Calligrapha anabelae, Gómez-Zurita, Jesús, 2015

Gómez-Zurita, Jesús, 2015, Systematic revision of the genus Calligrapha Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Chrysomelinae) in Central America: The group of Calligrapha argus Stål, Zootaxa 3922 (1), pp. 1-71 : 36-39

Calligrapha anabelae sp. nov.

(Figs 6e, 8, 9b, 9e, 11)

Among the first entomological collections I visited for this study, these in the Museum für Naturkunde (MfN) and the Natural History Museum (NHM) included two series of three Mexican specimens each incorrectly placed among C. diversa Stål and C. scalaris (LeConte) , respectively. A closer examination of the specimens revealed that they were conspecifics and not recognizable as any of the species known to me, thus they are proposed here as a new taxon, formally described below.

Holotype: Mexico / HOLOTYPE Calligrapha anabelae sp. nov. J. Gómez-Zurita [red] ( MfN).

Paratypes: MfN: (1) one specimen: Mexico / PARATYPE Calligrapha anabelae sp. nov. J. Gómez-Zurita; (2) one specimen: PARATYPE Calligrapha anabelae sp. nov. J. Gómez-Zurita. NHM: (3) one specimen: 23842 / Truqui, Mexico / Fry Coll. 1905.100 / PARATYPE Calligrapha anabelae sp. nov. J. Gómez-Zurita; (4) one specimen: Baly Coll. / PARATYPE Calligrapha anabelae sp. nov. J. Gómez-Zurita; (5) one specimen: Mexique / Baly Coll. / PARATYPE Calligrapha anabelae sp. nov. J. Gómez-Zurita.

Habitus (Fig. 6e). Length: 9.78 mm, width: 6.22 mm. Body elongated oval, moderately convex. Head, mandibles, dorsum of first antennomere and pronotum very dark reddish brown, with dull greenish metallic reflection; mouth pieces, antennae, labrum, scutellum, dark markings of elytra, epipleurae, ventral surfaces and legs dark reddish brown, with slight greenish metallic reflection on scutellum, elytral markings and legs; background of elytra custard yellow.

Head large, wide, deeply inserted in pronotum; surface finely microreticulate, densely, rather uniformly punctured; punctures somewhat larger and denser near and behind eyes; almost unpunctured near frontal suture and antennal calli; punctures bearing short translucent seta and one much longer, semierect seta near upper eye margin; deep, slightly curved furrow above eye; frontal suture very fine in all length, joining at apex broadly V-shaped clypeal suture. Clypeus finely microreticulate, with smaller, shallower punctures than head; anterior border laterally with 4–6 long pale yellowish setae, convergent medially, almost as long as labrum. Eyes dorsoventrally elongated. Genae very short. Labrum transverse, relatively short (ratio L:W=0.4), emarginate anteriorly, with 6–7 long yellowish translucent setae at sides, thicker than clypeal setae, convergent medially. Antennae short, conspicuously thickened beyond sixth antennomere; antennomeres 3–6 slender, gradually shortening and thickening; antennomeres fifth and sixth subequal to second; five last antennomeres darkened, rugose, densely pubescent; eighth antennomere 0.87x as wide as long. Mandibles large, robust, protruding by 1.5x length of labrum; external border markedly concave; surface strongly, densely punctured, with large punctures bearing long yellowish translucent seta; very dense and very fine secondary punctation. Last maxillary palpomeres gradually widening towards apex, with external margin weakly convex, internal margin weakly concave and shorter, and apical margin oblique, straight; apex of previous palpomere slightly broader than base of last segment, curved and gradually narrowing towards base, more accentuated at external edge; first palpomere club-shaped, obliquely cut at apex. Pronotum transverse (W/L=1.81), sides narrowly margined, feebly and regularly convex from base to strongly produced acute and rounded anterior angles; posterior angle obtuse; anterior border concave, with broader margin at sides, straight or very slightly convex medially, very finely edge; posterior border regularly convex, slightly sinuous at sides, unmargined; surface alutaceous, very finely microreticulate, with dense, small, shallow punctures on disc, gradually becoming larger and deeper, sometimes confluent towards sides, with premarginal area and anterior angles nearly devoid of large punctures, and with longitudinal row of small punctures very close to margin; sides of disc with two round depressions in front of middle; row of elongated punctures along basal margin at sides. Hypomeral suture very deep, slightly wavy, continuous from near pronotal basal angle to base of anterior angle, gradually but weakly diverging from pronotal border; hypomera alutaceous, unpunctured, weakly concave basally with few transverse wrinkles. Prosternum flat at sides and process, convex, only weakly raised at middle; anterior border feebly concave, finely margined; surface finely microreticulate, nearly unpunctured anteriorly, with large, deep punctures near procoxae and at process, bearing fine translucent setae; process narrow between coxae, as narrow as width of eighth antennomere, gradually widening to apex to nearly 1.9x width between coxae; process unmargined laterally, weakly convex at apex, rugosely punctured and feebly carinated longitudinally at sides and medially. Mesanepisterna very finely microreticulate, not as alutaceous as hypomera; with sparse small, shallow punctures. Metepisterna more finely alutaceous than mesanepisterna, with shallow elongated punctures, deeper and larger along sides, rugosely punctate only at apex. Metaventrite finely leathery, sparsely, regularly impressed with fine small punctures, hairy medially with very fine translucent setae. Scutellum long (W/L=0.82), acute, with sides feebly curved towards blunt apex; surface finely microreticulate, unpunctured. Elytra long, convexly raised above pronotum; humeri round, sides weakly convex and regularly curved at apical third towards broadly rounded apex; margined from humeral angle to apical sutural angle and at suture on apical declivity; surface very finely alutaceous, sparsely and irregularly punctured with shallow, dot-like punctures, deeper at sides and around dark markings at disc; scutellar row of punctures present, long, starting close to base of elytra, with some 15–17 tight, sometimes connected punctures, confused, double basally; premarginal row of very tight punctures present, regularly arranged except slightly confused ends; margin punctured all along. Epipleura very finely alutaceous, unpunctured, feebly sloping ventrally internally, slightly visible from side. Markings: (i) sutural stripe narrow, continuous from base of elytra surrounding scutellum to sutural angle, gradually narrowing to disappear; (ii) subsutural stripe narrow, starting slightly before apex of scutellum, gradually narrowing towards apex of elytra, disappearing before reaching it, slightly widening at apical declivity; entirely confluent with sutural stripe except basally for a relatively long distance (9–10 punctures); (iii) arcuate band with narrow blunt basal end, weakly convex externally and enlarged apically as roundish large spot; laterally confluent for most of its length, except for short distance at both ends, with subsutural stripe by darkened area between both features; (iv) humeral spot and lunule entirely confluent laterally forming large humeral marking; humeral spot reaching basally very close to narrow dark basal margin of elytra, nearly connected to it by dark suffusions; apical third of humeral lunule bent at obtuse angle towards suture, ending behind and very close to basal end of arcuate band; (v) spot enclosed by humeral lunule large, nearly U-shaped, with inner space also darkened, appearing as slightly basally emarginate large roundish spot; largely confluent externally and apically with humeral lunule at internal angle; (vi) midlateral spot large, subtrapezoidal, slightly inclined backwards, externally confluent with elytral margin, and internally convering about seven punctures of premarginal line of punctures; (vii) spot of apical declivity longitudinally elongated, confluent by most of its length, except briefly anteriorly with enlargement of subsutural stripe; (viii) apical spot smaller than spot of apical declivity, roundish, free; (ix) nine additional spots on disc; eight roundish, subequal, one larger and of irregular shape (possibly two spots combined); four spots parallel to margin at more or less regular intervals, second at level with midlateral spot, third (largest spot) at level with apical enlargement of arcuate band; one spot on external concavity of arcuate band; longitudinal and slightly curved towards suture series of three spots more or less surrounding previous spot, second in this series at level with midlateral spot; last spot medially in space delimited by apex of arcuate band, base of spot of apical declivity and last spot of external marginal series. Femora spindle-shaped, with surface almost glossy, sparsely punctured, with punctures deeper at apex, each puncture with very fine translucent seta; tibiae slender, gradually widening towards apex, weakly longitudinally carinated ventrally, furrowed on apical half dorsally, with furrow progressively widening towards tarsal insertion; surface almost glossy, with sparse punctures, denser at angles and apically, pubescent ventrally and densely at apex with thick golden setae. Tarsi elongated, slender, entirely and densely pubescent underneath, except at basal narrow half of second segment; onychium with small apical tooth underneath; claws weakly divaricate. Abdominal ventrites alutaceous, very weakly and sparsely punctured, finely pubescent medially and at sides of three apical segments. Penis figured in Figs 9 b, 9e.

Distribution. This species is endemic from central Mexico, in the general area around the Transvolcanic Belt, from the states of Jalisco to Guerrero and Morelos ( Fig. 8 , white squares). C. anabelae sp. nov. is thus present in the Mexican Transition and Caribbean Mesoamerican domains.

Material examined (23 specimens).

MEXICO

EGRC: (1) one specimen: Mexico, Queretaro, Queretaro, 10.viii.1980, Z.A. Wibmer, C. multipustulata Stal det. Daccordi ’86, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011; (2) one specimen: Mexico, Jalisco, 5.5 mi NE Tecolotlan, 13.vii.1982, A.J. Gilbert, Calligrapha multipustulata St. det. Daccordi ’86, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011. FSCA: (1) one specimen: Mexico, Jalisco, Est. Biol. Chamela, 10–20.vii.1985, E. Giesbert, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011; (2) one specimen: Mexico, 8 km N Netapa, 12.vii.1971, S.R. & L.M. Stenhauser, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011. MCZ: (1) one specimen: Morelos, Tepoztlan, 14 June 1993, leg. D. Furth, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2010; (2) one specimen: Tuxpan, Jalisco, Mex., 9.6.1903, J.F. McClendon, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2010. NMB: (1) one specimen: Mexique, Coll. Chapuis, det. Calligrapha suboculata Stal , Calligrapha argus Stal J. Bechyné det. 1954. NMNH: (1) one specimen: Mexcala, Gro. Mex. vi.29.51, F. Monrós Collection 1959, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det.; (2) one specimen: Colima Vulcano Mex., L. Conrad, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011; (3) four specimens: 19 mi SW Colima, Colima, Mexico, 26.vii.63, Ackerman & Whitehead, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011. TAMUIC: (1) two specimens: [X0532852 and X0585222], Mexico, Jalisco, 8 mi S Autlan, 8.vii.1984, Lynn Carroll, Joseph C. Schaffner & Timothy P. Friedlander, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011; (2) four specimens: [X0533713, X0534763, X0535248 and X0535313], Mexico, Jalisco, 11 mi N Autlan, 6.vii.1984, Carroll, Schaffner & Friedlander, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011; (3) five specimens: [X0533782, X0534181, X0534286, X0535329 and X0544282], Mexico, Jalisco, 16 km N Autlan, 7.vii.1984, Lynn Carroll, Joseph C. Schaffner & Timothy P. Friedlander, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011. ZSM: (1) three specimens: Vulkan Colima, coll. Joh. Laue, 25.7.1918, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011; (2) two specimens: Vulkan Colima, coll. Joh. Laue, 20.6.1918, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011; (3) three specimens: Vulkan Colima, coll. Joh. Laue 1918 [two with: Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011]; (4) four specimens: Vulcan Colima, Mexico, 1918, coll. Joh. Laue [three with: Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011]; (5) one specimen: Mexico, Guadalajara, Juni 1982, leg. Fittkau, Calligrapha anabelae i.l. J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011.

Variation. Sides of the apical segment of maxillary palpi are subparallel in females. Sides of pronotum can be almost straight, convergent before apical fourth, regularly curving towards produced anterior angles. Punctation of pronotum can be denser than in type and abdominal segments can be uniformly pubescent. The humeral marking on elytra can be clearly and relatively broadly connected to base of elytra; the spot enclosed by the humeral lunule can be narrowly connected to apical oblique area of lunule; two median discal spots at level with midlateral spot can be fused; and the midlateral spot can be narrowly confluent with elytral margin. But the most remarkable variation is found on the trend of this species to lose most of its elytral markings, including basal ends of subsutural stripe and arcuate band, humeral marking and spot enclosed by lunule, most of additional spots on disc, except for spot at concavity of arcuate band and apical spot ( Fig. 11 ). But, even if the spots are missing, their position is still indicated by puncture arrangements, particularly at basal half of elytra, or the corresponding areas are slightly darkened. One specimen from Tuxpan (MCZ) has all elytral markings present, but precisely the midlateral spot is very reduced, appearing as a spot just below premarginal row of punctures; this specimen is otherwise identical to type. This trait is very unique among Calligrapha , whereby specimens with incomplete elytral patterns look like the intermediate stages in the darkening process that recently emerged, teneral adults experiment to acquire their adult appearance. However, all these specimens had hardened teguments, not different from these seen in the fully pigmented specimens.

Diagnosis. At first sight C. anabelae sp. nov. looks very similar to Northeastern North American Calligrapha species in the C. scalaris group, such as C. tiliae Brown and C. virginea Brown , but they can be recognized at once by the conspicuous hypomeral suture, absent in all North American species, and by the dark epipleura in the Mexican species. The most similar species, and possibly the closest relative is C. argus , but they can be readily distinguished by the different colouration to darker areas, reddish in the latter and blackish in the new species, as well as by a generally more compact humeral marking, among other minor details. From the allopatric relative C. catarinae sp. nov., they can be recognized easily from the basal ends of subsutural stripe completely fused with the sutural stripe in this species while these ends are divergent in C. anabelae sp. nov., but also by stronger elytral punctation in the latter. Finally, the new species is recognizable from other blackish species with similar marking disposition, such as C. simillima or C. diversa , by the presence of a conspicuous midlateral spot, absent in these species.

Derivatio nominis. This species belongs into the same group of neat forms such as C. argus Stål and C. catarinae sp. nov. This new species is dedicated with love to my partner for fifteen years, Anabela R. P. Cardoso, entomologist enthusiastic of tiger beetles, who has always supported and encouraged my work.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Geographic distributions of Calligrapha ancoralis Stål (black circles) and the two new species of Calligrapha described here, C. anabelae sp. nov. (white squares) and C. catarinae sp. nov. (black squares).

FIGURE 9. Penis in ventral, lateral and dorsal view of apex of the species Calligrapha ancoralis Stål (a, d), C. anabelae sp. nov. (b, e), C. catarinae sp. nov. (c, f), C. ramulifera Stål (g, h), and C. argus Stål (i, j). Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 11. Phenotypic variation in Calligrapha anabelae sp. nov. Top row (from left to right): Holotype (MfN), Paratype 1 (MfN) and Paratype 3 (NHM); bottom row (from left to right): Paratype 2 (MfN), Paratype 5 (NHM) and Paratype 4 (NHM).