Coptocephala normandi Pic, 1914

Bezdċk, Jan & Regalin, Renato, 2015, Identity of species-group taxa of the Western Palaearctic Clytrini (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) described by Maurice Pic and Louis Kocher, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 55, pp. 1-114 : 18-19

Coptocephala normandi Pic, 1914

( Figs 7–8 , 87–92 )

Coptocephala normandi Pic, 1914c: 18 (original description).

Type locality. ‘ Tunisie: Le Kef’.

Type material examined. SYNTYPES: 2 ♀♀ (on the same pin), ‘ T. Le Kef / Dr NORMAND [w, p] // type [w, h] // C. normandi / Pic [w, h] // TYPE [r, p]’ ( MNHN – coll. Pic).

Additional material examined. TUNISIA: Tabarka , 16.–22.vi.2012, 4 ♂♂4 ♀♀, J. Januš leg. ( JBCB) ; Tabarka , 13.vi.2001, 1 ♂ 1 ♀, J. Schulze leg. ( HKCH) ; Tabarka , 13.vi.2011, 13 ♂♂13 ♀♀, M. Egger leg. ( HKCH) ; Tabarka (Umgebung Golfplatz), 4.–16.vi.2011, 2 ♂♂2 ♀♀, M. Egger leg. ( HKCH) ; Tabarka (Umgebung Golfhotel), 11.vi.2011, 5 ♂♂3 ♀♀, M. Egger leg. ( HKCH).

Redescription. Body length: ♂♂ 3.6–5.2 mm; ♀♀ 3.8–4.4 mm.

Male ( Fig. 87 ). Head black, labrum and apical half of mandibles orange.Antennomeres I–IV orange, V with orange base and black serrate part, rest black. Pronotum orange. Scutellum black. Elytra orange, each elytron with two black spots: humeral and inner posteromedian (see also Variability). Meso-, metaventrite and abdomen black. Legs completely orange, except darkened bases of coxae.

Head ( Fig. 89 ) enlarged, lustrous, Ħat. Mandibles robust, with distinct inner tooth, outer margin keeled in basal half, mandibles in lateral view with upper margin straight, without concavity or tooth. Labrum narrow, transverse, anterior margin shallowly emarginated, densely covered with pale setae. Clypeus with almost straight anterior margin, surface of clypeus covered with double punctures: denser very ħne puncture and scarcer larger punctures, setae are longer around anterior margin of clypeus, disc with short setae, anterior part of head slightly convex, its posterior margin forming slightly elevated indistinct keel in middle of frons. Eyes small. Frons very wide, 3.30 times as wide as diameter of eye. Frons and vertex covered with larger punctures, on sides wrinkled, setae are longer on frons, shorter on vertex. Antennae short, 0.27 times as long as body, antennomere I club-shaped; II subglobular, III very small, IV wider and longer than III; antennae serrated from antennomere V; antennomeres V–X wider than long.

Pronotum strongly transverse, 1.85 times as wide as long, widest behind middle, moderately convex, almost impunctate, some larger irregular punctures cumulated along middle parts of anterior and posterior margin. Anterior margins straight, lateral margins almost straight and convergent in anterior half, moderately rounded in posterior half, posterior margin nearly straight but distinctly thickened in scutellar area. Anterior angles rounded with several very short setae and one setigerous pore bearing long seta, posterior angles widely rounded. Lateral and posterior margins bordered, anterior margin distinctly bordered only laterally. Scutellum triangular with sharp apex, lustrous, lateral and basal sides with very ħne punctures bearing very short ħne setae, scutellar apex elevated upon level of elytra.

Elytra subcylindrical, 1.55 times as long as wide at humeral part, glabrous, lustrous, densely covered with confused punctures. Basal margin bordered, moderately swollen in middle part. Epipleura glabrous, impunctate, wide in humeral area, gradually thinner posteriorly, disappearing in two thirds of elytral length.

Legs. Protibiae distinctly enlarged, 6.80 times as long as wide. Protarsi: protarsomere I long, subparallel, 3.66 times as long as broad, with inner apical angle forming short acute tip, protarsomere II parallel, 2.33 as long as broad, protarsomere III very deeply incised, length ratios of protarsomeres I–IV equal to 100-64-45-64. Metatarsi: metatarsomere I short, subparallel, length ratios of metatarsomeres I–IV equal to 100-67-50-100. Claws simple.

Male genitalia. Ventral side with distinct median keel ( Fig. 7 ).

Female ( Fig. 88 ). Head not enlarged ( Fig. 90 ). Anterior margin of clypeus orange. Frons narrower than in male, 2.15 times as wide as diameter of eye. Protibiae not enlarged. Protarsi shorter than in males, protarsomeres I and II subtriangular, length ratios of protarsomeres I–IV equal to 100-75-75-150. Spermatheca as in Fig. 8 .

Variability. Two female syntypes have three black spots on each elytron (larger one on humeral callus and two posteromedian outer smaller than inner – Fig. 91 ), while all the specimens in the series from Tabarka have reduced black pattern (humeral spot is small, outer posteromedian spot is missing ( Figs 87–88 )). Scutellum is black or brownish black, one syntype has orange scutellar tip. Two of males have darkened meso- and metafemora, other two males and all females examined have all legs orange.

Differential diagnosis. Coptocephala normandi belongs to the C. aeneopicta species group. It is closest to C. crassipes crassipes and C. rungsi . From these species, C. normandi can be easily distinguished by legs entirely orange and by different shape of the aedeagus.

With orange legs (including tarsi), C. normandi can be confused with two more North African species: C. sefrensis Pic, 1897 and C. perrisi ( Desbrochers des Loges, 1870) , both known from Algeria and Morocco. The specimens of C. sefrensis have always two round black spots on each elytron (humeral and inner posteromedian), similar as in C. normandi but larger (compare Figs 87–91 vs. 103–107). The males of C. sefrensis have extremely wide frons, 4.45 times as wide as transverse diameter of eye (3.30 times in C. normandi ) and head with variable black colour (usually with small black spot along inner margin of an eye, rarely extended and connected on frons, but never with head black as in C. normandi ). Coptocephala perrisi is an extremely variable species, having dorsum from completely orange to elytra with two transverse black bands ( Figs 93–102 ); however, C. perrisi is larger species, more than 6 mm (3.6–5.2 mm in C. normandi ). All three species can be also easily distinguished by the structure of their aedeagi ( Figs 7, 9 , 11 ).

Distribution. Tunisia ( REGALIN & MEDVEDEV 2010b).

Comments. The true identity of C. normandi was uncertain for many years. In subsequent catalogues, WINKLER (1930) and NORMAND (1937) listed C. normandi as a valid species. WARCHA Ł OWSKI (1991, 2003, 2010) listed or keyed it as incertae sedis and also mentioned possible relation to C. kerimii . Recently, REGALIN & MEDVEDEV (2010b) listed C. normandi as a valid species.

Figures

Figs 7–10. 7–8 – Coptocephala normandi Pic, 1914: 7 – aedeagus (dorsal, lateral and ventral views); 8 – spermatheca. 9–10 – Coptocephala perrisi (Desbrochers des Loges, 1870): 9 – aedeagus (dorsal, lateral and ventral views); 10 – spermatheca. Scale bars: 1 mm for Fig. 9, 0.5 mm for Fig. 7, 0.25 mm for Figs 8 and 10.

Figs 87–92. Coptocephala normandi Pic, 1914: 87 – habitus of male (5.2 mm); 88 – habitus of female (4.4 mm); 89 – head of male; 90 – head of female; 91 – habitus of syntype (female, 4.2 mm); 92 – labels of syntype.

Figs 93–102. Coptocephala perrisi (Desbrochers des Loges, 1870): 93 – habitus of male (6.7 mm); 94 – head of male; 95 – habitus of male (syntype of C. bleusei Pic, 1897, 7.1 mm); 96 – head of male (syntype of C. bleusei); 97 – labels of syntype of C. bleusei; 98 – habitus of male (lectotype of C. perrisi, 6.0 mm); 99 – head of male (lectotype ofC. perrisi); 100 – labels of lectotype of C. perrisi; 101 – habitus of female (syntype of C. bleusei, 6.4 mm); 102 – head of female (syntype of C. bleusei).

Figs 11–14. 11 – Coptocephala sefrensis Pic, 1897:aedeagus (dorsal, lateral and ventral views).12–14 – spermatheca and ductus spermathecae:12 – Labidostomis luristanica WarchaŁowski, 2004; 13 – L. kantneri WarchaŁowski, 2004; 14 – L. shirazica Lopatin, 1979. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.