Lankaphthona nigronotata (Jacoby, 1896) Jacoby, 1896

Ruan, Yongying, Konstantinov, Alexander S., Prathapan, Kaniyarikkal D., Zhang, Mengna & Yang, Xingke, 2019, A review of the genus Lankaphthona Medvedev, 2001, with comments on the modified phallobase and the unique abdominal appendage of L. binotata (Baly) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini), ZooKeys 857, pp. 29-58 : 29

3. Lankaphthona nigronotata (Jacoby, 1896) comb. nov. Figs 5, 8H

Longitarsus nigronotatus , Jacoby, 1896: 259. Type locality: Myanmar (=Burma), Tharrawaddy. Type depository: BMNH.

Distribution.

China: Yunnan (new record); Myanmar ( Jacoby 1896), India ( Maulik 1926).

Host plants.

Tinospora cordifolia (Thunb.) Miers ( Menispermaceae ). Adults feed on the leaves. This is the first report of a host plant of L. nigronotata .

Description.

Body pale yellow to yellow brown. Each elytron with three brown to black spots: a round one at middle, a longitudinal one on sutural margin near apex and a round one on apex. Legs fulvous, apex of metafemur dorsally brown to black. Body oval, slightly elongate in dorsal view; dorsum convex in lateral view. Body length: 2.00-2.10 mm. Body width: 1.10-1.20 mm. Body length to width ratio: 1.70-1.80. Pronotum width to length ratio: 1.65-1.75. Pronotum width at base to width at apex ratio: 1.10-1.20. Elytron length (measured along suture) to width of both ratio: 1.25-1.35. Length of elytron to length of pronotum ratio: 3.35-3.45. Width of elytra at base (measured in middle of humeral calli) to width of pronotum at base ratio: 1.30-1.40.

Vertex impunctate, except few shallow punctures near eyes. Antennal calli obliquely elongate, sub-triangular, conjoined. Supracallinal, supraantennal and supraorbital sulci well developed, suprafrontal sulcus weak. Frontal ridge proximally acute, produced between antennal calli. Frontal ridge moderately developed, slightly convex. Frontal ridge in lateral view moderately convex. Antennal socket close to eye. Width of frontal ridge to antennal sockets ratio: 0.85-0.90. Eyes strongly enlarged. Distance between eyes (just above antennal sockets) to transverse diameter of eye in frontal view ratio: 1.30-1.40. Longitudinal diameter of eye to transverse diameter of eye in frontal view ratio: 1.65-1.75. Distance between antennal sockets to transverse diameter of one antennal socket ratio: 1.20-1.30. Labrum with about 14 (7 pairs) setiferous pores; 10 long setae arranged in transverse row, additional 4 short ones placed above them.

Antennae filiform, long, about 0.7-0.8 times body length; longer and slender in male. Proportions of antennomeres as follows: 14:7:5:5:11:12:13:14:14:13:15 (measured in male). Antennomere 2 robust, antennomeres 3 and 4 short, subequal, following antennomeres elongate. Length to width of antennomere 9 ratio: 4.90-5.00 (measured in male). Length to width of antennomere 10 ratio: 4.60-4.70 (measured in male). Length to width of antennomere 11 ratio: 4.95-5.05 (measured in male).

Pronotum rectangular, slightly convex; base with distinct, slightly sinuate antebasal impression; punctures sparse, shallow and minute. Diameter of pronotal punctures 3-4 times smaller than distance between adjacent ones. Pronotal punctures nearly as large as elytral ones. Anterolateral callosity of pronotum obliquely truncate. Basal margin slightly convex in middle.

Elytral humeral callus moderately developed. Impressions or ridges absent on elytron. Elytral punctures minute, irregularly arranged.

Length to width of metafemur ratio: 1.95-2.00. Length to width of metatibia in lateral view ratio: 5.65-5.75. Width of metatibia at base to width at apex in dorsal view ratio: 0.40-0.50. Length of metatibia to length of first metatarsomere ratio: 1.80-2.20. Length of metafemur to metatibia ratio: 1.15-1.25.

Subparallel intercoxal longitudinal ridges on first abdominal ventrite hardly reach proximal 1/3 of ventrite.

Aedeagus robust, oval in cross section. Aedeagus in ventral view gently narrowed in middle, apex abruptly narrowed, apical denticle absent; ventral longitudinal groove poorly developed. Aedeagus in lateral view evenly curved with apex bent ventrally.

Receptacle of spermatheca cylindrical, parallel sided. Spermathecal duct wide, strongly curved near middle forming loop towards receptacle. Spermathecal pump shorter and smaller than receptacle, cylindrical, slightly narrowed from base to apex. Vaginal palpus weakly sclerotized anteriorly and medially, strongly sclerotized distally. Vaginal palpus narrowing from base to middle, slightly widening towards apex.

Variability.

The elytral spots vary from barely visible, to highly prominent in specimens from Yunnan, China. The aedeagus very slightly varied in shape even in the specimens collected at the same place and time. In the specimens from India, the aedeagus in ventral view with middle part not much narrowed as the specimens from Yunnan.

Type Material.

Holotype: ♀ (BMNH), labels: 1) Jacoby coll. 1909-28a; 2) Type H.T.; 3) ♀; 4) Longitarsus nigronotatus type Jac.; 5) Tharrawaddy; 6) Examined K. Prathapan 2005.

Paratypes: 4♀ (BMNH), labels: 1) Tharrawaddy; 2) Longitarsus nigronotatus type Jac.; 3) Cotype; 4) ♀; 5) Examined K. Prathapan 2005.

Material.

CHINA, 13♂1♀ (IZCAS), labels: 1) Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, Menglun, botanical garden, lvshilin, 2009.XI.17, Guo Tang & Zhiyuan Yao leg., 21°54.609'N, 101°17.090'E, 643 m, IZCAS; 2) Lankaphthona nigronotata (Jacoby), det. Ruan, 2017; 8♂2♀ (IZCAS), labels: 1) Yunnan, Xishuangbanna, Menglun, 2011.viii, 1088 m; 2) Lankaphthona nigronotata (Jacoby), det. Ruan, 2017.

INDIA, Karnataka, 1 ♂ (KAU), labels: 1) Karnataka, Bangalore, 916 m, 17.iv.2000, Prathapan coll., 2) Lankaphthona nigronotata (Jacoby), det. Prathapan, 2019; 1 ♂(KAU), labels: 1) Kerala, Chinnar WLS, 10.vi. 2010, Prathapan coll., 2) Lankaphthona nigronotata (Jacoby), det. Prathapan, 2019; 2 ♂ (KAU), labels: 1) Kerala, Nelliampathy SeetharGundu, 10°33'21"N, 75°42'53.9"E, 1053 m, 30.x.2010, Prathapan coll., 2) Lankaphthona nigronotata (Jacoby), det. Prathapan, 2019; 1♂ (KAU), labels: 1) Vellayani, 8.iv.2010, Prathapan coll., 2) Lankaphthona nigronotata (Jacoby), det. Prathapan, 2019; 2 ♀ (KAU), labels: 1) Kerala, Vellayani, 29. vii.2010, Prathapan coll., 2) Host: Tinospora cordifolia , 3) Lankaphthona nigronotata (Jacoby), det. Prathapan, 2019; 1 ♀ (KAU), labels: West Bengal, Kalyani, 2-4. xii. 2009, Prathapan coll., 2) Lankaphthona nigronotata (Jacoby), det. Prathapan, 2019; 1 ♂, 2 ♀ (KAU), labels: West Bengal, Santhi Niketan, 18.xi.2007, Prathapan coll., 2) Lankaphthona nigronotata (Jacoby), det. Prathapan, 2019.

Remarks.

Lankaphthona nigronotata was originally described in Longitarsus . However, this is not a member of Longitarsus as evidenced by the prominent antebasal impression on pronotum, explanate lateral pronotal margin, anteromesal ends of antennal calli entering interantennal space and the subparallel intercoxal ridges on the first abdominal ventrite. Lankaphthona nigronotata closely resembles L. notatipennis Medvedev, 2009, however, it can be separated from the latter by the presence of maculation on posterior part of sutural margin and the apex of the elytra as well as the antennomeres 3 and 4 shorter than antennomere 2.