Ochralea wangkliana ( Mohamedsaid, 2005 ) Mohamedsaid, 2005

Hazmi, Izfa Riza & Wagner, Thomas, 2010, Revalidation and revision of Ochralea Clark, 1865 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae) from the Oriental Region, Zootaxa 2530, pp. 47-59 : 57-58

Ochralea wangkliana ( Mohamedsaid, 2005) , comb. nov.

Figs 11–16

= Monolepta wangkliana Mohamedsaid, 2005: 390 .

Redescription. Total length: 12.40–14.40 mm (mean: 13.2 mm, n = 3)

Head: Pale yellow or brownish. Very finely punctate, with a significant transverse impression between the posterior third of eyes, and a short median impression. Eyes large, strongly convex ( Fig. 12 ). Labial and maxillary palpi slender, yellow basally, occasionally brownish towards the apex. Labrum and tip of mandible brown to black. Antenna filiform, elongate, three basal antennomeres pale to reddish-yellow and others dark brown to black. Length ratio of second to third antennomere, 0.85–0.92 (mean: 0.90); length ratio of third to fourth antennomere, 0.45–0.52 (mean: 0.49; fig. 13).

Thorax: Pronotum narrow, smooth, finely punctate, convex from side to side, without any depression, yellow. Pronotal width 4.05–4.20 mm (mean: 4.08), length to width ratio, 0.63–0.65 (mean: 0.64; fig. 12), smooth and finely punctate. Scutellum triangular, impunctate, yellow. Elytra densely and significantly more coarsely punctured than pronotum, yellow. Elytral length, 9.65–10.60 mm (mean: 10.30 mm), maximal width of both elytra together, 6.80–7.00 mm (mean: 6.90 mm), ratio of maximal width of both elytra together to length of elytra 0.66–0.68 (mean: 0.67; fig. 12). Meso- and metathorax yellow. Legs long, and slender. Coxa and femur yellow, tibia and tarsi contrasting black.

Abdomen: Yellow. Last visible sternite in females slightly convex at the apex, but with two deep, parallel incisions, one on either side, in males.

Male genitalia: Median lobe very elongate and moderately curved, the basal half broad, and the apical half tapering towards the apex in dorsal view. Deeply incised at the apically with the basal orifice rounded. Tectum not reaching the apex of the median lobe ( Fig. 14 ).

Female genitalia: Spermatheca strongly sclerotized, particularly nodulus, cornu strongly curved and more or less rounded apically (fig. 15). One pair of poorly sclerotized bursal sclerites (fig. 16).

Diagnosis: Ochralea wangkliana has the same colouration as about one third of the O. nigripes specimens examined. It is characterized by completely pale yellow to yellow dorsum, underside, three basal antennomeres, coxae and femora, and contrasting dark brown to black apical antennomeres, tibiae and tarsi. Ochralea wangkliana are much larger, and Ochralea specimens longer than 13.5 mm belong to this species. The best character to distinguish the two species is the median lobe, which is less curved and deeply incised apically, with the tectum not extending to the apex in O. wangkliana (fig. 14). The median lobe in O. nigripes is more strongly curved, shorter, and the tectum almost reaches the apex of the median lobe (fig. 9). The endophallic armature is similar.

The spermatheca of O. nigripes has the cornu terminating in a cap-like structure (fig. 10), whilst it is rounded in O. wangkliana (fig. 15). The bursal sclerites are very similar to O. nigripes (fig. 11), but consist of only one pair of slecrites (fig. 16). It is possible that O. wangkliana may only represent very large specimens of O. nigripes , and the differences found in external measurements and genital structures are caused by allometric effects. However, we think that the differences particularly in the shape of the median lobe, spermatheca and number of bursal sclerites, support a distinct species.

Distribution: Only known from Wang Kelian Perlis, Malaysia

Type material examined: Holotype: 3, Perlis, Kaki Bukit W. Kelian, 9 Dec 92, Zabidi, Sham, Saiful & K’din ( UKM); Type locality: Malaysia, 6°40'N / 100°11'E. Paratypes: 2 Ƥ, Perlis, Taman Negeri Wang Kelian, 29 Sept.–4.Oct 1999, Zabidi, Ismail & Azman ( UKM), 6°40'N / 100°11'E.

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 11: Ochralea nigripes (Olivier, 1808). 7: Habitus, dorsal colour patterns (white: yellow; grey: red; black: black) Scale bar: 1 mm; 8: Basal antennomeres, a. two different females; b. two different males; 9: Median lobe, endophallus inverted: a. dorsal, b. lateral; c. ventral (without endophallic spiculae); 10. Spermathecae of three different females showing variation; 11: Bursal sclerites, view from inner side: a. ventral, b. dorsal. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURES 12 – 16: Ochralea wangkliana (Mohamedsaid, 2005): 12: Habitus, dorsal colour patterns (white: yellow; black: black); 13: Basal antennomeres: a. female; b. male; 14: Median lobe, endophallus inverted: a. dorsal, b. lateral; c. ventral (without endophallic spiculae); 15: Spermathecae of two different females showing variation; 16: Bursal sclerites, view from inner side. Scale bar: 1 mm.