Baoshanaltica Konstantinov & Ruan

Ruan, Yongying, Konstantinov, Alexander S., Prathapan, K. D. & Yang, Xingke, 2017, Contributions to the knowledge of Chinese flea beetle fauna (II): Baoshanaltica new genus and Sinosphaera new genus (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini), ZooKeys 720, pp. 103-120 : 103-105

Baoshanaltica Konstantinov & Ruan gen. n. Figs 1, 2, 3

Type species.

Baoshanaltica minuta Konstantinov & Ruan, sp. n.

Etymology.

We name this genus after its type locality: Baoshan (保山) mountains, Yunnan province. The name is feminine.

Distribution.

China.

Host plant.

Possibly unknown species of moss.

Description.

Body color and proportions. Body unicolorous, brown to dark brown, without slight metallic luster. Body ovate in dorsal view, highly convex in lateral view. Body length 1.40-1.55 mm (n=2). Body width (widest point of elytra) 1.05-1.10 mm. Body length to width, ratio 1.35-1.45. Pronotum width to length, ratio 1.50-1.60. Pronotum width at base to width at apex, ratio 1.05-1.10. Elytron length (measured along suture) to width of both, ratio 0.90-1.00. Elytron and abdomen length to height of the body (in lateral view), ratio 1.30-1.40. Length of elytron to length of pronotum, ratio 2.75-2.85. Width of elytra at base (measured across middle of humeral calli) to width of pronotum at base, ratio 1.25-1.30.

Head. Surface glabrous, dark brown, shiny, without punctures, except for supraorbital. Antennal calli poorly delimited with supracallinal, midfrontal, supraantennal, and suprafrontal sulci absent to poorly developed. Frontal ridge wider between antennal sockets than near clypeus. Each side of frontal ridge with few white, long setae. Top of frontal ridge separated from vertex by a more or less round impression. Width of frontal ridge to antennal sockets (counting surrounding ridges), ratio 2.50-2.60. Frontal ridge in lateral view moderately convex. Frontal ridge and anterofrontal ridge in frontal view form nearly straight angle. Vertex obviously concave at its lower part near frontal ridge.

Orbit as wide as transverse diameter of antennal socket. Inner margin of eye straight. Distance between eyes (just above antennal sockets) to transverse diameter of eye in frontal view, ratio 3.50-3.60. Longitudinal diameter of eye to transverse diameter of eye in frontal view, ratio 1.95-2.05. Sides of head below eyes converging ventrally. Labrum flat with 2 pairs of setae, without projections in middle. Anterior margin of labrum with shallow emargination in middle. Apical maxillary palpomere conical. Supraorbital pore well developed. Clypeus band-like in shape. Antennal sockets situated about middle of eye. Distance between antennal sockets to transverse diameter of one antennal socket, ratio 2.50-2.60.

Antennae stout and short, only slightly stretch over pronotum. Number of antennomeres: 11. First antennomere slightly as long as or slightly shorter than next two combined. Antennomere 2 longer than 3. Antennomere 5 about as long as antennomeres 4 and 6 separately. Distal antennomeres robust, wider than middle ones. Antennomere 7 in males with lobe projecting dorsally. Length to width of antennomere 9, ratio 1.20-1.25. Length to width of antennomere 10, ratio 1.05-1.10. Length to width of antennomere 11, ratio 1.45-1.55.

Prothorax. Pronotal surface glabrous, with a shallow and poorly defined transverse impression and two poorly defined lateral impressions near base. Pronotal punctures as large as elytral ones, their diameter 2-3 times smaller than distance between them. Anterolateral callosity of pronotum well developed, long, facing anterolaterally with obtuse denticle posteriorly. Anterior setiferous pore of pronotum situated close to middle of lateral margin. Sides of pronotum curved, somewhat sinuate. Pronotal base straight. Lateral margin of pronotum complete and strongly explanate. Posterolateral setiferous pore of pronotum protruding laterally beyond lateral margin.

Procoxal cavities open. Lateral sides of intercoxal prosternal process concave in middle, apex slightly wider than middle. Posterior end of intercoxal prosternal process slightly convex. Intercoxal prosternal process slightly extends beyond procoxae. Intercoxal prosternal process normally wide. Width of intercoxal prosternal process between procoxae to length of procoxa, ratio 0.65-0.70.

Elytra. Humeral calli absent. Hind wings absent. Impressions or ridges on elytron absent. Elytron with small punctures arranged in 8 rows; scutellar row of punctures absent. Interspaces slightly costate. Scutellum present, extremely small, triangular. Elytron with apex acute, covering entire abdomen. Sides strongly and evenly convex. Epipleura oblique outwardly, gradually narrowing from base to apex, nearly reaching apex. Width of epipleura greater than that of profemur. Epipleura basally much wider than apically. Elytra at base wider than base of pronotum.

Venter. Meso- and metasterna more or less flat, without elevated projection in middle. Metasternum slightly projecting forward. Abdominal ventrites 1 and 2 not fused. Abdominal ventrite 1 as long as remaining ventrites together. Abdominal ventrite 5 longer than ventrites 4, 3 and 2 together. First abdominal ventrite between coxa without longitudinal ridges. Anterior end of first abdominal ventrite normally wide and truncate.

Legs. Apical spur of protibia and mesotibia absent. Apical spur of metatibia relatively short and slender. Metafemoral spring present. Claw simple. Apical part of hind and middle tibia without excavation. Length (not counting trochanter) to maximum width of metafemur, ratio 1.90-1.95. Length to width of metatibia in lateral view, ratio 7.70-7.80. Width of metatibia at base to width at apex in dorsal view, ratio 0.50-0.60. Length of metatibia to length of first metatarsomere, ratio 4.50-4.60. Metatibia generally straight. Metatibia in cross section around its middle more or less cylindrical. Dorsal side of metatibia without sharp edge or small denticles. Metatarsomere 1 attached to apex of metatibia. Length of metafemur to metatibia, ratio 1.25-1.35. First protarsomere of male, length to width, ratio (in dorsal view) 1.40-1.50. Length of first protarsomere to length of second protarsomere, ratio 1.80-1.90. Width of first protarsomere to width of second protarsomere, ratio 0.95-1.00. Tarsomere 3 incised, deeply bilobed and slightly elongate. First metatarsomere of male, length to width, ratio (in dorsal view) 2.20-2.30. Length of first metatarsomere much less than half of metatibial length. First and rest three metatarsomeres make more or less straight line. Length of first metatarsomere to length of second metatarsomere, ratio 2.90-3.00. Width of first metatarsomere to width of second metatarsomere, ratio 1.00-1.05. Length of fourth metatarsomere to length of third metatarsomere, ratio 1.40-1.45.

Genitalia. Aedeagus slender, flattened in cross section, strongly and evenly curved in lateral view. Apex abruptly narrowed.

Remarks.

In the general shape, Baoshanaltica resembles moss-inhabiting flea beetles from the genus Cangshanaltica Konstantinov et al., 2013, discovered in a neighboring mountain ridge in Yunnan and later found in northern Thailand ( Damaška and Konstantinov 2016). However, Baoshanaltica can be differentiated from the latter by the following characters: frontal ridge generally narrow, wider between antennal sockets than near clypeus, forming nearly straight angle with anterofrontal ridge (in Cangshanaltica frontal ridge wide, as wide between antennal sockets as near clypeus, forming one solid structure with anterofrontal ridge); anterolateral callosity of pronotum straight, facing anterolaterally with obtuse denticle posteriorly (in Cangshanaltica callosity convex, facing more anteriorly than laterally without denticle posteriorly); elytra with regular rows of punctures and convex interspaces (in Cangshanaltica elytral punctures placed irregularly and elytra without convex interspaces); metatibial spur short and slender (in Cangshanaltica metatibial spur long and more robust). From Minota , with which Baoshanaltica shares similarly shaped frontal ridge, absence of humeral calli, regular elytral punctuation and wide epipleuron, it can be differentiated by: presence of anterofrontal ridge (absent in Minota ); poorly developed supracallinal sulci (well developed in Minota ); and open procoxal cavities (closed in Minota ). Baoshanaltica resembles apterous species of Phaelota , which are also moss-inhabiting. Both share characters such as two pairs of labral setae, robust distal antennomeres, presence of antebasal transverse impression on pronotum, regular elytral punctation, wide elytral epipleura reaching almost up to elytral apex etc. However, Baoshanaltica can be easily differentiated from Phaelota based on the modified 7th antennomere in males (unmodified in Phaelota ), open procoxal cavities (closed in Phaelota ), metatibia which is not sexually dimorphic (sexually dimorphic in Phaelota ) and eyes separated by a distance of 3.50-3.60 times transverse diameter of one eye (eyes separated by a distance of 1.6-2.3 times transverse diameter of one eye in Phaelota ).