Crepidodera haydenae Clark and Veal, 2019

Clark, Shawn M. & Veal, Doug A., 2019, A New Species of Crepidodera Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) from a Remnant Prairie in Iowa, The Coleopterists Bulletin 73 (3), pp. 497-500 : 497-500

Crepidodera haydenae Clark and Veal , new species

Zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:23796AEF-E7CF-4B18-BA7D-E3EF97CF76D9 Figs. 1 , 2D–E

Diagnosis. This species is best recognized by the shape of the median lobe of the aedeagus. In dorsal view, the sides are more or less parallel for most of their length, but, beginning near the distal end of the orifice, they are gradually curved towards the apex, with the apex itself being very narrowly rounded, almost acutely pointed ( Fig. 2D ). In all other North American species of the genus, the apex is much more broadly rounded or even truncate. For comparative purposes, we provide aedeagal illustrations of other Crepidodera species ( Fig. 2A–C ) that are most likely to be confused with C. haydenae .

Using Parry’ s (1986) key to the North American species of Crepidodera , males of C. haydenae might possibly be misidentified as C. spenceri (Lazorko) due to the comparatively sparse pubescence of the first abdominal ventrite, but the metallic green color and coarser pronotal punctation in C. haydenae are very different. More likely, males of C. haydenae would be keyed to couplet 12, but, as noted above, the shape of the aedeagus is quite different from the two species in that couplet, i.e., C. sculpturata (Lazorko) ( Fig. 2C ) and C. nana (Say) ( Fig. 2B ). Using the characters in the abovementioned key and considering also the elongate-oval shape of the spermathecal receptacle ( Fig. 2E ), females of C. haydenae might possibly be misidentified as C. luminosa Parry. However , the male genitalia of that species are also very different ( Fig. 2A ).

Description. Male Holotype. Form elongateoval ( Fig. 1 ); body 2.2 mm long, 1.0 mm wide. Dorsum glabrous. Dorsal areas of head, prothorax, and elytra metallic green; scutellum, epipleura, and ventral areas of thorax and abdomen black, without metallic luster; antennae and legs orange-brown. Pronotum with prebasal transverse sulcus, limited laterally by short, longitudinal sulci extending to pronotal base. Elytral punctures arranged in rows.

Head dorsally and anteriorly with metallic green luster, ventrally not distinctly metallic; vertex largely glabrous, nearly impunctate, smooth, shiny; interocular space clearly more than half width of head measured across eyes; frontal tubercles small, nearly circular, narrowly contiguous, although separated from each other by deep groove, laterally delimited by deep, rather broad groove, posteriorly delimited by deep, abrupt sulcus, separated from eyes by a distance subequal to diameter of tubercle; mesal frontal ridge small, impunctate; clypeal area granulate, setose. Eyes separated from antennal fossae and from base of mandible by distance subequal to width of basal antennomere.

Mouthparts dark brown; labrum trapezoidal, much wider than long, basal width subequal to distance between lateral edges of antennal fossae; terminal palpomeres acutely pointed apically. Antennae extending slightly beyond elytral humeri; antennomere 1 about twice as long as broad, nearly glabrous; antennomere 2 about half as long and half as wide as 1, very sparsely pubescent but with long setae near apex; antennomere 3 about as wide as 2 but distinctly longer, largely glabrous but with setae near apex; antennomeres 4 and 5 similar in size and shape to 3, densely pubescent throughout, each with a few longer setae near apex; antennomeres 6–10 similar in length to 5, but each distinctly broadened distally, each densely pubescent throughout and with a few longer setae near apex; antennomere 11 about as broad as 10 but longer, distinctly narrowed to acute apex, densely pubescent throughout.

Pronotum distinctly wider than head, narrowed anteriorly, with setose tubercle at each anterolateral and posterolateral angle, otherwise glabrous, shiny; punctures moderate in size, much smaller than those on elytra, separated from each other by distance on average subequal to diameter of puncture; anterolateral angle directed laterally, acute but not prominent; lateral margins strongly carinate; posterior margin with fine bead; anterior margin without bead; prebasal transverse sulcus deep, ending laterally at well-defined furrow extending from transverse sulcus to pronotal base. Scutellum subtriangular, glabrous, impunctate.

Elytra 1.4 mm long, together 1.7 times as wide as pronotum, 3.0 times as long as pronotum, 0.7 times as long as entire body. Color mostly metallic green; epipleura black, without metallic luster. Punctures on eltra asetose, arranged in short subscutellar row and 10 longer rows on each elytron; subscutellar row ending near basal third of elytron; 1 st long row joining 10 th at elytral apex; rows mostly separated from each other by distance slightly greater than diameter of puncture; punctures within each row mostly separated by distance subequal to diameter of puncture, except in lateral and especially subepipleural rows where spacing is closer; punctures behind humerus and on distal declivity somewhat confused; additional row of fine punctures present along inner margin of epipleuron. Interpunctural areas shiny, glabrous; minute punctures visible upon close examination. Humeri well-developed, impunctate; basal calli absent, without depression behind; elytral margins very narrow, but clearly visible in dorsal view, not hidden by elytral bulge.

Body beneath black; prothoracic hypomeron shiny, glabrous; prosternum pubescent, with posterior process distinctly separating front coxae; procoxal cavities closed behind; mesothorax, metepimera, and metepisterna alutaceous, not shiny; metasternum shiny, very sparsely punctate and pubescent; abdomen very sparsely pubescent, without mesal brush of denser setae on 1 st ventrite; apex of terminal ventrite with small, depressed lobe. Legs orange-brown except coxae darker brown; trochanters with only a few setae, lacking setal brushes; femora very sparsely pubescent; tibiae and tarsi more densely pubescent.

Median lobe of aedeagus rather evenly curved in lateral view, but with apical portion upturned ( Fig. 2D ). In dorsal view, sides nearly parallel along most of length; distal portion curved to narrowly rounded apex ( Fig. 2D ).

Female. The general appearance is very similar to that of the male, but the abdominal apex is merely rounded, lacking the lobe that is present in males. The receptacle of the spermatheca is elongate-oval ( Fig. 2E ).

Variation. Males measure 2.2–2.6 mm in length (n = 19). Females measure 2.4–3.1 mm in length (n = 35).

Material Examined. Holotype: “ USA, Iowa, Howard Co., / Hayden Prairie State Preserve , / 43°26 ′ 29″N, 92°22 ′ 57″W, / 8 July 2016, D. A. Veal & / E. L. Freese, sweeping Salix ” (male, USNM).

Paratypes (all from Howard County, Iowa, USA): Hayden Prairie , 19-VI-2004, D. Veal, sweeping foliage (1 male, 1 female, DAVC) ; Hayden Prairie , 14- VII-2017, D. Veal, sweeping Salix sp. (3 females, BYUC; 3 females, DAVC; 2 males, 2 females, EGRC; 2 females, UNSM) ; Hayden Prairie , 21- V1-2018 , D. A. Veal, sweeping Salix sp. (1 male, 1 female, BYUC; 5 females, DAVC) ; Hayden Prairie State Preserve , 43°26 ′ 29″N, 92°22 ′ 57″W, 8-VII-2016, D. A. Veal & E. L. Freese, sweeping Salix (5 males, 9 females, BYUC; 2 males, 2 females, DAVC; 1 male, 1 female, EGRC; 2 males, 2 females, ELFC; 2 males, 2 females, UNSM; 2 males, 2 females, USNM) .

Distribution. All known specimens are from Hayden Prairie in Howard County, Iowa. Even so, the species may have formerly been more widespread. Historically, prairie covered nearly 80% of Iowa’ s landscape, but less than 1/10 th of 1% of the state’ s native prairie remains today ( Smith 1998). Perhaps, populations persist in various remnants other than Hayden Prairie. However, collecting at nearby Crossman Prairie in July 2017 failed to produce any additional specimens.

Etymology. The species epithet honors botanist and ecologist Dr. Ada Hayden, who worked tirelessly for preservation of Iowa’ s threatened natural areas, and after whom Hayden Prairie was named ( Lewis 2001).

Habitat. Hayden Prairie is a 240-acre tallgrass prairie located in northern Howard County, Iowa, within the rolling terrain of the Iowan Surface landform region. The latest botanical survey of the preserve listed over 200 plant species, with Andropogon gerardi Vitman (big bluestem), Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash (Indian grass), and Sporobolus heterolepis (A. Gray) A. Gray (prairie dropseed) (all Poaceae ) dominating the upland prairie segment containing the highest concentration of Salix humilis Marsh (Salicaceae) (Herzberg and Pearson 2001). Soil type in the targeted collecting area of the preserve is exclusively mesic/wet mesic blacksoil (J. Pearson, personal communication to D. A. Veal).

Host Plants. As indicated on the specimen labels, all of the beetles were collected by sweeping Salix . This is consistent with other North American Crepidodera , all of the known species being associated with either Salix or Populus (Salicaceae) except for one species that is associated with Rosaceae ( Parry 1986; Clark et al. 2004). In a personal communication from John Pearson, a botanist/ecologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, he informed us of an unpublished floral study of Hayden Prairie.This lists only three species of Salix in the area: S. discolor Muhl. ; S. humilis Marsh. ; and S. petiolaris J. E. Sm. Of these three species, S. humilis (prairie willow) was by far the predominant species swept while collecting the beetles, and this plant is probably the host of C. haydenae .

Comments. Crepidodera haydenae is sympatric with several other species of the genus. Indeed, one specimen of Crepidodera heikertingeri (Lazorko) (DAVC) , three specimens of Crepidodera populivora Parry (DAVC), and one specimen of C. sculpturata (DAVC) were collected from Hayden Prairie on the same dates as the C. haydenae specimens listed above.

As noted in the Diagnosis section above, the aedeagus of C. haydenae is quite distinctive among the North American species. On the other hand, the beetles, including the aedeagal shape, are very similar to the Palearctic species Crepidodera fulvicornis (Fabricius) . However, the spermathecal receptacle of that species is much shorter than in C. haydenae ( Konstantinov 1996) .

With the description of C. haydenae , the genus Crepidodera now contains 17 species in America north of Mexico. Interestingly, eight of these species ( C. browni Parry , C. haydenae , C. heikertingeri , C. nana , C. populivora , C. sculpturata , C. solita Parry , and C. violacea Melsheimer ) occur in the state of Iowa (Riley et. al. 2003; specimens cited herein).

Figures

Fig. 1. Crepidodera haydenae, dorsal habitus.

Fig. 2. Crepidodera species. A) C. luminosa, aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views, B) C. nana, aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views, C) C. sculpturata, aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views, D) C. haydenae, aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views, E) C. haydenae, spermatheca.