Aspidimorpha wagneri Borowiec & Sekerka

Borowiec, Lech & Sekerka, Lukáš, 2014, A new species of Aspidimorpha (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Aspidimorphini) from Uganda, Zootaxa 3796 (1), pp. 197-200 : 198-199

Aspidimorpha wagneri Borowiec & Sekerka sp. nov.

( Figs 1–5 )

Etymology. Named in honour of Thomas Wagner an eminent specialist in the taxonomy of galerucine beetles who collected this new species in Uganda.

Type material. Holotype: “ Uganda, Budongo Forest / BFP – Station Sonso / 6.–16.X. 2004 Th. Wagner (preserved in DBET); paratype “ UGANDA occ. / Budongo Reserve / Busingiro 9.–12.11.0 6 / B. et P. Malec lgt. (LS).

Diagnosis. Using Borowiec’s (1997) key to the species of the nominotypical subgenus A. (A.) wagneri runs to couplet 108: Steps followed in this process include: species from continental Africa (couplet 1); elytral disc not depressed (couplet 14); elytral disc with more or less defined postscutellar tubercle (couplet 55); body circular (couplet 89); punctation of elytral disc extremely fine to coarse but never rugose (couplet 91); explanate margin of elytra with at least a humeral or posterolateral spot (couplet 94); explanate margin of elytra with humeral or both humeral and posterolateral spots (couplet 103); explanate margin of elytra only with humeral spots (couplet 104); pronotal and elytral disc never completely black (couplet 105); and postscutellar tubercle low and obtuse (couplet 108). Three previously described species display this combination of characters: A. (A.) adjecta Spaeth, 1940 , A. (A.) mutata Boheman, 1854 and A. (A.) uelensis Spaeth, 1932 . However A. (A.) mutata distinctly differs in that its dorsum does not have a black pattern and yellowish-brown to reddish-brown humeral spots and a distinctly lower and more obtuse postscutellar tubercle; and A. (A.) adjecta is smaller, less than 8.3 mm long, has yellowish-brown but never black humeral spots, and its elytral pattern forms an irregular dark brown ring in the disc. Both A. (A.) mutata and A. (A.) adjecta also differ in having an elongate inner pecten extending to 1/3–2/5 of the length of the claw. Aspidimorpha (A.) uelensis is the most similar in appearance, particularly the form described as ab. bambesana Spaeth, 1940 ( Fig. 6 ) but differs in having an extremely low and obtuse postscutellar tubercle ( Fig. 7 ). The postscutellar tubercle of A. (A.) wagneri is slightly higher and more angulate than that in the three species discussed above but not as high and angulate as that in the species keyed between couplet 111 and 120. None of the 10 species noted in this part of Borowiec’s key have an elytral pattern forming a regular black ring on the disc and black humeral spots. If a black pattern does occur, it is mostly in the form of either humeral spots or humeral spots and stripes along the sides of the disc. The darkest form of A. (A.) sulfuripennis Spaeth, 1932 has broad black stripes along the sides of the disc but they are never joined on slope. It also differs in having antennal the 9th antennomere black or at least infuscate.

Description. Length from apex of pronotum to tip of elytra: 8.4–9.4 mm, width at widest point of elytra: 7.8–8.6 mm, length of pronotum: 2.45–2.70 mm, width of pronotum: 5.4–5.7 mm, length/width ratio: 1.08–1.09, width/length ratio of pronotum: 2.11–2.20. Body almost circular ( Fig. 1 ).

Pronotum uniformly yellow. Scutellum yellow. Elytral disc mostly black with yellow postscutellar tubercle and apex. Explanate elytral margin yellow with broad, black humeral spots extending to lateral margin of elytra. No sutural spot ( Fig. 1 ). Head, thorax, abdomen and legs yellow. Antennomeres 1–9 yellow, antennomere 9 mostly brown only on ventral side in basal 1/3 length yellow, antennomere 11 black with yellow apex ventrally ( Fig. 3 ).

Pronotum very broad, 2.11–2.20 times as wide as long, greatest width slightly posteriad of the middle, and laterally rounded. Pronotal disc regularly convex, impunctate, and shiny. Explanate margin forming a distinct separate border alongside the pronotal disc, its surface impunctate, shiny, and transparent with a distinct honeycomb structure within.

Scutellum triangular. Base of elytra much wider than that of the pronotum, humerus protruding moderately anteriad, and humeral angle subangulate. Disc irregularly convex, postscutellar tubercle conical and obtuse apically ( Fig. 2 ). No postscutellar and principal impressions. Punctation on disc very fine, regular, becoming gradually smaller from base towards declivous apex, extremely small to invisible in the apical 1/4 of the disc, with the interpunctural distance from two to six times wider than the puncture diameter. Marginal punctural row distinct, its punctures slightly coarser than those in the lateral rows. Intervals broad, five to six times wider than rows near sutural margin of disc, two to three times wider than rows laterally. Marginal interval very narrow, as wide as the marginal row, lateral fold absent. Surface of the intervals flat, impunctate, shiny. Explanate margin of elytron very broad, in the widest part 1.6 times narrower than disc, subhorizontal, impunctate, and shiny, and transparent with distinct honeycomb structure within. Apex of elytral epipleura not pubescent, only apical elytral margin with a row of 6–8 moderately long setae.

Eyes large and gena obsolete. Clypeus broad, approximately 1.7 times as wide as long, and clypeal plate flat, shiny, and impunctate ( Fig. 5 ). Prosternal process broad medially and strongly expanded apically, mostly flat between the coxae, but shallowly impressed in front of the expanded apex, impunctate, shiny, expanded apex, which is slightly convex medially, impunctate and shiny. Antennae long, anetnnomere 10 approximately 1.2 times as long as wide. Length ratio of antennomeres: 100:46:115:80:74:46:68:58:57:54:100, antennomere 3 approximately 2.5 times as long as segment 2 and 1.4 times as long as segment 4.

Tarsal claws pectinate, inner pecten with three short teeth, the largest of these on the fore claws extends to 1/5 times the length of the claw ( Fig. 4 ), inner pecten on mid and hind legs only extending slightly beyond the inner margin of the claw, and outer pecten on all tarsal claws with two short teeth.

Distribution. Western Uganda.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. 1 – 5. Aspidimorpha wagneri sp. nov.. 1. dorsal view of paratype; 2. lateral view of paratype; 3. antenna of holotype; 4. fore tarsal claws of holotype; 5. head of holotype. 6 – 7. Aspidimorpha uelelensis Spaeth (ab. bambesana). 6. dorsal view; 7. lateral view (specimen from Democratic Republic of Congo, Equateur, Flandria, 1932, leg. R. P. Hulstaert).