Lema (Lema) diversipes Pic, 1921

Lee, Chi-Feng & Matsumura, Yoko, 2013, On newly and recently recorded species of the genus Lema Fabricius (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Criocerinae) from Taiwan, ZooKeys 262, pp. 17-38 : 19-23

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.262.4152
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039914ED-B281-58D6-9005-0A1751D2A525
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Lema (Lema) diversipes Pic, 1921
status	stat. res.

Treatment

Lema (Lema) diversipes Pic, 1921 stat. res.

Lema diversipes Pic, 1921: 3 [Yunnan] (Paris); Monrós 1959: 185; treated in Gressitt and Kimoto 1961: 69 (synonym of Lema lacertosa ).

Type series.

Holotype ♀: "Pe Yen Tsing/ Yunnan// Lema // voir Mouhoti Baly // diversipes/ n sp// type // MUSEUM PARIS / 1958/ coll. M. Pic // HOLOTYPE (red label) // MNHN/ EC2232".

Material examined.

Taiwan: 22 exs.: Taipei: Shihting, 11.VIII.2007, leg. M.-H. Tsao (6 exs. in SEHU; 16 exs. in TARI).

Diagnosis.

Lema diversipes can be separated from Lema lacertosa by the following combination of characters: body is distinctly larger and relatively stout in shape; anterior margin of the clypeus is waved and protruded slightly; posterior lines of the vertex grove slightly curved; almost all of the ventral surface is black; sternites covered by pubescence, except the posterior margins of the sterna 1-4 glabrous.

Redescription.

Body coloration ( Figs 1-2 View Figures 1–4 ). Dorsum (holotype): Head reddish-brown except for black apex of mandible, antenna yellowish-brown; pronotum and elytra reddish-brown, scutellum brown; prolegs orange except for coxae which are brownish-orange, mesolegs blackish-brown, metalegs black. Dorsum (Taiwanese individuals): Antennomeres 1-4 orange, 5-11 blackish-brown; profemur and tibia orange, procoxae, trochanter, tarsi and claws blackish-brown. Venter: prosternum orange; meso- and metasterna black; abdomen blackish-brown. Pubescence white.

Head ( Figs 5-7 View Figures 5–14 ). Slightly longer than wide; vertex not so raised, coarsely covered with relatively long setae, its surface smooth, with shallow fovea on top, in some cases, fovea longitudinally elongate; area between X-shaped vertex groove and compound eye bearing relatively long setae; orbital area triangular, very densely covered with pubescence; frontal tubercle glabrous; frontoclypeus triangular, bearing relatively long setae, central region glabrous; labrum with ca. Eight relatively long setae, anterior margin corrugated, medial part anteriorly projected; antenna filiform, ca. 0.6 times as long as body length, antennomeres 1 and 2 subglobular and almost glabrous with a few setae, antennomeres 3-11 bearing velutinous setae, antennomeres 5-11 each ringed along apex by a few long setae, antennomere 3 slightly shorter than 4, antennomere 5 slightly longer than 6, antennomeres 6-10 subequal in length, antennomeres 3-10 elongate but slightly thickening apically, apex of antennomere 11 conically prominent.

Pronotum ( Figs 9 and 12 View Figures 5–14 ). Subequal in width and length, laterally constricted in middle; surface sparsely, coarsely punctate also micropunctate between larger punctures; transverse groove present near base with fovea medially; anterior and basal margins narrowly margined, basal margin densely pubescent; a long seta present in anterior and posterior angles.

Scutellum ( Fig. 9 View Figures 5–14 ). Trapezoidal and relatively longitudinally elongated, posterior angles round, in some specimens posterior margin completely rounded; sparsely pubescent.

Elytra ( Figs 1-2 View Figures 1–4 ). 1.7 times longer than wide; very slightly depressed on anterior region in Taiwanese individuals but not depressed in the holotype. Lateral margin parallel; punctures slightly weakening posteriorly, interspaces smooth and slightly raised on apical ⅓.

Pygidium. Anterior ⅓ densely covered with short hair-like projections except for stridulatory organ in anterior middle; posterior ⅔ with dense, stout setae.

Palpi of mouth parts ( Fig. 8 View Figures 5–14 ). Apical palpomere of maxillary palpi relatively slender, conico-cylindrical; other palpomeres elongate, tapering basally. Labial palpi with four palpomeres, apical three palopmeres relatively stout, apical palpomere conico-cylindrical.

Prothorax (lateral and ventral, Figs 10, 11, and 13 View Figures 5–14 ). Anterior part of prosternum transversely oblong, posterior margin covered with pubescence, anterior region glabrous with very fine lotus-pod like structures, some specimens with transverse wrinkles. Prosternal process very narrow and higher than anterior part, with pubescence on ridgeline, widened posteriorly. Surface of pronotal hypomeron smooth. Posterior arms of pronotal hypomeron not closed and forming arms, but prosternal process bridges them. Anterior and posterior margins of prothorax with pubescent fringe; anterior margin fringed with two rows of setae; anterior margin with curved and straight setae and posterior margin with one straight seta.

Mesothorax ( Fig. 13 View Figures 5–14 ). Surface of mesosternum with deep transverse wrinkles, posterior ½ with pubescence; posterior process with small ridge along posterior margin, its surface covered with relatively long setae. Mesepisternum and mesepimeron entirely covered with dense pubescence.

Metathorax ( Fig. 13 View Figures 5–14 ). Metasternum oblong; almost all margins with ridge; surface of median ½ glabrous except margin sparsely covered with relatively long setae; lateral ½ densely pubescent; ridgeline of posterior ridge with dense pubescence. Metepisternum with dense pubescence, lateral ⅓ with glabrous area.

Legs ( Fig. 13 View Figures 5–14 ). Procoxae conico-cylindrical, with dense and relatively long pubescence, protrochanters glabrous except with relatively long setae on anterior ridgeline; profemora almost glabrous except lateral apex with dense pubescence ventrally, in dorsal view with relatively dense pubescence except for basal ½ of inner margin glabrous. Mesocoxae spherical, with dense, relatively long pubescence on lower anterior ½; mesotrochanters glabrous except with a few long setae on posterior ridgeline; meso- and metafemora with dense pubescence in ventral view, glabrous except for lateral 1⁄5 with dense pubescence in dorsal view; metatrochanters glabrous except with a few short setae on posterior ridgeline; meso- and metatibiae slender and uniform in shape, covered with dense pubescence, basal ½ with slightly curved pubescence, apical ½ with transparent straight, stiff pubescence, lateral margin of its apex bordered with translucent brown spines, and armed with two subequal black-brown very short spines on ventral margin.

Abdominal sterna ( Fig. 14 View Figures 5–14 ). Surface almost entirely densely covered by short pubescence except posterior margin of sterna 1-4 glabrous; lateral area near base of sternite one with more or less glabrous patch, middle of lateral region more or less depressed.

Male genitalia ( Figs 15-17 View Figures 15–17 ). Consisting of five parts: tergite 8, gastral spiculum, tegmen, median lobe and internal sac. Tergite 8 similar to that of the female as described below. Gastral spiculum consisting of two pairs of twig-like sclerites, one pair longer than the other, shorter pair asymmetrical and spoon-like in ventral view. Basal piece of tegmen triangular with rounded corner in lateral view, tapering toward base. Median lobe relatively slender, median foramen expanding and occupying ⅓ of ventral surface in lateral view, ventral end of median orifice with rectangular protrusion which has rounded corner. Internal sac without flagellum and pocket as observed in Lema lacertosa ; having dorsal-, median-, and ventral sclerites; dorsal, median and ventral sclerites block-like; ventral sclerite covered with a pair of rounded lobes formed by a membrane.

Female genitalia and a part of reproductive systems ( Figs 18-23 View Figures 18–23 ). Bursa copulatrix balloon-like with its wall thickened but soft. Spermatheca with relatively long duct (0.79 mm, N = 1), opening to ventral side of bursa copulatrix. Wall of spermathecal capsule well sclerotized and thick; distal part of spermathecal capsule hook-shaped, proximal part strongly coiled; inner surface completely covered by very fine winkle-like sculpture. Genitalia consisting of four parts: tergites 8 and 9, and sternites 8 and 9; sclerotization of tergite 8 gradually weakened toward midline; sternite 8 with stick-like apodeme; tergite and sternite 9 consisting of a pair of sclerites; tergites 8 and 9 largely covered by scale- to winkle-like sculpture, marginal region of tergite 8 covered by relatively stout setae; both sides of the sternite 8 covered by scale-like sculpture; posterior area of sternite 9 weakly wrinkled.

Measurements.Elytral length: male: 4.53 ± 0.22 mm (mean ± SD, N = 5), female: 5.14 ± 0.03 mm (N = 2). Elytral width: male: 2.68 ± 0.06 mm, female: 2.92 ± 0.06 mm. Pronotum length: male: 1.44 ± 0.04 mm, female: 1.46 ± 0.07 mm. Pronotum width: male: 1.43 ± 0.05 mm, female: 1.58 ± 0.08 mm.

Host plant.

( Figs 43-44 View Figures 43–48 ) Fabaceae : Pueraria lobata (Willd.) subsp. thomsonii (Benth.) Ohashi.

Distribution.

China, Taiwan (new record).

Remarks.

Condition of holotype. Right side of the head and abdomen in dorsal view with wormholes. Almost all pubescence of the body surface is lost. However punctures remain, which enable us to know setal arrangement. Comparing the arrangement of the punctures and setae in newly collected Taiwanese specimens, we identified the specimens collected in Taiwan as Lema diversipes and described the characteristic of setae based on the Taiwanese specimens.

Justification of resurrection of Lema diversipes and removing it from synonymy of from Lema lacertosa . Lema diversipes was synonymized under Lema lacertosa by Gressitt and Kimoto (1961) without explanation, and researchers have followed this treatment ( Kimoto and Gressitt 1979, Schmitt 2010, Warchałowski 2011). The two species which we identified as Lema lacertosa and Lema diversipes in this study clearly differ in their external appearance, the genital structure, and their host plants. Feeding on Fabaceae plants for Lema diversipes is very rare in members of the genus Lema ( Schmitt 1988).

The original descriptions ( Lacordaire 1845, Pic 1921) and redescriptions ( Baly 1865) of the species are not detailed enough to distinguish them, but the measurements in the original- or re-descriptions differs greatly between them ( Lema lacertosa : 2 2/3 lin. = 5.64 mm described by Baly 1865, Lema diversipes : 8 mill = 8 mm described by Pic 1921). Although we asked curators in the Natural History Museum (London), the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris), the Brussels Museum, the Bishop Museum (Hawaii) and the Museum of Comparative Zoology (Cambridge), we could not find the type specimen of Lema lacertosa . However, reading taxonomic papers, we judge that chrysomelid taxonomists have a consensus of the characters dis tinguishing Lema lacertosa (e.g. Gressitt and Kimoto 1961, Kimoto and Gressitt 1979, Warchałowski 2011). In fact, we found Indian Lema specimens which were identified as Lema lacertosa was quite similar to the smaller Taiwanese Lema specimens. We compared generally accepted species as Lema lacertosa and the holotype of Lema diversipes . The holotype of Lema diversipes is clearly distinguished from Lema lacertosa , and we judged Lema diversipes should be treated as a separate species.