Miritius claudius Morais & Linzmeier

Morais, Ana Carla C., Ribeiro-Costa, Cibele S. & Linzmeier, Adelita M., 2016, On the taxonomy of the Brazilian flea beetle genus Miritius Bechyné & Bechyné (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini: Monoplatina) with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4067 (3), pp. 334-344 : 338-340

Miritius claudius Morais & Linzmeier , new species

( Figs 11–21 )

Description. Body 3.6–4.5 mm long and 1.5–2 mm wide (N = 10), pubescent, flat in lateral view ( Fig. 12 ). Color light brown to dark brown with dark brown markings as follows: one on anterior third of elytron, elongate, near sutural margin of elytra and another rounded close to epipleural margin, on second third of elytra forming a triangular patter ( Fig. 11 ). There is another laterally on epipleural region of humeral calli ( Fig. 12 ), a longitudinal midline in the pronotum which extends to antennal calli and in hypomeron in some exemplars.

Head ( Fig. 13 ) with supraorbital pore indistinguishable. Vertex with gold pilosity. Antennal calli well-marked, separated by narrow and deep midfrontal sulcus. Suprantennal and orbital sulci absent. Suprafrontal sulcus well developed. Supraorbital and frontolateral sulci slightly developed. Supracalinal sulcus incomplete, extending from midfrontal sulcus until middle of antennal calli. Midcranial suture well developed. Frontal ridge narrow, well developed, extending from interantennal region to frontoclypeal region, vanishing gradually. Anterofrontal ridge narrow, extending to mandible base, weakening gradually. Frontoclypeal suture absent. Frontoclypeal region poorly punctate and pilose. First antennomere 2x longer than second; third to fifth antennomeres narrower and longer than other, third antennomere longest of all; sixth antennomere slightly shorter than and as wide as the previous. Antennomeres 7-11 all thicker and more pilose than previous and gradually decrease in length; eleventh slightly longer than the previous one; seventh and eighth antennomeres dark brown; ninth to eleventh antennomeres light yellow ( Fig. 11 ). Gena 0.6x the length of eye. Labrum rectangular with anterior angles rounded.

Pronotum transverse, 1.3x wider than long; anterior margin straight, posterior margin almost straight; surface opaque, densely punctate, pilosity dense and short ( Fig. 14 ). Pronotal disc with slight longitudinal depression medially. Humeral calli well developed and basal calli slightly developed, forming a slight depression between them. Elytral apex slightly truncate.

Metafemur 1.5x longer than wide ( Fig. 15 ). Metatibia thickened at base and attenuated near apex, straight in lateral view; inner and outer dorsal margins diverge at base and converge in middle third, in dorsal view; outer dorsal margin with pre-apical projection, followed by numerous teeth; metatibial spur short; first and second metatarsomeres similar in size, 2x longer than third, fourth metatarsomere globose, dark brown, nearly as long as first and second together ( Fig. 16 ).

Abdomen with ventrite IV constricted medially. Aedeagus with lateral margins almost parallel, apex rounded, slightly more sclerotized, basal part long in ventral view ( Fig. 20 ). Basal part long and slightly bent ventrally in lateral view. Internal sac of median lobe with a sclerite large, C-shaped at apex and spicules distributed in apical third ( Fig. 21 ). Tignum with posterior area spatulated, wider than long ( Fig. 18 ). Vaginal palpi diverging largely medially ( Fig. 19 ). Spermatheca with receptacle and pump indistinct. Duct U-shaped ( Fig. 17 ).

Type material. Miritius claudius Holotype ♂. Labels: 1) Brasil, MT, J. & B. Bechyné; 2) Chapada dos Guimarães, 30.1.1961; 3) P-TYPE, Miritius claudius n., J. Bechyné det., 1967; 4) Miritius claudius Morais & Linzmeier det. 2015 ( MPEG).

Etymology. The specific name claudius proposed by Bechyné was maintained and it presumably refers to a person’s name.

Material examined. 1 exemplar ♂. Labels: 1) Brasil, MT, J. & B. Bechyné; 2) Chapada dos Guimarães, 3.2.1961; 3) Holotype ♂, Miritius claudius n., J. Bechyné det., 1962; 4) Miritius claudius Morais & Linzmeier det. 2015 ( MPEG). 1 exemplar ♀. Labels: 1) Brasil, MT, J. & B. Bechyné; 2) Chapada dos Guimarães, 3.2.1961; 3) Allotype ♀, Miritius claudius n., J. Bechyné det., 1967; 4) Miritius claudius Morais & Linzmeier det. 2015 [microtube with female genitalia] ( MPEG). 1 exemplar ♂. Labels: 1) Brasil, MT, J & B. Bechyné; 2) Chapada dos Guimarães, 30.1.1961; 3) Miritius claudius Moraes & Linzmeier det. 2015 [microtube with male genitalia] ( MPEG). 1 exemplar ♀. Labels: 1) Chapada dos Guimarães, 2.2.1961; 2) Brasil, MT, J. & B. Bechyné; 3) Miritius claudius Morais & Linzmeier det. 2015 ( MPEG). 1 exemplar ♂. Labels: 1) Chapada dos Guimarães, 4.2.1961; 2) Brasil, MT, J. & B. Bechyné; 3) Miritius claudius Morais & Linzmeier det. 2015 ( MPEG). 6 exemplars (2 ♂; 4 ♀). Labels: 1) Chapada dos Guimarães, 5.2.1961; 2) Brasil, MT, J. & B. Bechyné; 3) Miritius claudius Morais & Linzmeier det. 2015 ( MPEG). 2 exemplars (1 ♂; 1 ♀). Labels: 1) Chapada dos Guimarães, 6.2.1961; 2) Brasil, MT, J. & B. Bechyné; 3) Miritius claudius Morais & Linzmeier det. 2015 ( MPEG). 3 exemplars (1 ♂; 2 ♀). Labels: 1) Buriti, 8.2.1961; 2) Brasil, MT, J. & B. Bechyné; 3) Miritius claudius Morais & Linzmeier det. 2015 ( MPEG). 1 exemplar ♂. Labels: 1) Buriti, 9.2.1961; 2) Brasil, MT, J. & B. Bechyné; 3) Miritius claudius Morais & Linzmeier det. 2015 ( MPEG). 98 exemplars (37 ♂; 61 ♀). Labels: 1) BR, MS, Dourados, 22º13’41.60” S 55º00’46.65” W, 05.X.2012, by hand, Linzmeier, A.M., col. 2) Miritius claudius Morais & Linzmeier det. 2015 (30 ♂ and 50 ♀ at DZUP; 7 ♂ and 11 ♀ at MuBio).

Comments. Among the Miritius species M. claudius is the longest and flattest. Miritius claudius and M. egleri have a large sclerite, globose, C-shaped in the internal sac of the median lobe of aedeagus and antennomeres 7 and 8 darker. However, M. claudius can be separated from M. egleri by the following characters: vertex with gold pubescence (silver in M. egleri ); presence of a longitudinal midline darker in the pronotum which extends to antennal calli in some specimens (absent in M. egleri ); suprafrontal and frontolateral sulci present (absent in M. egleri ), elytral markings forming a triangular pattern (different pattern in M. egleri ), presence of spicules in the apical third of internal sac of median lobe (absent in M. egleri ).

Figures

FIGURES 11 – 21. Miritius claudius Morais & Linzmeier sp. nov. 11 Dorsal habitus 12 Lateral habitus 13 Head, frontal view 14 Pronotum 15 Metafemur 16 Metatarsomeres 17 Spermateca 18 Tignum 19 Vaginal palpi 20 Aedeagus ventral view 21 Aedeagus lateral view.