Menudos illariosus Linzmeier & Konstantinov, 2020

Linzmeier, Adelita M. & Konstantinov, Alexander S., 2020, Moss inhabiting flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) of the West Indies II: Menudos, a new genus from Puerto Rico and description of methods to collect moss inhabiting flea beetles, Zootaxa 4786 (1), pp. 1-22 : 8-10

Menudos illariosus Linzmeier & Konstantinov , new species

( Figs. 14–21 )

Description. Body length 2.02 mm, width 1.15 mm. Head and pronotum pale brown. Elytra brown to slightly lighter toward apex. Antennae brown, except antennomeres 1 and 2 dark brown and 5 much lighter. Venter dark brown, except last ventrite. Legs and last ventrite as brown as elytra. Pronotal and elytral pubescence golden yellow without distinct pattern. Golden yellow setae occupy most of pronotum. Some thinner and darker setae also present. Hind femora with light and dark setae forming a pattern in which dark setae make a strip along front margin of femur. Supraorbital pore indistinct among other setiferous pores on vertex. Antennal calli slightly raised above surrounding surfaces, smooth. Supracallinal sulcus absent, however there is a shallow impression in its place. Similar impression in place of suprafrontal sulcus. Frontal and anterofrontal ridges slightly raised, smooth. Anterofrontal ridge in middle abruptly extends towards labrum. Proportions of antennomere lengths in female: 14:10:10:8:9:8:8: 9:10:11:15. Pronotum rectangular, 1.4 times wider than long. Punctures as dense on pronotal protuberances as between them. Scutellum covered with setae denser than those on elytra. Elytral punctures on row 2 and 3 placed close to each other but with a break near middle. Interspaces convex, less so in between puncture rows 3 and 4. Epipleura nearly reaching elytral apex. Ventral thoracic surface covered with coarse punctures. Proportions of mesotarsomeres 10:8:9:24. Tignum posteriorly widely sclerotized mostly in middle, rest of the sclerites membranous, evenly sclerotized, bearing some moderately long setae. Vaginal palpi anteriorly fused and strongly sclerotized. Spermatheca curved more or less in one plane, with receptacle and pump not differentiated from each other (pump about as wide as receptacle). Receptacle gradually morphs into duct. Apex of pump with flattened projection. Spermathecal duct long, forming single coil.

Remarks. Menudos illariosus can be differentiated from other species of Menudos by the brownish color of the body, the color is slightly darker at the base of elytra and lighter at the apex; antennomere 5 slightly lighter in color; antennal calli, frontal and anterofrontal ridges smooth, lacking punctures; frontal ridge wide; hind femur with light and dark setae forming a pattern in which dark setae make a strip along frontal margin of femur; golden yellow setae occupy most of pronotum; pubescence on elytra without distinct pattern; spermathecal duct long, forming single coil. Vaginal palpi were damaged during dissection, so their posterior part is missing.

Habitat. Menudos illariosus was collected at the highest point of Puerto Rico, near phone towers on Toro Negro. Moss bearing trees are located on the side of the road that leads to the towers ( Figs. 54 – 55 ).

Etymology. This species is named after Dr. Illarion Turko (Germantown, MD), in recognition of his participation in a beetle collecting trip in Puerto Rico in September 2014.

Type material. Holotype, female, with labels as follows: 1) Puerto Rico: Toro Negro , 3.IX.2014 / N18.10.335 W66.35.504/ h- 1350m, moss, WP-478/ leg. A. Konstantinov; 2 ) Holotype Menudos illariosus new species des. A.M. Linzmeier & A. Konstantinov, 2020 ( USNM) .

Figures

FIGURES 14–21. Menudos illariosus Linzmeier & Konstantinov, new species. 14, habitus, holotype, female, dorsal view. 15, habitus, holotype, female, lateral view. 16, frontal view, holotype, female. 17, last four abdominal ventrites. 18, spermatheca. 19, last abdominal tergite. 20, tignum. 21, vaginal palpi.

FIGURES 54–55. Landscape around Toro Negro. 54, view of the cell towers of Toro Negro from below. 55, view from the cell towers on the landscape below.