Dematochroma lepros ( Heller, 1916 )

Gómez-Zurita, Jesús, 2011, Revision of New Caledonian species of Eumolpinae described by K. M. Heller (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Zootaxa 3060, pp. 31-46 : 40-42

Dematochroma lepros ( Heller, 1916)

( Figs 1 , 20 , 25–27 , 37 )

Thasycles lepros Heller, 1916:301 .

Dematochroma lepros: Jolivet et al., 2007a:43 .

Type material. Province Nord: Holotype, 1Ƥ ( Fig. 1 ): Mont Panié, ca. 1000m., 28 June 1911, F. Sarasin & J. Roux leg. [pale blue label], 1915/18 [pale blue label], lepros Typus! [red label], Staatl. Museum für Tierkunde, Dresden [white label], Dematochroma lepros Heller [white label] (MfT). Labels shown in Figure 37 .

Other material examined. Province Nord: 13: Mont Panié, 1360–1450m, 7 October 1977, J. Balogh leg., Dematochroma lepros (Heller) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2010 ( HNHM); 1Ƥ: Mont Panié, 8 October 1977, J. Balogh leg., Dematochroma lepros ( Heller, 1916) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2010 ( HNHM).

A single female is present in the Heller collection, from Mont Panié, northeastern coast of Grande Terre. In the absence of any other information, this specimen is regarded as the holotype by monotypy. The original description reports "Juli" as the collection date for the specimen, but a handwritten " 28.VI.1911 " can be read on the original label ( Fig. 37 ). The original description of the female specimen was given in detail ( Heller, 1916), and a description for the male is provided below to complement this information based on the new material available for study, together with a description of male and female genitalia.

Male: Length: 4.5 mm, width: 2.4 mm. Most of head, pronotum, elytral punctures, margins of meso- and metathoracic ventral sclerites, and anterior margin of first abdominal ventrite dark brown; labrum, antennal calli, two large supraocular areas on vertex, most of elytra, disc of meso- and metathoracic ventral sclerites, and broad central area of abdominal ventrites dark reddish brown; antennae, palpi, legs, humeral, marginal and preapical areas of elytra, pygidium and broad lateral margin of abdominal ventrites bright to pale orange.

Head vertical in resting position; genae long, 0.5x eye diameter; surface of head finely alutaceous, nearly devoid of impressions, except few isolated, small shallow punctures on frons, near clypeus; longitudinal furrow on vertex, weakly impressed. Eyes large, convex, slightly emarginated internally and elongated dorso-ventrally. Clypeus long, flat, slightly depressed and deeply emarginated medially at apex; few punctures on disc, smaller than those on frons. Labrum subquadrate, feebly emarginated apically. Antennae slightly longer and thicker than female antennae, particularly basal antennomeres; first antennomere cylindrical, slightly curved medially; second short, cup-like; third and fourth subequal, nearly as long as first, narrower at base than apically; fifth to tenth longer than third, subequal, except sixth, about 1/6 shorter, slightly club-shaped.

Pronotum transverse, width 1.5x length, slightly convex, particularly at anterior angles, strongly sloping downwards; anterior border straight, finely margined; posterior border regularly convex, broadly margined; sides regularly curved with flat margin, slightly widening posteriorly; anterior angles obtuse, with large setigerous pore at angle, bearing rather long seta directed backwards; posterior angles slightly callose, with large setigerous pore at angle; surface finely alutaceous, unpunctured at disc and margins, with few scattered, feebly impressed, variably sized punctures in area between disc and sides. Procoxae large, roundish, moderately convex. Prosternum evenly concave anteriorly and finely margined; anterior border narrowly separated from anterior margin of procoxae; surface delicately alutaceous, with few scattered, semierect fine setae; prosternal process 0.7x wider than transverse diameter of procoxae, depressed and broadly expanded apically (apex nearly 1.3x procoxal width), completely enclosing procoxal cavities posteriorly. Suture between prosternum and hypomeron nearly obliterated; hypomeron finely alutaceous, unpunctured.

Scutellum scarcely longer than wide at base, broadly rounded apically. Elytra elongate, convex, widest at basal third and gradually narrowing towards rounded apical curvature; surface finely alutaceous, with dense, moderately impressed punctures unordered on disc and lateral declivity, but forming regular longitudinal rows parallel to suture at apical declivity, along elytral margin, and for a short distance near base of elytra; scutellar row of eight punctures; third stria from suture apically joining in regular curve apex of premarginal stria, and fourth discal stria joining second external stria; lateral and apical intervals between striae raised, forming longitudinal costae and some lateral and preapical brightly coloured protuberances in females, but male has paler areas smooth and weakly raised, except for premarginal costae, which are less prominent than in females. Epipleura transversally sloping downwards, visible in entire length from lateral view, gradually narrowing apically, glabrous, unpunctured. Hind wings fully developed.

Intercoxal process of mesoventrite narrower than prosternal process, unpunctured, with few sparse, fine setae. Mesanepisterna narrow, alutaceous, unpunctured. Metanepisterna elongate, alutaceous, unpunctured, sparsely covered on disc by minute posteriorly recumbent whitish setae. Metaventrite transverse, relatively short, 0.8x as long as first abdominal ventrite at midline, finely alutaceous, unpunctured, with scattered posteriorly recumbent fine whitish setae; posterior margin with longitudinal deep, narrow median notch. Femora long, fusiform, very narrow at base, widening to maximum width 1/3 before apex, then narrowing towards tibial insertion; finely alutaceous, unpunctured, sparsely covered by fine pale yellowish setae, denser towards apices. Pro- and metatibiae slender, straight; mesotibiae weakly arched; tibiae gradually widening towards apex, without externally projecting apical tooth; external border of tibiae depressed between two marginal longitudinal keels; surface alutaceous, unpunctured, rather densely covered by long, erect pale yellowish setae, more or less seriate along edges. Tarsi elongate, slender; first protarsomere subtriangular, slightly expanded, narrower than second or third, densely clothed by short silky setae underneath; first meso- and metatarsomeres conspicuously furrowed longitudinally at dorsum, ventrally more narrowly pubescent than first; second tarsomeres triangular, emarginated at apex; second metatarsomere as narrow as first and scarcely setose ventrally; third tarsomeres shorter than second, strongly bilobed, ventrally densely pubescent with longer setae; fifth tarsomere twice as long as third; claws divaricate, appendiculate with right-angled lobe. Abdomen relatively short with ventrites progressively shorter, except apical (5: 1.25: 1.13: 1: 1.38); fifth ventrite with short apical emargination and shallow subapical median depression; surface of ventrites finely alutaceous, inconspicuously punctured except area near apical border of fifth ventrite, with scattered fine pale yellowish setae, longer along median longitudinal stripe. Pygidium dorsally longitudinally furrowed.

Genitalia: Penis ( Figs 25–27 ) more or less regularly curved in lateral view, tapering towards apex; median tubular part of penis narrow, cylindrical, slightly flattening transversally and gradually widening (1.5x median width of penis) at level with ostium; ostium large, circular basally, obtusely bluntly angled at apex, situated at maximal penis width; apex of penis elongated, gradually tapering towards pointed tip, which has short narrow longitudinal notch; penis ventrally smooth, with short and weak longitudinal median depression behind apical notch. Spermatheca ( Fig. 20 ) small, kidney-shaped, with prebasal slightly protuberant gland valve, perpendicular to receptacle axis, receiving the spermathecal gland. Spermathecal duct emerges from basal end of receptacle as comparatively thick tube broadly bent backwards, feebly but gradually thickening and forming two coils before reaching bursa copulatrix.

Distribution. I have seen specimens identified by P. Jolivet as D. lepros from Mont Do, Col d’Amieu, Sarraméa and Mount Humboldt, as reported in Jolivet et al. (2007a). Comparison of these specimens with the holotype reveals that they belong to different unidentified species. Therefore, at present this species should be considered narrowly endemic to high altitudes on the Mont Panié massif.

Figures

FIGURE 37. Labels on K. M. Heller’s types of New Caledonian Eumolpinae at Museum für Tierkunde (Dresden). These belong to Dematochroma lepros (Heller).

FIGURES 1 – 9. Type specimens of: 1, Dematochroma lepros (Heller), female holotype; 2, D. humboldtiana (Heller), male lectotype; 3, D. maculifrons (Heller), male holotype; 4, D. terastiomerus (Heller), male lectotype; 5, D. terastiomerus, female paralectotype; 6, D. culminicola (Heller), female holotype; 7, D. difficilis (Heller), male holotype; 8, Taophila subsericea Heller, female lectotype; and 9, Taophila subsericea, male paralectotype. Scale bars represent 2.0 mm.

FIGURES 20 – 24. Spermathecae of: 20, Dematochroma lepros (Heller); 21, D. terastiomerus (Heller); 22, D. culminicola (Heller); 23, D. difficilis (Heller); and 24, Taophila subsericea Heller. Arrowheads point at position of insertion of spermathecal gland. All spermathecae shown at the same scale.

FIGURES 25 – 36. Dorsal, ventral and lateral views of penis of: 25 – 27, Dematochroma lepros (Heller); 28 – 30, D. maculifrons (Heller); 31 – 33, D. terastiomerus; and 34 – 36, D. humboldtiana (Heller). Scale bars represent 0.2 mm ..