Monolepta tsoui Lee

Lee, Chi-Feng, 2009, A taxonomic revision of Monolepta pallidula species group in Taiwan (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), Zootaxa 2170, pp. 15-27 : 23-24

Monolepta tsoui Lee , new species

Description. Total length: males: 4.5–5.5 mm (O: 5.15 mm; n= 6); females: 5.3–6.0 mm (O: 5.57 mm; n= 4). General color yellowish-brown; margin and area along margin of elytra, metasternum and metepisternum blackish-brown; antenna dark brown ( Figs. 3–4 ), but two basal antennomeres yellowish-brown; tibia and tarsi dark brown. Antennomeres 4–10 about 5.5 times longer than broad at apex ( Fig. 26 ); length of second to third antennomere 0.62–0.75 (O: 0.69); length of third to fourth antennomere 0.58–0.65 (O: 59) ( Fig. 25 ). Pronotal length to width 0.61–0.68 (O: 0.64). Maximal width of elytra to length of elytra 0.63–0.69 (O: 0.66). Length of basi-metatarsus to metatibia 0.51–0.57 (O: 0.54).

Color variation. Some individuals are yellowish-brown in general except for blackish-brown antenna, tibia, and tarsi; some are similar to typical form but with the black elytra ( Fig. 5 ); some are entirely black except for yellowish-brown abdomen ( Fig. 6 ).

Male genitalia ( Fig. 21 ). Median lobe broad, sub-parallel, not curved apically; apex rounded. Tectum very narrow, with a pair of acute sclerites at middle, about 0.6x as long as median lobe. Ventral surface medially and weakly sclerotized from apical 1/5 to base, parallel-sided; with circular opening near apex. Endophallus with two short median spiculae, lateral spiculae curved, apex acute, ventral specula single, rounded. Female genitalia. Spermathecal cornu ( Fig. 22 ) slender, slightly curved, apically tapering; middle part long, apically curved, slightly widened near cornu; nodulus spherical, large; proximal spermathecal duct short, larger near nodulus. Bursa-sclerites weakly sclerotized, only with a row of several visible teeth dorsally and ventrally ( Figs. 23–24 ).

Type Material. Holotype 3: “ Taiwan: Kaoshiang Shihshan logging trail, 11.X.2008, leg. C.-T. Yao” ( NMNS); paratypes: 23, same data as holotype; 13, same but with “ 08.X.2008 ”; 13, same but with “ 09.X.2008 ”; 23, same with “ 10.X.2008 ”; 13, same but with “ 31.VII.2008 ”; 13, same but with “ 01.VIII.2008 ”; 2ƤƤ, same but with “ 12.VIII.2008 ”; 23, same with “ 19.VIII.2008 ”; 1Ƥ, same but with “ 09.IX.2008 ”; 13, same but with “ 17.IX.2008 ”; 13 (#5449), 1Ƥ: “ Taiwan: Hsinchu Mamei, 18.V.2008, leg. M.-H. Tsao”; 1Ƥ, same but with “leg. S.-F. Yu”; 13 (#2742), 1Ƥ (#2589): “ Taiwan: Pingtung Tahanshan, 18.VII.2007, leg. M.-H. Tsao” (all in TARI).

Etymology. This new species is named after Mei-Hua Tsou (= Tsao), who made a great contribution in collecting materials for the present study.

Diagnosis. The yellowish-brown individual and those with the black-margined elytra are very similar to Monolepta gracilipes , but differs by the black tibia, presence of a lateral process on middle of the tectum, absence of apical spiculae, the median spiculae consisting of only one pair of the curved sclerites; and the reduced bursa-sclerites.

Distribution. Taiwan.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. Color forms in Monolepta species. 1 – 2. M. gracilipes, dorsal; 3 – 6. M. tsoui, 3, 5 – 6: dorsal, 4: lateral; 7 – 8. M. sauteri, 7: dorsal, 8: lateral; 9 – 10. M. kuroheri, 9: dorsal, 10: lateral.

FIGURES 21 – 26. Monolepta tsoui new species. 21. Median lobe, a: dorsal (ventral endophallic spiculae omitted), b: lateral, c: ventral (median and lateral endophallic spiculae omitted); lsp: lateral endophallic spiculae, msp: median endophallic spiculae, vsp: ventral endophallic spiculae; 22. spermatheca; 23. dorsal bursa-sclerites; 24. ventral bursasclerites; 25. basal antennomeres; 26. antenna.