Colasposoma (Colasposoma) austerum, Zoia, 2012

Zoia, Stefano, 2012, Eumolpinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of Socotra Island, Insect biodiversity of the Socotra Archipelago (Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52), pp. 449-501 : 461-462

Colasposoma (Colasposoma) austerum sp. nov.

( Figs. 29–34 , 115–116 , 141 )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Firmihin, 12°28′27″N, 54°0′54″E.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island, Firmihin , 400-500 m, N 12°28′27″, E 54°0′54″, 6.-7.ii.2010, at light, L. Purchart & J. Vybíral lgt [printed white label] ; Holotypus Colasposoma austerum n. sp. S. Zoia det. 2012 [printed red label]’ ( NMPC). PARATYPES (4 spec.): ‘ Yemen, Socotra Isl., Zemhon area , 270-300 m, N 12°30.58′, E 054°06.39′, 16.-17.vi.2010, V. Hula leg.’ (1 ♀ SZCM) ; ‘ Sokotra Islan N, Haghier Mts. Ayhaft loc., 04–III–2008, h– 500 m, I.G.31.496 / Leg.A. Saldaitis’ (1 J, IRSN) ; ‘ Yemen, Socotra Isl., Zerik , 25.-27.iii.2001, leg. V. Bejček & K. Šťastný’ (1 J NMPC; 1 J JBCB) .

Description. Habitus as in Figs. 115–116 ; body length of holotype 8.9 mm, of paratypes 5.7–7.7 mm (JJ), 7.2 mm (♀).

Body metallic green, ventrites reddish along median line (partially immature specimens?); coxae reddish; head (dorsally), pronotum and elytra dark, with evident cupreous and green metallic reflections on head and distal part of pronotum, less evident on elytra; labrum reddish, mandibles black, palpi yellowish; antennomeres I–IV (or V) reddish, antennomeres V(VI)–IX(X) more or less widely black, antennomere XI reddish; legs reddish with distal part of femora, base and apex of tibiae and tarsi black.

Frons nearly flat, on whole surface with confused strong and close punctures, and fine, moderately long pubescence; clypeus almost flat, smooth, with a few very fine punctures, bare; last palpomere conical, nearly one third longer than penultimate. Antennomere I one third longer than II and nearly twice as wide; antennomere II two times longer than wide; antennomere III two times longer than II and 4 times longer than wide; antennomeres IV–VI little longer than III; antennomeres VII–X dull, poorly widened, VII longer than following ones; antennomere XI slightly longer than X in J, nearly as long as X in ♀.

Pronotum 1.8 times wider than long in J (4.3 × 2.4 mm in holotype), 2 times wider than long in ♀, at base clearly wider than at distal border; sides arched and margined throughout, widest in basal third; angles prominent, tooth-like, with bristle; surface strongly and densely punctate, punctures partially confluent, two small raised smooth not punctured areas present in basal third of disc; feeble impression of surface present distally along median line; base of pronotum bisinuate; pubescence short, dense, fine, golden, suberected.

Scutellum wider than long, rounded distally ( Fig. 34 ), bare, not punctured.

Hypomeron punctured throughout, with moderately long pubescence; distal border of prosternum concave and strongly margined in middle, almost straight on sides; prosternum clearly divided by deep notosternal suture from the hypomeron; prosternum nearly 1.5 times longer than wide between procoxae, convex along median line, closely and finely punctured, with moderately long setae. Mesepimera with few short setae, not punctured; metanepisterna 3.5 times longer than wide, pubescent. Mesoventrite narrower than prosternum between coxae, pubescent; metaventrite nearly as wide as mesoventrite, pubescent, its distal border concave.

Elytra oblong, 1.3–1.4 times longer than wide at humeral level (6.2 × 4.9 mm in holotype); elytra impressed in basal fifth, laterally with another oblong impression reaching elytral slope, externally limited by low carina; sides subparallel in basal half, then regularly curved to apices, which form right angle; humeri prominent, covering elytral sides in dorsal view; punctation bigger than on pronotum, irregular, unpunctured thin longitudinal stripe evident on each elytron ( Figs. 33 , 115 ); pubescence short, golden, close, suberected, equal on whole elytral surface ( Fig. 33 ). Epipleura nearly perpendicular to elytral surface, wide at base and reaching the elytral apices, pubescent.

Legs long and slender; femora unarmed, feebly swollen; tibiae straight; tarsomeres slender; protarsomere I in J widened, nearly 1.4 times longer than wide. Claws simple.

Abdomen dorsally poorly sclerotized, with exception of last visible segment; abdominal ventrites pubescent throughout.

Aedeagus as in Figs. 29–30 .

Spermatheca as in Fig. 32 ; coxites short, subcylindrical, moderately sclerotized; spiculum ventrale long and thin; vagina without any sclerotization.

Differential diagnosis. Colasposoma (Colasposoma) austerum sp. nov. is of large size, with a peculiar habitus and the following combination of characters: simple claws, oblong antennomeres, elongated legs with straight and slender tibiae. Somewhat resembling C. (C.) varicolor Fairmaire, 1887 from eastern Africa, but differing in the above mentioned characters and color.

Etymology. The name ‘austere’ refers to the dark coloration of the dorsum.

Figures

Figs. 29–34. Colasposoma (Colasposoma) austerum sp. nov. (29–31, 33–34: J holotype; 32: ♀, Zemhon area): 29 – aedeagus, apex, dorsal view; 30 – aedeagus, lateral view; 31 – tegmen; 32 – spermatheca; 33 – elytral punctation and pubescence; 34 – scutellum.

Figs. 105–116. Habitus, dorsal and lateral view of: 105–106 – Colasposoma (Falsonerissus) socotranum (Gahan, 1903) (♀, wadi Ayhaft); 107–108 – C. (F.) grande grande (Lefèvre, 1890) (J lectotype); 109–110 – C. (F.) grande insulare subsp.nov.(J holotype); 111–112 – C. (F.) distinguendum sp. nov. (J holotype); 113–114 – C. (F.) villosum sp. nov. (J holotype); 115–116 – C. (Colasposoma) austerum sp. nov. (J holotype).

Figs. 139–144. Distribution maps of the species based on the studied material (in Fig. 142, question marks indicate a possible montane form of C. (C.) brevepilosum sensu lato, see species description).