Liroetis suwai ( Takizawa, 1988 )

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 : 599-601

Liroetis suwai ( Takizawa, 1988)

( Figs 297 , 303, 309 , 324–325 )

Mimastra suwai Takizawa, 1988: 14 (original description).

Mimastra suwai : Mൾൽඏൾൽൾඏ & SඉඋൾർIJൾඋ (1999): 312 (catalogue); Kං- ආඈඍඈ (2005): 62 (catalogue); ZIJൺඇǤ et al. (2006): 203 (catalogue). Liroetis suwai : Hൺඋඍආൺඇඇ & Mൾൽඏൾൽൾඏ (2003): 168 (transferred to Liroetis , faunistics); Bൾൾඇൾඇ (2010):478 (catalogue); SඉඋൾർIJൾඋ-Uൾ- ൻൾඋඌൺඑ (2011): 433 (catalogue).

Type locality. ‘[ Nepal:] Beding, Rolwaling valley, Janakpur’.

Type material. Not examined.

Additional material examined. NEPAL: Chautara distr., Choche Lekh, viii.1983, 2 JJ, M. G. Allen leg. ( BMNH); Dhaulagiri SE slope, Dwari village, upper Rahugat Khola valley, 2500 m, 13.–15.v.2002, 1 ♀, J. Schmidt leg. ( NMEG); Karnali prov., Churta E Hochtal, 3500–3800 m, 2.vi.2007, 1 ♀, F. Creutzburg leg. ( NMEG).

Diagnosis. Colouration. Body yellow, scutellum dark with paler apical half, each elytron with small black spot on humeral callus and three small black spots preapically in transverse row, antennae black except for antennomere I yellow with darkened dorsal side, femora yellow with black apex, tibiae and tarsi black. Ventral side variable: meso- and metaventrites yellow to black with brown spots, abdomen yellow or yellow with black lateral parts of ventrites.

Body length. JJ: 9.9–10.2 mm, ♀♀: 9.3–10.3 mm (♀♀: 10.0– 11.5 mm based on the original description).

Male ( Figs 324 ). Antennae 0.72 times as long as body. Pronotum subquadrangular, 1.32 times as wide as long, lustrous, almost impunctate, anterior margin thinly bordered, lateral margins subparallel. Scutellum nearly impunctate, without small grooves at basal angles. Middle part of posterior margin of abdominal ventrite IV vertically impressed. Longitudinal impression on last abdominal ventrite parallel. Protarsomere I wide, subpentagonal. Metatibial spur absent.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 297 ). Median lobe of aedeagus 4.39 times as long as wide; apical fifth narrower, parallel, with distinct very narrow median furrow, apex rounded, folded down; basal four fifths wider, subparallel, slightly convergent apically. Lateral view: median lobe widely rounded; lateral elevation widely rounded, placed in anterior quarter of aedeagus length. Dorsal process 6.88 times as long as wide, 0.85 times as long as median lobe; narrow, subparallel, slightly wider subapically. Lateral view: dorsal process moderately regularly rounded, apical part slightly folded down.

Female ( Fig. 325 ). Metatibial spur absent. Sternite VIII heart-shaped, middle part of posterior margin widely concave, lateral parts of posterior margin covered with large setae; tignum as long as sternite VIII with apex shortly bifurcated ( Fig. 309 ). Spermatheca with well developed subglobular nodulus, cornu C-shaped, spermathecal duct gradually widened basally ( Fig. 303 ).

Differential diagnosis. Liroetis suwai is very similar to L. paragrandis . Both species differ in body length (9.9–11.5 mm in L. suwai , 12.0–14.0 mm in L. paragrandis ), colour of scutellum (mostly or partly black in L. suwai , yellow in L. paragrandis ), and shape of dorsal process of aedeagus (almost parallel in whole length in L. suwai , widely extended in apical part in L. paragrandis , cf. Figs 296–297 ). Similarly coloured L. grandis differs in scutellum with two small grooves at basal angles ( Fig. 280 ).

Distribution. Nepal (Tൺĸංඓൺඐൺ 1988, Hൺඋඍආൺඇඇ & Mൾൽ- ඏൾൽൾඏ 2003, presentpaper).

Figures

Figs 291–298. Aedeagus of Liroetis, dorsal and lateral views, apex of dorsal process in frontal view. 291 – L. alticola Jiang, 1988; 292 – L. apicalis Gressitt & Kimoto, 1963; 293 – L. nigropictus (Fairmaire, 1889); 294 – L. obliquevirgatus Lopatin, 2013; 295 – L. octopunctatus (Weise, 1889); 296 – L. paragrandis Jiang, 1988; 297 – L. suwai (Takizawa, 1988); 298 – L. yulongnis Jiang, 1988. Scale 0.5 mm.

Figs 299–310. Spermatheca (Figs 299–304) and sternite VII (Figs 305–310) of Liroetis. 299, 305 – L. alticola Jiang, 1988; 300, 306 – L. apicalis Gressitt & Kimoto, 1963; 301, 307 – L. octopunctatus (Weise, 1889); 302, 308 – L. paragrandis Jiang, 1988; 303, 309 – L. suwai (Takizawa, 1988); 304, 310 – L. yulongnis Jiang, 1988. Scales 0.25 mm for Figs 299–304, 0.5 mm for Figs 305–310.

Figs 324–325. Liroetis suwai (Takizawa, 1988). 324 – Male (9.6 mm), dorsal view. 323 – Female (10.3 mm), dorsal view.

Figs 277–281. Liroetis grandis Chen & Jiang, 1986, female, paratype (13.3 mm). 277 – dorsal view; 278 – ventral view; 279 – head and pronotum; 280 – scutellum; 281 – labels.