Taophila subsericea Heller

Samuelson, Allan, 2010, Review of Taophila, a genus endemic to New Caledonia (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae), Zootaxa 2621, pp. 45-62 : 46-47

Taophila subsericea Heller

Fig.1a, 3i, 4c

Taophila subsericea Heller. (1916) Nova Caledonia, Zoologie, 2(3):306.

Redescription. Female (Lectotype). Head and pronotum medium orange-fulvous; elytron yellow-testaceous; ventral surfaces as in pronotum; antenna with segments 1–7 yellow-testaceous to orange-fulvous, 8–9 dark castaneous, 10–11 orange-fulvous; legs yellow-testaceous. Dorsum with slender pale pubescence on vertex and pronotal disc; setae ± discretely grouped on elytron, with setal groups on elytral preapex and side on apical half.

Head: frontal surfaces smooth-shining, gently and transversely raised across interantennal region; frons set with small deep punctures, these mostly a little smaller than interspaces; central vertex with an indication of median impunctate line; vertex otherwise with small deep punctures often larger than interspaces, these becoming slightly elongated and closer on sides above; eye moderately small, ovate and protruding, the greatest eye diameter nearly 0.55 x as broad as interocular space. Antenna extending to about middle of elytron; apical 5 segments gradually heavier; pedicel exceeding mid-length of segment 3; relative antennal length/breadths (in 1/100ths mm or cmm): 16/10: 10/7: 14/6: 16/6: 18/6: 15/7: 19/8: 18/9: 18/9: 19/10: 26/10. Prothorax nearly 0.85 x as long as broad and becoming much narrower than elytra across their respective bases; side weakly convex at greatest breadth slightly before middle, then straight to anterior angle and also straight to prebasal constriction; disc convex and closely punctulate; central punctures somewhat elongated and commonly 3 x as large as interspaces and about 1/3 as large as basal elytral punctures; interspaces slightly swollen, shining alutaceous. Scutellum subpentagonal-rounded, surface microgranulate. Elytron subtriangular-elongate; surface flatter medially with inner basal quadrant of disc confusedly punctate with interspaces duller subgranulate; punctures otherwise in regular rows on preapex and laterally with interstices smooth-shining, these becoming swollen to ± costate laterally in places; elytron steeply declivitous at extreme apex. Ventral surfaces: propleuron smooth-alutaceous and set with large deep punctures, commonly 2– 3 x as large as interspaces; metasternum similarly deeply punctured; abdominal ventrite 1 enlarged, shield-like, gently convex in lateral view, then stepped down to the following ventrites, surface alutaceous-punctulate, punctures commonly 1 x as large as interspaces; intercoxal piece of ventrite 1 (alternate female) moderately broad at 13:69 the breadth of ventrite. Legs (alternate female): metafemur gently swollen to middle; metatibia slightly sinuate, apical area flattened and gradually expanded. Genitalia (alternate female): spermatheca with receptacle slender, v-shaped. Measurements: Body length 3.3 mm; body breadth 1.5 mm; head breadth 84 cmm; interantennal space 28 cmm; interocular space 52 cmm; eye (maximum diameter) 28 cmm; gena ca. 14 cmm; pronotal length 96 cmm; pronotal breadth 116 cmm; elytral length 2.36 mm.

Male (Allolectotype). Differs from female due to smoother dorsal surfaces and more distant puncturation on pronotum and elytron; elytron also with punctures more organized in irregular rows on medial part of disc and lacking costae laterally; antenna with apical 5 segments more strongly broadened than in female; abdomen: ventrite 1 normally in-line with others (lateral view). Genitalia (alternate male): aedeagal apex as in Fig. 3i. Measurements: Body length 3.0 mm; body breadth 1.4 mm; head breath 80 cmm; interantennal space 28 cmm; interocular space 46 cmm; eye 28 cmm; antenna length/breadth (in cmm): 21/8: 10/7: 11/6: 18/6: 19/7: 16/7: 20/10: 20/10: 18/9: 18/11: 25/11; pronotal length 88 cmm; pronotal breadth 102 cmm; elytral length 2.0 mm.

Variation. Sexes dimorphic. Males have the elytral discal punctures tending more regular internally over smooth-shining interspaces, while females have punctures of the inner basal quadrant of disc confused (note comments below). Four females from Mt Aoupinie/Ponerihouen have the dorsum largely lustrous dark fuscous on smooth-shining surfaces, but the puncturation of the pronotal disc smaller and tending to run in ± longitudinal series between finely raised interspaces; elytron additionally marked with paler orangish discally as a strip running obliquely from humerus to preapex; elytral sculpture of the inner basal quadrant pustulate and smooth-shining with punctures small and obscure instead of normally moderately large and distinct over flattened granulate interspaces; elytral apex appearing broader being accentuated by a projecting tuberculate extremity of an inner interstice overriding actual margin in dorsal view.

Material examined. NEW CALEDONIA: Lectotype Ψ, Tao, 24.vi.1911 ( SMTD); Allolectotype ɗ, same data ( SMTD); mountain W of Hovailou, 5.ii.1962, N.L.H. Krauss (1); 10 km S of Pouebo, 480 m, 22.i.1964, R. Straatman (1); Mt Ignambi, 900–1100 m, 4.ii.1964, sweeping, Straatman (9); W of Ponerihouen, 29– 30.vii.1971, J.L. Gressitt (10); same data, on ferns (3); 1 same data, Malaise trap (1); same data but 29– 31.vii.1971 on palm (1); same data but 30.vii.1971 “? sacch”; same data but 31.vii.1971, J. Holloway (1); Mt Aopinie, W of Ponerihouen, 550 m, 30–31.vii.1971, ex ferns Gressitt (24, 1 SMTD); Ponderihouen/Aoupinie, S21 08.946’ E165 19.407’, 389 m, 25–26/04/2006, C. Mille & J. Brinon (1 IAC); Aoupinie, 4/04/2008, Mille (1 Jolivet). Undesignated examples in BPBM with parts of series for deposit in IAC, ISNB, Jolivet, MNHN, NMNH, ONNC, and SMTD.

Plant associates. Many from ferns; 1 record from a palm; 1 record from a grass (“? sacch”).

Remarks. A lectotype designation is necessary for this species to stabilize the taxonomy of the species, as neither the female nor the male were clearly designated in the original description; the female is the one hereby selected as lectotype; it is clearly described in the text; also a label attached is marked “ typus.” The male, not mentioned in the text, is labelled “cotypus” and is not to be confused with the female as it is the smaller specimen.

This is a smaller, bicolorous species with generally dark prothorax and paler elytra, the latter often with fuscous markings. It is somewhat similar in color scheme and size to T. scorpii , n. sp. from which it differs by lacking a conspicuous setose pubescence on pronotum.