Mniophila muscorum (Koch, 1803)

Damaška, Albert František, Fikáček, Martin, Daňková, Klára, Čičovský, Daniel, Smyčková, Marie, Koštíř, Vojtěch & Munclinger, Pavel, 2024, From Europe to Caucasus: cryptic diversity and unexpected biogeographic history of a Western Palaearctic moss-inhabiting flea beetle (Chrysomelidae: Mniophila), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 201 (4), pp. 1-25 : 13-15

Mniophila muscorum (Koch, 1803)

( Fig. 9 , 13A )

Haltica muscorum Koch 1803: 48 .

Altica monticola Grimmer 1841: 48 ; syn. Weise (1876): 178. Teinodactyla bryozoa Gistel 1857: 536 ; syn. Monrós and Bechyné (1956): 1135.

Material eoamined: Types: Neotype ( DEIM, hereby designated): (i) GERMANY: Rheinland-Pfalz, Kusel Landkr., Frohnhofen env., 49.4538700N, 7.2753050E; sissing moss around a forest stream, 1. vii. 2021; A.F. Damaška lgt. (ii) VOUCHER SPECIMEN A.F. Damaška coll. no. AFD-M16-2. (iii) NEOTYPE Altica muscorum (Koch, 1803) , A.F. Damaška des. 2023. Additional material examined. See the Supporting Information, Appendix S3.

Distribution: Europe (widespread).

Comments on the neotype designation: The original type specimen from the Koch’s collection is lost. Nadein (2009) designated a specimen from the Stara Planina ( Bulgaria) as the neotype when revising the genus. This neotype designation contradicts Article 75.3.6 of ICZN (1999) requiring the neotype to originate ‘ as nearly as practicable þom the original type locality ’. Although Nadein (2009) examined a number of specimens from Rheinland-Pfalz (where Odenbach, the original type locality, is situated), as well as other places in Germany, he selected the neotype from Bulgaria —one of the most distant localities from the type locality in his material examined. Moreover, according to our findings, two different species of Mniophila with seriate elytral puncturation are distributed in Bulgaria, while only one is distributed in Rheinland-Pfalz. The re-examination of the Nadein’s neotype revealed that it belongs to the lineage described here as M. haveli sp. nov., distributed in the Carpathians and Balkans, and not present in Germany. Consequently, the species described by Koch (1803) as M. muscorum from Germany cannot be conspecific with Nadein’s (2009) neotype. We hence consider the designation of the neotype of M. muscorum by Nadein (2009) invalid as it does not comply with the Code, in agreement with previous hesitation to accept the Nadein’s

(2009) neotype by D. Siede (in: Lompe 2020). Instead, we hereby designate a new neotype, following Article 75.3.6 of the ICZN (1999), collected in Rheinland-Pfalz, i.e. the area from which the original specimens of Koch (1803) also originated. We did not succeed in collecting specimens of M. muscorum in Odenbach, so we selected the neotype from the closest population in our sample (Frohnhofen, 36 km from the original type locality). According to Recommendation 75B of the ICZN (1999), we discussed this issue with several Chrysomelidae experts and insect taxonomists with a particular knowledge of the ICZN.

Differential diagnosis: The species differs from other known European Mniophila species by (i) elytral puncturation arranged in regular rows (irregular in in M. bosnica and M. wroblewskii ) and (ii) apical part of aedeagus parallel-sided, apex widely triangular (gradually narrowing and with a shovel-like apex in M. haveli ). The species also differs from M. haveli and M. wroblewskii by having an almost rounded body with the elytra strongly widened in the humeral part (the body is more slender in M. wroblewskii and M. haveli ).

Redescription: Habitus. Body rounded, widened, strongly convex, 1.0– 1.5 mm long, 0.8–1.1 mm wide in maximum, 0.6–0.7 mm high. Dorsal surfaces blackish or dark brownish with strong blue or green metallic lustre. Legs and antennae reddish brown to blackish brown. Ventral surfaces brownish black or black with metallic lustre. Head. Hypognathous, triangular, black with greenish metallic lustre. Frontal calli shiny, distinctly delimited in most specimens. Vertex feebly pilose, densely chagrined, bearing a row of small setiferous punctures. Frontal ridge narrow, frontolateral space wide with distinct setiferous puncturation. Labrum brownish black, incised in the middle of apical margin. Eyes slightly projecting. Antennae reddish brown, antennomere II bulbose, antennomere III slightly shorter than II, antennomeres IV– VI short, antennomere VII enlarged, slightly protruded in some specimens, antennomere VII short, slightly narrower than VI, antennomeres XI–IX 2× wider than VII. Thorax. Pronotum strongly convex, 2× wider than long, impunctate, gently chagrined, in some specimens slightly pilose. Anterior pronotal margin forming edges. Elytra widened in basal half, approximately 1.3× wider than pronotum. Elytral punctures mostly deep, arranged in regular rows, in most specimens

with wide impunctate gaps. Tibiae slightly curved ventrally. Femora bearing long yellowish setae. Metatarsomere I as long as, or slightly shorter than, metatarsomeres II– III combined. Anterior metaventral process wide, margined by a row of deep punctures, covered by long setae. Abdomen. Ventrites I and V each longer than abdominal ventrites II–IV combined. Anterior process reaching the space between mesocoxae emarginated. All abdominal ventrites bearing transverse rows of long yellowish setae. Genitalia. Median lobe of aedeagus almost parallel-sided, slightly narrowed in the middle in ventral view, slightly curved in lateral view with basal part curved ventrally in an obtuse angle; apical point of the aedeagus slightly curved dorsally. Apical oneeighth of aedeagus more or less sharply narrowed, apex mostly flat with a pointed tip in ventral and dorsal view. Spermatheca slender, receptacle slightly curved laterally, spermathecal pump nearly as long as half of the receptacle, duct U-shaped, reaching a quarter of the receptacle length. Vaginal palpi slender, parallel, tignum long, basal part widened.

DNA sequences: DNA sequences of the neotype are accessible under following GenBank accession numbers: COI: PP263384; ITS2: PP264803. Accession numbers for DNA sequences from other specimens listed in the Supporting Information, Appendix S3.

Remarks: Mniophila muscorum is an extremely variable species. In some specimens, elytral puncturation is weakly developed and rows of punctures are not arranged very regularly. The morphology of the aedeagus is also very variable, sometimes resembling M. wroblewskii . The identity of all aberrant specimens examined for this study was confirmed by DNA data.

Figures

Figure 9. Mniophila muscorum. A, habitus in dorsal view; B, habitus in lateral view; C, habitus in ventral view; D, median lobe of aedeagus in ventral view; E, median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; F, median lobe of aedeagus in dorsal view; G, detailed view of the aedeagus apex (up: ventral view; below: dorsal view); H, spermatheca; I, vaginal palpi; J, tignum.

Figure 13. Comparison of the head morphology of different Mniophila species. A, M.muscorum; B, M.haveli; C, M. wroblewskii; D, M. bosnica; E, M. turcica; F, M. caucasica; G, M. transcaucasica; H, M.taurica.