Taophila sagittarii Samuelson

Samuelson, Allan, 2010, Review of Taophila, a genus endemic to New Caledonia (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae), Zootaxa 2621, pp. 45-62 : 58-59

Taophila sagittarii Samuelson , new species

Fig. 2h 3j, 4i

Description. Female (Holotype). Body surfaces and legs yellow-testaceous. Antenna largely fuscous, only the scape and pedicel yellowish. Dorsal surfaces: pronotum shining-punctate; elytron duller subgranulate and punctate. Ventral surfaces: propleuron smooth-punctate; metasternum nearly smooth-punctate; abdominal ventrite 1 dull shagreened-punctulate. Vestiture: setation finer and shorter on pronotum, longer on elytron.

Head: frontal surfaces smooth-glassy, with frons and interantennal region very weakly and gradually raised transversely and on a slightly higher plane than lower vertex; frons sparsely punctate than vertex, the punctures small and fairly deep; vertex similarly punctate and lacking distinct median line on disc; eye nearly 0.6 x as broad as interocular space; gena about 0.45 x as deep as eye. Antenna extending to about mid-elytron; pedicel exceeding half-length of segment 3; segments moderately slender but with apical 5 heavier. Prothorax about 0.9 x as long as broad, broadest just before middle; side convex anteriorly, thence straight and narrowed to projecting posterior angle; base beaded, with a deep antimarginal sulcus; disc shining with deep punctures about 1–1.5 x as large as smooth interspaces. Elytron with side very straight and narrowed from humerus to preapex; apex narrowed to briefly truncate extremity; apex in lateral view briefly declined; inner basal discal quadrant confusedly punctuate, the punctures large; elsewhere the punctures becoming regular; humerus somewhat swollen and followed by slightly higher interstices to preapex. Ventral surfaces: propleuron smooth-shining with moderately small deep punctures; metasternum similarly punctate at side over a subgranulate duller surface surface; abdominal ventrite 1 enlarged, apron-like with apical margin bituberculate, surface punctulate with subshagreened-smooth sculpture; ventrite 2 simple. Legs: metafemur slender but indurate, gradually thickened to middle; metatibia straight, barely thickened at apex. Genitalia: spermatheca with receptacle slender and forming a broadly open c-shape. Measurements: Body length 3.15 mm; body breadth 1.4 mm; head breadth 84 cmm; interantennal space 28 cmm; interocular space 52 cmm; eye 30 cmm; gena 14 cmm; pronotal length 90 cmm; pronotal breadth 99 cmm; elytral length 2.35 mm.

Male (Allotype). Similar to female, excepting elytron entirely smooth-shining. Genitalia: aedeagal apex as in Fig. 3j. Measurements: Body length 3.0 mm; body breadth 1.3 mm; head breadth 86 cmm; interantennal space 28 cmm; interocular space 52 cmm; eye 31 cmm; gena 15 cmm; pronotal length 92 cmm; pronotal breadth 98 cmm; elytral length 2.25 mm.

Holotype Ψ (BPBM 17,189). NEW CALEDONIA. Mts des Koghis, 400–600 m, i.1969, N.L.H. Krauss; Allotype ɗ, same loc., 600–900 m, 19.iii.1968, T.C. Maa (BPBM).

Paratopotype Females: Mt Koghi, same data as holotype (13); 26.i.1963, C.M. Yoshimoto (1); 26– 30.i.1963, G. Kuschel (3); 28.xi.1963, R. Straatman (1); 900 m, 3.xii.1963, Straatman (2); 450–600 m, 4– 6.x.1967, J.& M. Sedlacek (1); 600–900 m, 19.iii.1968, Maa (4); 400–600 m, ii.1973, Krauss (3); 400–500 m, 2.ii.1976, Krauss (1); 400–500 m, 11.ii.1976, Krauss (3).

Paratype Females, other locals: St Louis, v.1950, Krauss (3); Foret di Thy, 1.iii.1960, treefern, J.L. Gressitt (2); Foret di Thi, 29.x–1.xi.1967, Sedlaceks (1); La Crouen, 150 m, 22.iii.1968, small palm, Gressitt (1).

Paratopotype Males, Mt Koghi, ii.1962, Krauss (1); 500 m, i.1963, Krauss (2); 500 m, 26.i.1963, Yoshimoto (5); 500 m, 26–30.i.1963, G. Kuschel (1); 15.ii.1963, Yoshimoto (1), Krauss (2); 28 or 29.xi.1963, Straatman (3); 500–700 m, 1.xii.1963, Straatman (2); 900 m, 3.xii.1963, Straatman (2); 600 m, 25.xii.1963, Gressitt (1); 300–600 m, 19.iii.1968, Gressitt & Maa (1); 600–900 m, 19.iii.1968, Maa (7); 400–600 m, ii.1973, Krauss (8); 400–500 m, ii.1976, Krauss (4); ii.1978, Krauss (3); 400–600 m, ii.1980, Krauss (1). BPBM paratopotype series with parts for deposit in IAC, ISNB, JOLIVET, MNHN, NMNH, ONNC, and SMTD.

Remarks. A smaller pale unicolorous species with very straight-sided tapering elytra. Possibly close to T. scorpii , n. sp. because abdominal ventrite 1 has a bituberculate apical margin; differs from the same by having the elytral margin tapering to a broader preapex and somewhat glossier pronotal sculpture, besides color differences. Both sexes treated. Named for the constellation Sagittarius.