , 1–2.viii.1978, H. & A. Howden ( ANIC) .

Notes. The synonymy of Peltoschema filicornis Reitter with Paropsis platynota Lea was made by comparison of type material.

Distribution and Biology. Peltoschema filicornis is widespread in arid southern and central Australia, in mallee woodland on either side of the Nullarbor, in Western and South Australia and the southern ranges of Northern Territory. The single specimen from alpine woodland in New South Wales (Barrington Tops) is undoubtedly wrongly labelled. Adults are active in spring, from August to October. Host plants are unrecorded, but are likely to be similar to other members of the species­group, in which both adults and larvae feed on flowers of Acacia species.

Figures

Figs. 1–2. Peltoschema filicornis Reitter (Oodnadatta, South Australia). 1) Dorsal;

Figs. 3–6. Peltoschema filicornis Reitter. 3) Venter of thorax and abdominal ventrite I with coxae removed; 4) male fore tibia and tarsus, latter rotated to show segment shape and planar view of claw; 5) tegmen and penis, dorsal and lateral view, showing outline of flagellum; 6) vaginal palpi and spermatheca.