Metaparia prosopis Sublett, Schultz, and Cook, 2021

Sublett, Clayton A. & Cook, Jerry L., 2021, A Comprehensive Revision of the Genus Metaparia Crotch, 1873 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae) and Description of a New Genus, The Coleopterists Bulletin 75 (4), pp. 779-811 : 799-801

Metaparia prosopis Sublett, Schultz, and Cook , new species zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B8C469B7-0CCC-4C7F-BBD0-E26C40D9CF84 ( Figs. 2h , 43–48 )

Metaparia prosopis Schultz 1970: 107 [invalid name, not published].

Type Specimens. Holotype here designated, point-mounted male, dissected, abdomen on point with male, genitalia pinned in vial with male: labeled “Downings/ranch/Terrell Co.,/5-10-’12. Tex.// JDMitchell/collector//Illustrated/W.T. Schultz// USNM/TypeNo/71050 [red label]// HOLOTYPE / Metaparia /prosopis/ Schultz 1970 [red label]// USNM ENT/00871544 [label upside down with QCR code]”; deposited in the NMNH. Paratypes here designated: 2 males and 2 females point-mount- ed on the same pin, labeled “On Prosopis sp./nr. Imperial/Tex. V.15’41/Presidio 658// PARATYPE / Metaparia /prosopis/ Schultz 1970 [red type label]”; deposited in the NMNH. 1 male point-mounted and dissected, labeled “Alpine Tex/5.15.36, 5 [unreadable letters]//John George/Ghering/Collection// PARATYPE / Metaparia /prosopis/ Schultz 1970 [red type label]”; deposited in the MCZ. 1 female point-mounted, labeled “Terrell Co./VI-6-39 Tex.// D.J. & J.N./Knull Collrs.// PARATYPE / Metaparia / prosopis/ Schultz 1970 [red type label]//OSUC 533920”; 1 male point-mounted “Ft. Stockton,/V-31-37 Tex.//D.J. & J.N./Knull Collrs.// PARATYPE / Metaparia /prosopis/ Schultz 1970 [red type label]//OSUC 533921”; deposited in the OSUC.

Description. Male. Body ovate, sides subparallel, dorsum convex ( Figs. 43, 44 ). Length 4.07 mm. Width 2.72 mm. Dorsum shining black with cupreous highlights; venter shining blue-green; legs red-brown with cupreous sheen; antennomeres 1–6 brown, antennomeres 7–11 darker, red-brown. Head: IOR 2.49. Frons punctate-setose, space between punctures weakly microsculptured; punctures small, sparse. Clypeus punctate-setose, space between punctures microsculptured; punctures small, medium dense, coarse. Form trapezoidal, suddenly narrowed in apical 1/4, apex emarginate; emargination deep, arched ( Fig. 45 ). Mandibles enlarged, lateral face punctate-setose, weakly convex, shining blue-green ventrobasally, red-brown dorsally and apically, outer dorsal edge with prominent narrow ridge, dorsal inner edge with large, triangular tooth; ridge extending along basal half then suddenly tapering. Antennomere 1 rectangular, edges rounded. Antennomeres 7–10 rectangular, longer than wide. Pronotum: Pronotal ratio 0.57. Disc punctate-setose, space between punctures smooth except at anterior corners microsculptured; punctures small, dense.Anterior edge setose; setae directed anteriorly. Sides subparallel in basal half, evenly rounded in apical half. Posterior edge with lip, less distinct medially; upper edge margined with punctures, lower edge weakly dentate. Scutellar shield: Semi-elliptical, impunctate, weakly microsculptured. Elytra: Disc punctate-striate, space between punctures microsculptured; punctures coarser, large and dense basally, fine, smaller, less distinct apically; striae indistinct basally, more distinct apically. Suture with small tooth at apex. Basal calli smooth, impunctate. Venter: Prosternal lateral arms weakly convex, subtruncate, distinct gap between prosternal lateral arms and pronotal anterior margin, disc punctate-setose ( Fig. 2h ). Prosternum disc sparsely punctate-setose, edges margined with bead, anterior and posterior edges straight, sides concave. Legs: Trochanters with primary seta. Aedeagus: Median lobe evenly curved in basal half, straight in apical half, sclerotized region around endophallic opening even throughout; apex wider than shaft, narrowly produced, emarginate; emargination shallow, arched ( Figs. 47, 48 ). Spermatheca: Narrowly U-shaped, base with sclerotized patch ( Fig. 46 ).

Variation. Length 3.04–4.28 mm (males) or 3.12–4.52 mm (females). Width 2.00–3.00 mm (males) or 1.88–2.71 mm (females). Dorsum shining black or red-brown with cupreous sheen or shining green or blue. Males do not differ significantly from the holotype, females differ primarily in having the dorsal ridge on the mandibles greatly reduced or absent. Head: IOR 2.08–2.49 (males) or 2.00–2.33 (females). Pronotum: Pronotal ratio

0.52–0.60 (males) or 0.50–0.74 (females). Space between punctures with sparse micropunctures. Scutellar shield: Form pentagonal, corners round- ed. Venter: Prosternal lateral arms convex, arched.

Diagnosis. Metaparia prosopis is most similar to M. mandibuloflexa , but the two can be separated by the perpendicular dorsal ridge of the male mandibles, prosternal lateral arms not reaching the pronotum, weakly produced apex of the median lobe, and narrowly U-shaped spermatheca with a sclerotized patch at the base. These four characters also easily separate M. prosopis from all other species of Metaparia .

Specimens Examined. 121 specimens deposited in BYU, EGRC, MCZ, NMNH, OSUC, TAMU, and UCRC. MEXICO: Michoacán: Apatzingan (1 NMNH) . UNITES STATES: Arizona: Cochise: near Double Adobe (1 TAMU) ; Pearce (1 MCZ) . Gila: Globe (2 MCZ) . Chiricahua Mountains (1 OSUC) . State of Arizona (1 MCZ) . New Mexico: Catron: Luna (3 MCZ) . De Baca: Ft. Sumner (1 BYU) . Eddy: 32°20.3′N, 103°50′W (1 TAMU) ; 32°21′N, 103°51′W (2 TAMU) . Hidalgo: San Simon Valley , 31°52.3′N / 109°02.2′W (3 BYU) . Lea: 32°24.7′N, 103°40.9′W (3 TAMU) ; 32°24.8′N, 103°41.5′W (7 TAMU) . State of New Mexico (2 MCZ, 1 NMNH). Texas: Armstrong : Palo Duro Canyon State Park (1 TAMU) ; 0.5 mi. N Prairie Dog Town, fork of Red River, Hwy. 207 (10 BYU) . Austin: 5 mi. SE Sealy (1 NMNH) . Brewster: Alpine (1 MCZ) ; Terlingua (2 BYU) . Brown: Brownwood (1 NMNH) . Coke: 5 mi. W Robert Lee (1 TAMU) ; Silver (2 NMNH) . Crockett: 2 mi. W Jct. 29 and 163 (1 TAMU) ; Jct. Pecos River and I-10 (4 EGRC) . Culberson: Culberson Co. (1 OSUC) . Dawson: 15 mi. E Lamesa (1 TAMU) . Dimmit: Bermuda (1 TAMU) ; Winter Haven (1 CAS) ; Caterina (2 TAMU) . Garza: 2 mi. SW Post , 33°09.2′N / 101°24.5′W (2 BYU) ; Justiceburg (1 NMNH) . Glasscock: Garden City (22 TAMU) . La Salle: Chaparral Wildlife Refuge (1 TAMU) ; Cotulla (5 NMNH) . Lubbock: Lubbock, Tech Farm (3 NMNH) . McMullen: 3mi S Tilden (2 EGRC) . Potter: Canadian River at Hwy. 87 (1 BYU) . Real: Camp Wood (1). Reeves: 14 mi. NW Pecos (3 EGRC, 1 TAMU). Scurry: Dermott (1 NMNH) . Starr: 6 mi. N El Sauz (5 NMNH) ; Starr Co. Texas (1 NMNH) . Sutton : 10mi WSW Sutton (1 BYU) . Terrell: Downings Ranch (1 NMNH) ; Independence Creek Preserve (2 BYU) ; 6 mi. N Sanderson (2 UCR) ; Sanderson (2 BYU) . Val Verde : Val Verde Co. (1 OSUC) . Webb: Hwy. 83 N of Jct. Hwy. 44 (2 EGRC) . Zavala: FM 1025 14 mi S Batesville (1 UCRU) . Davis Mountains (1 OSUC) .

Distribution. Mexico (Michoacán), United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas) ( Fig. 73 ).

Temporal Occurrence. March,April, May, June, July, September.

Remarks. As a tribute to W. T. Schultz’s work on the Eumolpinae of the United States and with his permission, we are using the name originally proposed in his 1970 dissertation (see remarks for M. mandibuloflexa ). The holotype proposed by Schultz (1970) is a good representative of the species, and it is here designated as the holotype.

Figures

Fig. 2. Lateral arm of prosternum of species of Metaparia. a) M. cephalotes, b) M. clytroides, c) M. guatemalensis, d) M. hybrida, e) M. lesueuri, f) M. mandibuloflexa, new species, g) M. opacicollis, h) M. prosopis, new species, i) M. viridimicans. Scale bars = 0.5 mm. Left side is anterior edge.

Figs. 43–48. Holotype of Metaparia prosopis, new species. 43) Dorsal habitus; 44) Lateral habitus; 45) Head, frontal view; 46) Spermatheca; 47) Median lobe, apical view; 48) Median lobe, lateral view. Figs. 43, 44 scale bars = 1.0 mm; Figs. 45, 47, 48 scale bars = 0.5 mm; Fig. 46 scale bar = 0.1 mm.

Figs. 70–75. Distribution maps for Metaparia and Dispardentium species. 70) M. cephalotes (black circles), M. clytroides (black triangles), M. guatemalensis (gray triangles); 71) M. hybrida (gray triangles), M. lesueuri (black circles), M. mandibuloflexa, new species (black triangles); 72) M. opacicollis (black triangles); 73) M. prosopis, new species (black triangles); 74) M. viridimicans (black triangles); 75) D. laevicollis (black triangles).