Neochya chengi, Lee, 2020

Lee, Chi-Feng, 2020, Revision of Taiwanese species of Atrachya Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae): descriptions of three new genera, two new species, and designations of three new synonyms, ZooKeys 940, pp. 117-159 : 117

Neochya chengi sp. nov. Figures 4 , 5

Types

(N = 49). Holotype ♂ (TARI): Taiwan. Pingtung: Tahanshan (大漢山), 30.III.2015, leg. I.-L. Lee. Paratypes. 3♂♂ (TARI), same locality, 7.II.2008, leg. M.-H. Tsau (= Tsou); 1♀ (TARI), same locality, 6.II.2008, leg. S.-F. Yu; 1♀ (TARI), same locality, 6.II.2008, leg. M.-H. Tsou; 1♀ (TARI), same locality, 3.III.2008, leg. C.-F. Lee; 3♂♂, 2♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 22.I.2009, leg. M.-H. Tsou; 1♂, 2♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 24.I.2009, leg. M.-H. Tsou; 1♂, 2♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 21.III.2009, leg. M.-H. Tsou; 2♂♂, 1♀ (TARI), same locality, 5.IV.2009, leg. C.-F. Lee; 1♂, 1♀ (TARI), 15.II.2010, leg. M.-H. Tsou; 1♀ (TARI), same locality, 6.I.2012, leg. Y.-T. Chung; 1♀ (TARI), Chunri (春日), 5.IV.2015, leg. J.-C. Chen; 1♀ (TARI), Kenting (墾丁), 23.VIII.2016, leg. Y.-T. Chung; 2♀♀ (TARI), Lilungshan (里龍山), 10.XI.2009, leg. J.-C. Chen; 1♀ (TARI), same locality, 23.XII.2009, leg. J.-C. Chen; 1♂ (TARI), same locality, 2.III.2012, leg. J.-C. Chen; 2♂♂ (TARI), Nanjenhu (南仁湖), 31.III.2011, leg. J.-C. Chen; 1♂, 2♀♀ (TARI), Shouka (壽卡), 5.II.2008, leg. S.-F. Yu; Hsinchu: 1♀ (TARI), Lupi (魯壁), 20.VII.2008, leg. S.-F. Yu; 1♂ (TARI), same locality, 10.III.2009, leg. H. Lee; Taitung: 1♀ (TARI), Imalintao (依麻林道), 4.II.2008, leg. M.-H. Tsou; Yunlin: 1♂, 11♀♀ (TARI), Chiananyunfeng (嘉南雲峰), 29.IX.2013, leg. W.-C. Liao.

Description.

Length 4.2-5.2 mm, width 2.3-3.0 mm. General color reddish brown (Fig. 4A-C ); antennae blackish brown except two basal antennomeres reddish brown. Antennae (Fig. 5A ) filiform in males, ratio of length of antennomeres I to XI 1.0: 0.4: 0.4: 0.9: 1.0: 1.0: 1.1: 0.9: 0.9: 0.8: 1.0; ratio of length to width from antennomere I to XI 4.7: 1.9: 2.2: 4.5: 5.0: 5.3: 5.3: 4.8: 4.6: 4.1: 5.5; a little slender in females, ratio of length of antennomeres I to XI (Fig. 5B ) 1.0: 0.4: 0.4: 1.0: 1.0: 1.0: 1.0: 0.9: 0.8: 0.7: 0.9; ratio of length to width from antennomere I to XI 3.6: 1.9: 2.4: 5.3: 5.8: 5.8: 5.4: 4.8: 4.9: 4.7: 5.1. Pronotum 1.73-1.76 times wider than long; lateral margins slightly rounded and basally narrowed, basal margin slightly rounded, apical margin slightly concave; disc with dense coarse punctures, without lateral depressions. Elytra 1.33-1.42 times longer than wide; parallel sided; disc slightly convex, with dense, coarse punctures; apex truncate. Penis (Fig. 5C-E ) wide, ca. 3.5 times longer than wide; lateral margins parallel from base to middle, then slightly narrowed towards apex, apex broadly rounded; tectum broad from apical 1/6 to middle, apex truncate; slightly and curved at apical 1/3 in lateral view; ventral surface with membranous area from apex to apical 1/3. Endophallic spiculae complex with median endophallic spiculae composed of seven pairs of hooked spiculae, and ventral endophallic spiculae composed of four pairs of hooked spiculae; with one pair of longitudinal rows of hair-like setae and one pair of longitudinal double rows of small stout setae near base. Gonocoxae (Fig. 5F ) slender, tightly conjunct from apex to apical 1/3; each gonocoxa with eight setae from apical 1/6 to apex, subapically widened, apex truncate. Ventrite VIII (Fig. 5G ) weakly sclerotized except apex, with several long setae at apex, and several long setae at sides, spiculum elongate. Spermathecal receptaculum (Fig. 5H ) as slender as pump, apically tapering; pump slender and curved; sclerotized spermathecal duct extremely elongate, but base extremely wide, followed by very short slender tube, then followed with inflated areas. Bursal sclerites reduced.

Variation.

Most of specimens from Tahanshan have a distinct color pattern on elytra (Fig. 4D, E ): with two pairs of transverse, wide black bands, running from lateral margins, abbreviated before suture, anterior pair near base, posterior pair at apical 1/3 an oblique; with one transverse, broad white band at middle. One specimen from Kenting has much narrower black bands on the elytra (Fig. 4F ).

Diagnosis.

Neochya chengi sp. nov. is similar to N. nitidissima ( Chûjô) in having wide elytra, truncate elytral apices and reduced lateral depressions on the pronotum (Figs 4 , 9 ) (narrow elytra, rounded elytra apices and with lateral depression on the pronotum in others (Figs 2D-F , 7 ) but it differs from N. nitidissima in paralle sided elytra and having coarse punctures on pronotum and elytra (Fig. 4 ) (rounded elytra and reduced punctures on pronotum and fine punctures on elytra in N. nitidissima (Fig. 9 )), and parallel sided elytra (rounded elytra in N. nitidissima ). In addition, males of both species are separated from others with smooth margin of tectum of the penis (Figs 5C , 10C ) (serrate margin of tectum (Figs 8C , 12C ), but males of N. chengi differs from those of N. nitidissima with absence of small rounded process on lateral margin of the penis (Fig. 5C-E ) (with small rounded process on lateral margin of the penis in N. nitidissima (Fig. 10C-E )

Food plants.

Celastraceae : Celastrus hindsii Benth (Fig. 1A ), C. kusanoi Hayata.

Etymology.

It is named after Mr. Hsing-Tzung Cheng who was a member of the TCRT and an editor for a series of the books entitled "The Chrysomelidae of Taiwan". The gender is feminine.

Distribution.

Widespread but scattered in Taiwan (Fig. 6A ).

Figures

Figure 1. Habitat photographs A adult of Neochya chengi sp. nov. feeding on leaves of Celastrus hindsii B adult of N. hirashimai C Celastrus kusanoi, food plant for Neochya species D adult of N. nitidissima feeding on leaves of Euonymus spraguei E adult of N. tsoui resting on underside of leaves of Euonymus spraguei F Euonymus spraguei, food plant for Neochya species.

Figure 2. Habitus of Atrachya menetriesii and Neochya tsoui A A. menetresii, male, dorsal view B same, male, color variation C same, female, dorsal view D N. tsoui, male, dorsal view E same, ventral view F same, female, dorsal view.

Figure 4. Habitus of Neochya chengi sp. nov. A male, dorsal view B same, color variation C female, dorsal view D male, from Tahanshan (大漢山), dorsal view E same, ventral view F female, from Kenting (墾丁), dorsal view.

Figure 5. Diagnostic characters of Neochya chengi sp. nov. A antenna, male B antenna, female C aedeagus, dorsal view D aedeagus, lateral view E aedeagus, ventral view F gonocoxae G abdominal ventrite VIII H spermatheca.

Figure 6. Distribution map of Neochya species, solid line: 1000 m, broken line: 2000 m A N. chengi sp. nov. B N. hirashimai.

Figure 7. Habitus of and Neochya hirashimai A male, from Tatachia (塔塔加), dorsal view B same, ventral view C female, from Tatachia (塔塔加), dorsal view D male, from Liyuan (栗園), dorsal view E same, ventral view F female, from Liyuan (栗園), dorsal view.

Figure 8. Diagnostic characters of Neochya hirashimai A antenna, male B antenna, female C aedeagus, dorsal view D aedeagus, lateral view E aedeagus, ventral view F gonocoxae G abdominal ventrite VIII H spermatheca.

Figure 9. Habitus of Neochya nitidissima A form A, female, from Alishan (阿里山), dorsal view B same, ventral view C form B, male, from Kuanwu (觀霧), dorsal view D same, ventral view E form C, female, from Pilu (碧綠), dorsal view F same, ventral view G form D, female, from Taikang trial (泰崗林道), dorsal view H same, ventral view I form E, male, from Peitawushan (北大武山), dorsal view.

Figure 10. Diagnostic characters of Neochya nitidissima A antenna, male B antenna, female C aedeagus, dorsal view D aedeagus, lateral view E aedeagus, ventral view F gonocoxae G abdominal ventrite VIII H spermatheca.

Figure 12. Diagnostic characters of Neochya tsoui sp. nov. A antenna, male B antenna, female C aedeagus, dorsal view D aedeagus, lateral view E aedeagus, ventral view F gonocoxae G abdominal ventrite VIII H spermatheca.