Taophila millei Samuelson

Samuelson, Allan, 2010, Review of Taophila, a genus endemic to New Caledonia (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae), Zootaxa 2621, pp. 45-62 : 58

Taophila millei Samuelson , new species

Fig. 2f, 3h

Description. Female (Holotype). Head dark castaneous but paler on lower frons and central to upper vertex; prothorax dull dark castaneous with a slight brassy lustre; elytron orange-fuscous. Antenna, pterothorax, abdominal ventrites, and legs largely pitchy orange-fuscous. Dorsal surfaces: pronotum dulled by close puncturation; elytron subshining with slight isodiagramatic sculpture. Dorsal vestiture of conspicuous silvery setae.

Head: frontal surfaces essentially flattened but interantennal region very weakly and gradually raised transversely; frons bearing small deep punctures, mostly about 1 x as large as interspaces; lower vertex with similar but larger punctures; punctures of upper vertex becoming elliptical at sides and above and median line of disc fine but distinct; eye rather small, with maximum diameter about 0.4 x as broad as interantennal space; gena about 0.55 x as deep as eye. Antenna extending beyond mid-elytron; pedicel exceeding half-length of segment 3; segments rather slender but with apical 5 distinctly heavier and longer. Prothorax roughly 0.7 x as broad as long, broadest across anterior third; side convex anteriorly, thence becoming straightened and narrowed to projecting posterior angle; basal antimarginal sulcus a deep narrow scratch; discal punctures small and ± elliptical, commonly 3 or 4 x as large as briefly raised interspaces, roughly tending to run in longitudinal directions; marginal punctures at side slightly larger and more circular. Elytron broadest across anterior third, the side rather evenly convex and gradually narrowed to apex; apex weakly declined in lateral view; humerus briefly swollen and followed by slightly swollen interstices; inner basal discal quadrant with punctures largest and confused; puncturation becoming regular apically and laterally; discal sculpture generally subgranulate-shining at most in inner discal quadrant, otherwise nearly smooth. Ventral surfaces: propleuron set with deep punctures mostly less than 1 x as large as smooth interspaces; metasternum subgranulate-smooth, with large punctures at side; abdominal ventrites 1 and 2 modified: ventrite 1 shield-like with apical margin bituberculate; ventrite 2 normally short but with apical margin bituberculate as in preceding; intercoxal piece of ventrite 1 fairly narrow at 11:68 as broad as segment. Legs: metafemur rather slender but incrassate; metatibia ± straight, apex expanded. Genitalia: spermatheca with receptacle slender vlike, somewhat sinuate on one arm. Measurements: Body length 3.75 mm; body breadth 1.8 mm; head breadth 102 cmm; interantennal space 36 cmm; interocular space 68 cmm; eye 27 cmm; gena 15 cmm; pronotal length 102 cmm; pronotal breadth 140 cmm; elytral length 2.8 mm.

Holotype Ψ (BPBM 17,188). NEW CALEDONIA. Col d’Amieu, 750 m, 3.iii.1960, J.L. Gressitt.

Remarks. A larger bicolorous species, with dorsal surfaces moderately setose. Differs from the smaller bicolorous species by having the elytral disc normally turgid and evenly convex instead of flattened with barely any granulation on the inner disc as compared to the other females. Differs further from T. scorpii , n. sp. by having a more evenly narrowed elytron and larger size. Unique female. The name honors Christian Mille of IAC in La Foa, provider of material critical to this study.