Gallerucida thoracica (Jacoby)

Lee, Chi-Feng, 2017, The genus Gallerucida Motschulsky in Taiwan (Insecta, Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae), ZooKeys 723, pp. 121-151 : 144-146

Gallerucida thoracica (Jacoby) Figs 12 D–F, 14, 15

Eustetha thoracica Jacoby, 1888: 348 (China: Jiangxi); Jacoby 1890: 193 (China: Chang-Yang).

Galerucida [sic!] ( Eusthetha ) thoracica : Weise 1924: 142 (catalogue).

Galerucida [sic!] thoracica : Ogloblin 1936: 362 (redescription).

Gallerucida thoracica : Gressitt and Kimoto 1963: 734 (China); Wilcox 1971: 207 (catalogue); Beenen 2010: 460 (catalogue); Yang et al. 2015: 177 (catalogue).

Type material.

Lectotype ♂ (MCZC), here designated, labeled: "Kiukiang / China [h, w] // 1st Jacoby / Coll. [p, w] // Eustetha / thoracica / Jac. [h, b] // Type [p] / 18241 [h, r]". Number of paralectotypes is uncertain.

Diagnosis.

See diagnosis of G. shirozui .

Redescription.

Length 7.0-8.9 mm, width 3.8-5.0 mm. General color (Figs 12 D–F, 15C, 15D) yellowish brown or reddish brown; antenna black except three basal antennomeres; vertex with one black spot; pronotum with two pairs of black spots at one transverse line; elytra entirely metallic green, or blue, or purple, apical halves of tibiae, and tarsi darker. Antenna filiform in males (Fig. 14A), length ratios of antennomeres I–XI 1.0: 0.4: 0.5: 0.8: 0.7: 0.7: 0.7: 0.6: 0.7: 0.7: 0.6, length to width ratios of antennomeres I–IX 3.3: 1.7: 1.8: 2.6: 2.3: 2.1: 2.4: 2.1: 2.4: 2.4: 3.2; shorter in females (Fig. 14B), length ratios of antennomeres I–XI 1.0: 0.4: 0.5: 0.7: 0.6: 0.6: 0.6: 0.6: 0.6: 0.6: 0.8, length to width ratios of antennomeres I–IX 3.5: 1.8: 2.0: 2.6: 2.3: 2.2: 2.2: 2.0: 2.1: 2.0: 2.9. Pronotum transverse, 2.1 × wider than long, disc convex, with oblique depressions at sides, medially abbreviated, disc with micro-reticulation but lacking punctures; lateral margin straight or slightly rounded; apical margin concave; basal margin convex. Elytra parallel-sided; 1.5 × longer than wide, disc without micro-reticulation but with coarse punctures arranged into longitudinal striae, and minute punctures between strial punctures; dorso-ventrally flattened. Penis (Fig. 14 C–D) elongate, 5.0 × longer than wide; parallel-sided; apex rounded; subapically curved in lateral view; ventral surface well sclerotized; endophallic sclerite complex (Fig. 14H) large, about 0.7 × as long as penis, composed of one median sclerite and one pair of lateral sclerites, median sclerite longitudinal, straight in lateral view, with dorsal processes at apical 1 /5, with dense setae along apical margin of process, lateral sclerites longitudinal but much shorter, about 0.6 × as long as median sclerite, curved near apex, apices concave. Gonocoxae (Fig. 14F) elongate, connected from base to basal 3/5, apices rounded, with dense elongate setae; base wide. Ventrite VIII (Fig. 14E) longitudinal, apical margin truncate but medially membranous; with dense short setae along apical margin, medially abrreviated; spiculum extremely slender. Receptacle of spermatheca (Fig. 14G) strongly swollen; pump short but strongly curved; proximal spermathecal duct slender and deeply inserted into receptacle.

Variation.

Chinese specimens possess metallic blue meso- and metathoracic ventrites and legs, and the punctures on the elytra are confused.

Host plant.

Vitaceae : Vitis flexuosa Thunb. (Fig. 15A) (present study).

Biology.

Larvae and adults (Fig. 15 B–D) were found on leaves of Vitis flexuosa by Ms. Yi-Xuan Hsieh in Tahanshan during early June, 2013. The larvae were transferred to the laboratory for rearing and proved to be G. thoracica .

Other material examined.

CHINA. 1♂ (BPBM), leg. S. V. Mell. TAIWAN. Pingtung: 1♀ (TARI), Lilungshan [里龍山], 11.XI.2014, leg. J.-C. Chen; 1♂, 1♀ (TARI), Tahanshan [大漢山], 3.VI.2012, leg. W.-C. Liao; 3♂♂ (TARI), same locality, 6.VII.2012, leg. C.-F. Lee; 1♀ (TARI), same locality, 17.VI.2012, leg. Y.-X. Hsieh; 5♂♂, 3♀♂ (TARI), 4♂♂ (BMNH), same locality, reared from larvae, 26.VI.-8.VII.2012, leg. C.-F. Lee; 2♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 4.VII.2012, leg. M.-H. Tsou; 2♂♂ (TARI), same locality, 20.VII.2013, leg. S.-F. Yu.

Distribution.

China, southern Taiwan (new record).

Key to Taiwanese species of genus Gallerucida Motschulsky