Liroetis apicicornis Jacoby, 1896

Bezděk, Jan, 2021, Redefinition of Liroetis, with descriptions of two new species and an annotated list of species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 61 (2), pp. 529-614 : 603-605

Liroetis apicicornis Jacoby, 1896

( Figs 333–338 , 347 , 352, 355 )

Liroëtes apicicornis Jacoby, 1896: 282 (original description).

Liroëtis apicicornis : Wൾංඌൾ (1924): 128 (catalogue).

Liroetis apicicornis : Mൺඎඅංĸ (1936): 311; Wංඅർඈඑ (1973): 476 (catalogue); Kංආඈඍඈ (1989a): 82 (misidentification, = L. aurantiacus ).

Type locality. ‘Kanara, S. Bombay [= India: Karnataka:Karavali (former Northern Kanara)]’.

Type material examined. Sඒඇඍඒඉൾ: 1 J ( Figs 333–335 ), ‘ Type / H. T. [white round label with red collar, p] // Kanara [w, p] // Jacoby Coll. / 1909–28a [w, p] // Liroëtes / apicicornis / Jac. [b, h] // SYN- / TYPE [white round label with blue collar, p]’ ( BMNH).

Material examined. INDIA: Kൾඋൺඅൺ: Kallar valley, 15 km SW of Munnar, 1250 m, 1.–9.v.1997, 1 J 1 ♀, R. Peša leg. ( JBCB).

Diagnosis. Colouration. Body, legs and antennae completely pale brown, except two apical antennomeres black.

Body length. JJ: 9.5–9.7 mm, ♀: 10.3 mm.

Male ( Figs 336–337 ). Antennae 0.62 times as long as body. Pronotum 1.95 times as wide as long, lustrous, almost impunctate, anterior margin bordered. Abdominal ventrite IV with small subtriangular process in middle of posterior margin, surrounding surface slightly impressed. Last abdominal ventrite with longitudinal impression narrower in posterior part, wider basally. Protarsomere I narrow, metatibial spur short, very thin.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 347 ). Median lobe of aedeagus flat, lanceolate, 2.47 times as long as wide, widest in middle part; apical part subtriangular with incised tip. Lateral view: slightly bent, lateral elevation absent. Dorsal process short, 1.66 times as long as wide, 0.36 times as long as median lobe; apical part wide, covered with very long setae, in middle with wing-like structure; in lateral view Y-shaped.

Female. Metatibial spur absent. Last abdominal ventrite with posterior margin entire. Sternite VIII transversely suboval with triangular median process, posterior half of sternite VIII and median process covered with very long setae; tignum as long as sternite VIII, with asymmetrical oblique apex ( Fig. 355 ). Spermatheca with suboval nodulus covered with traces of transverse wrinkles, cornu short C-shaped ( Fig. 352 ).

Differential diagnosis. Liroetis apicicornis is characterised by body, legs and antennae completely orange brown, with exception of two apical antennomeres that are black, median lobe of aedeagus flat and wide, with dorsal process short, and by pronotum nearly twice as wide as long. It is the only known species of Liroetis inhabiting south-eastern India and its distribution is disjunct from other species of the genus (the nearest species occur in Himalayas and easternmost India). Liroetis aurantiacus sp. nov. and L. baolocanus sp. nov. from SE Asia have similarly transverse pronotum and similar colouration but they differ in completely brown antennae and very different structure of aedeagus (cf. Figs 65, 70 , 347 ).

Distribution. India: Karnataka (Jൺർඈൻඒ 1896), Kerala (present paper).

Comments. In the original description, Jൺർඈൻඒ (1896) indicated that only the ultimate antennomere is black. The two additional specimens examined are identical with the type specimens including the aedeagus but have the two last antennomeres black. Unfortunately, the antennae of the syntype are largely missing. I am unable to determine whether Jൺർඈൻඒ (1896) made a mistake in the original description or whether there is variability in colouration of the apical antennomeres.

Liroetis apicicornis has metatibial spur present in males and absent in females, pronotum ca. twice as wide as long with anterior margin narrowly bordered and median lobe of aedeagus flat and wide, without lateral elevation. Such combination of characters is unique within the genus Liroetis and thus L. apicicornis is for now not assigned to any of the species groups herein proposed.

The records from Thailand, Laos and Vietnam (Kංආඈඍඈ 1989a) evidently refer to another species (at least part of them to Liroetis aurantiacus sp. nov.). The specimens published from Nepal (Mൾൽඏൾൽൾඏ & SඉඋൾർIJൾඋ-Uൾൻൾඋ- ඌൺඑ 1998, 1999) were later described as L. brancuccii Medvedev, 2007 (Mൾൽඏൾൽൾඏ 2007), now classified as Hesperopenna brancuccii (see Bൾඓൽෂĸ 2016b).

Figures

Figs 333–338. Liroetis apicicornis Jacoby, 1896. 333–335 – Male, syntype (9.7 mm). 333 – dorsal view; 334 – ventral view; 335 – labels. 336–337 – Male (9.5 mm): 336 – dorsal view; 337 – head and pronotum. 338 – Female (10.3 mm).

Figs 347–351. Aedeagus of Liroetis, dorsal and lateral views, apex of dorsal process in frontal view. 347 – L. apicicornis Jacoby, 1896; 348 – L. latispinus (Chen, 1976); 349 – L. pallidulus (Jiang, 1990); 350 – L. reitteri (Pic, 1934); 351 – L. violaceipennis Zhang, Li & Yang, 2008. Fig. 348 reproduced from JංൺඇǤ (1990). Scale 0.5 mm.

Figs 352–358. Spermatheca (Figs 352–354) and sternite VII (Figs 355–358) of Liroetis. 352, 355 – L. apicicornis Jacoby, 1896; 353, 356 – L. pallidulus (Jiang, 1990); 354, 358 – L. violaceipennis Zhang, Li & Yang, 2008; 357 – L. reitteri (Pic, 1934). Scales 0.25 mm for Figs 352–354, 0.5 mm for Figs 355–358.

Figs 65–71. Details of new species of Liroetis. 65–70 – L. aurantiacus sp. nov. 65 – Aedegus in dorsal, lateral and ventral views; 66 – female pygidium; 67 – spermatheca; 68 – sternite VIII; 69 – male abdomen in ventral and lateral views. 70–71 – L. baolocanus sp. nov. 70 – Aedegus in dorsal, lateral and ventral views; 71 – male abdomen in ventral and lateral views. Scales: 0.5 mm for Figs 65–66, 68 and 70, 0.25 mm for Fig. 67; 1 mm for Figs 69, 71.