Taophila hydrae, Samuelson

Samuelson, Allan, 2010, Review of Taophila, a genus endemic to New Caledonia (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae), Zootaxa 2621, pp. 45-62 : 53-54

Taophila hydrae, Samuelson , new species

Fig. 2i, 3d

Description. Male (Holotype). Head and prothorax dull dark castaneous (upper vertex orangish); elytron largely shining pale orange-testaceous, disc additionally with a slight oblique fuscescent marking from postbasal area to suture. Antenna orange-testaceous. Ventral surfaces: propleuron dark shining castaneous; metathorax and ventrites orange-testaceous. Legs yellowish but apices of femora and bases of tibia tinged with fuscous. Body surfaces dull granulate on head and pronotum and smooth-shining on elytron; propleuron smooth; metasternum granulate; ventrites ± smooth. Dorsal vestiture of erect silvery setae: pronotum with setae slightly angled anteriorad; elytron with setae directed slightly posteriorad. Head: frontal surface gently + transversely raised across interantennal region; frons and lower vertex closely and deeply punctate, the punctures becoming elliptical at sides of vertex; upper vertex with a distinctly paler delimited area with a few smaller punctures on a subgranulate smoother impunctate surface and central disc with a brief suggestion of a median line; eye with maximum diameter 0.5 x as broad as interocular space; gena nearly 0.5 x as deep as eye.

Antenna elongate, extending to elytral preapex; pedicel nearly as long as segment 3; intermediate segments slender; apical 5 segments much heavier. Prothorax about 0.85 x as long as broad broadest across middle; side rather strongly convex anteriorly thence evenly narrowed from middle to non-projecting posterior angle; basal antimargin finely sulcate; disc punctures small, deep, elliptical and a little closer centrally and basally; punctures commonly about 3 x as large as raised interspaces; lateral punctures larger with somewhat flatter interspaces. Elytron broadest near middle and rather evenly convex from base to apex; discal surface evenly convex with irregular puncture rows of large punctures commonly 1– 2 x as large as interspaces. Ventral surfaces: propleuron with deep distinct punctures over a smooth glassy surface; metasternum with large deep well-formed punctures; ventrites normally inclined to thorax; ventrite 1 with intercoxal piece fairly narrow at 11:63 basal breadth. Genitalia: aedeagal apex as in Fig. 3d. Measurements: Body length 3.0 mm; body breadth 1.5 mm; head breadth 96 cmm; interantennal space 32 cmm; interocular space 60 cmm; eye 30 cmm; gena 14 cmm; pronotal length 108 cmm; pronotal breadth 126 cmm; elytral length 2.1 mm.

Holotype ɗ (BPBM 17,185). NEW CALEDONIA: Plateau de Dogny, 700 m, 1.ii.1963, C.M. Yoshimoto.

Remarks. A smaller bicolorous species, with conspicuous erect pubescence. Differs from bicolorous males of allied T. corvi , n. sp. and T. scorpii , n. sp. by having prothorax distinctly stouter: ca. 0.85 x instead of>0.90 x as long as broad and pronotal disc closely punctulate, the small punctures tending to run in ± longitudinal channels instead of being more distant between flatter interspaces. Unique male. Named for the constellation Hydra.