Taophila cancellata Samuelson

Samuelson, Allan, 2010, Review of Taophila, a genus endemic to New Caledonia (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae), Zootaxa 2621, pp. 45-62 : 49-50

Taophila cancellata Samuelson , new species

Fig. 2b, 2c, 3f, 4d

Description. Female (Holotype). Body surfaces dull-shagreened dark pitchy castaneous but elytron smoother and brighter with violaceous lustre; antenna largely dark with contrasting testaceous segments 1+2 and 10+11. Surfaces essentially glabrous except conspicuous adpressed setae on elytral preapex-apex. Legs largely testaceous, tibiae tinged with fuscous.

Head: frontal surfaces evenly contiguous, frons flattened merging with gently convex vertex; these surfaces appearing dull-shagreened (actually with fine diametric granulatons at 50 x); frons additionally with sparse deep punctures mostly smaller than interspaces; vertex largely impunctate on disc but becoming punctate above, surface with deep median sulcus; eye prominent, maximum diameter about 0.6 x as broad as interocular space; gena about 0.4 x as deep as eye. Antenna attaining mid-elytron; pedicel ca 7/12 as long as segment 3; flagellar segments slender with last 5 distinctly heavier. Prothorax 0.72 x as long as broad; side convex with stronger curvature along anterior half; posterior angle produced; basal margin beaded; discal surface evenly convex with small elliptical deep punctures commonly smaller than interspaces. Elytron rather evenly tapered to preapex and thence to extended “beaked” extremity; disc with basal 3/5 confusedly punctate, thence becoming regular with swollen interstices; humerus weakly produced but with 2 sharp posthumeral costae extending into apical 1/3. Ventral surfaces: propleuron smooth-shagreened, impunctate; metasternum as preceding; abdominal ventrites obscurely punctate but otherwise shagreened; ventrites in lateral profile gradually ascending to thorax; ventrite 1 with intercoxal piece narrow to basal breadth (14:107); ventrite 1 not quite as long as 4 remaining ones; last ventrite briefly and convexly emarginate at extremity flanked with finely serrate lateral margins. Legs: metafemur ± slender, incrassate, evenly thickened to middle; metatibia slender, apex briefly and slightly expanded. Genitalia: spermatheca with receptacle elongate-narrow and gently curved. Measurements: Body length 5.2 mm; body breadth 2.4 mm; head breadth 144 cmm; interantennal space 44 cmm; interocular space 80 cmm; eye 48 cmm; gena 20 cmm; pronotal length 148 cmm; pronotal breadth 206 cmm; elytral length 4.3 mm; abdominal ventrites: 58:15:13:13:20.

Male (Allotype). Paler than female with body surfaces largely orange-fulvous but elytra slightly darker subcastaneous, dorsal surfaces additionally with a slight brassy lustre; antenna yellow- to orange-testaceous with intermediate segments darker; legs yellow-testaceous. Body surfaces not shagreened as in female but head and prothorax possessing a fine diametric microsculpture, the elytra nearly smooth; pronotum additionally with distinct punctures; elytron with punctures confused on inner basal quadrant and becoming striate apically and laterally. Abdominal ventrite 5 with small median depression, sides dentate before briefly emarginate apex. Genitalia: aedeagal apex as in Fig. 3f. Measurements: Body length 3.9 mm, body breadth 1.7 mm; head breadth 126 cmm; interantennal space 27 cmm; interocular space 62 cmm; eye 50 cmm; gena 20 cmm; pronotal length 120 cmm; pronotal breadth 162 cmm; elytral length 2.85 mm.

Holotype Ψ (MNHN). NEW CALEDONIA. Sarramea/Col d’Amieu, S21.34694 E165.46278, 489 m, 2/ 12/06, beating, R.M’Bouen; Allotype ɗ Sarramea/Col d’Amieu, 2–25/11/2005, beating, S. Cazeres, C. Mille, J.P. Kataoui (MNHN).

Female paratypes: same data as holotype (1 BPBM, 1 ICA, 2 Jolivet); Sarramea/Col d’Amieu: 6/11/2004, beating, Mille (1); 17/10/2005, Mille & J. Brinon (1 Jolivet); 2–25/11/2005, beating, Cazeres, Mille & Kataoui (1 Jolivet); 10/05/2006, beating, Brinon (1); Malaise trap, 8/02/06 to 3 /03/2006, S21˚34.903’ E165˚48.376’, 611 m, ICA personnel (1 Jolivet); Reserve du Col d’Amieu, S21˚35’ 33.97” E165˚48’14.39”, 362 m, 23/11/2007, beating various trees, Cazeres (1); La Foa/SRFP, S21.73393 E165.89605, 23 m, 16/11/ 2004, on S. cumini, Jamelonier, Cazeres (1); [La Foa] SRFP “Perroquet” S21.73393 E165.89605, 23 m, 4/12/ 2004, “Acajou” Semecarpus atra, Cazeres (1); Farino 22/Barbou L., S21.61198 E165.70272, 362 m, 29/11/ 2005, Brinon coll. (1); Kanala, Dumbea cancellata Fvl. , coll. et det. A. Fauvel (1 ISNB).

Male paratypes: Sarramea, S21.66941 E165.8172, 3 m, 22/10/2004, beating Syzygium jambos, Brinon & Kataoui (6); Sarramea/Col d’Amieu, 2–25/11/2005, beating, Cazeres, Mille, Kataoui (9); same area but S21˚34.903’ E165˚46.376’, 611 m, Malaise trap 8/02/06 to 3 /03/2006, various personnel (1); same area but S21.63411 E165.89527, 465 m, 20/02/2006, beating, Mille & Kataoui (1); same area but S21.34694 E165.46278, 489 m, 2/12/2006, M’Bouen (1); Reserve du Col d’Amieu, S21˚35’33.97” E165˚48’14.39”, 362 m, 23/11/2007, beating various trees, Cazeres (2); [La Foa] SRFP “Perroquet” S21.73393 E165.89605, 23 m, 4/12/2004, “Acajou” Semecarpus atra, Cazeres (1). Undesignated paratypes from ICA with parts of series for deposit in BPBM, ISNB, JOLIVET, MNHN, NMNH, ONNC, and SMTD.

Remarks. This is one of the larger Taophila , ranging up to about 5.5 mm; it exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism: the female dark and shagreened, the male paler in color and much smoother in body form and sculpture. Differs from T. mars , n. sp. in lacking teeth at the side of the prothorax and the nearly glabrous dorsum. The species commemorates Fauvel’s MS name, cancellata , perpetuating the label name attached to a single fragmented specimen from the ISNB Fauvel collection. The name is derived from the Latin cancellus, meaning lattice or screen, referring to the shagreened fine sculpture of the body surfaces in the female.