Phaelota maculipennis, Prathapan, K. D. & Konstantinov, A. S., 2009

Prathapan, K. D. & Konstantinov, A. S., 2009, Descriptions of eight new species of Phaelota (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) with a new generic synonymy and a key to species of Indian subcontinent, Zootaxa 1991, pp. 1-27 : 8-11

Phaelota maculipennis , new species

( Figs 22 – 30)

Distribution. India (Tamil Nadu).

Host plants. Collected by sifting moss.

Description. Total body length 2.4 mm, width 1.6 mm. Head, pronotum black. Elytron all around and suture piceous enclosing light yellowish area in middle. Dark color of the margin spreads to light colored area in middle forming variously shaped macula varying greatly among individuals ( Figs 22, 26). Frontal region and mouth parts brown. Basal 5 – 6 antennomeres brown, rest piceous. All legs and ventrites brown.

In lateral view, frons and vertex each forming distinctly convex lines and their intersection appears notched; frons as high as vertex. Vertex convex, extremely finely punctate ( Fig. 23). Antennal callus raised, triangular with acute lateral end, broader than long, high along middle. Antennal calli separated by a short midfrontal depression not entering into interantennal space. Midfrontal and suprafrontal sulci indistinct. Frontal ridge distinctly convex, extremely minutely punctate. Anterofronal ridge without vertical carina medially. Maxillary palpus with preapical palpomere slightly longer than half of apical. Second and third antennomeres subequal in length; fourth shorter than third; fourth to sixth subequal in length, sixth slightly thicker than fifth; seventh onwards antennomeres distinctly thickened; seventh to ninth each subequal, longer than sixth; tenth subequal to ninth or longer, longer than wide; eleventh about two times as long as tenth.

Pronotum slightly narrower anteriorly than posteriorly ( Fig. 24). Lateral margin weakly curved. Anterolateral callosity forming obtuse denticle at pore. Disc shiny, uniformly covered with small punctures. Antebasal transverse impression imperceptible except for a few bold punctures near posterior margin. Scutellum two times broader than long, semicircular, impunctate. Elytron with humerus flat, without depression posteriorly or mesally, maximum width anterior to middle. Surface shiny, punctures bold, deep, distinct posteriorly. Interstices flat with a mixture of small and moderate sized punctures; width of interstices 3 – 6 times diameter of a puncture in middle of elytron. Epipleuron subhorizontal, slightly short of reaching apex. Metasternum slightly shorter than prosternum. Metatibia nearly straight in lateral view, curved from dorsal view. Dorsal surface flat in distal half, rest of it convex. Metatibial spine longer than tarsal claw.

Posterior margin of last abdominal sternite in male neither distinctly bisinuate nor with a distinct lobe in middle. Median lobe of aedeagus strongly curved in lateral view with acute apex ( Fig. 25). Ventral side with a longitudinal furrow extending from proximal end not reaching apex; apex nearly flat. Dorsal opening with three laminae, middle one distinctly sclerotised, laminae not covering opening. Arm of tegmen shorter than stem ( Fig. 28); spicule Y-shaped.

Receptacle of spermatheca longer than pump, internal and external sides convex, oblong; length slightly shorter than two times width; maximum width below middle. Pump shorter than receptacle, with vertical part shorter than horizontal. Duct a little shorter than two times length of receptacle ( Fig. 27). Proximal half of vaginal palpus much wider than distal half, maximum width at distal 1/3; distal sclerotization darker than proximal sclerotization, both being undifferentiated and subequal. Lateral membranous area in middle longer than half of vaginal palpus ( Fig. 29). Tignum straight, proximally wider than sclerotized part of apex ( Fig. 30).

Sexual dimorphism. Ventral side of first pro- and mesotarsomeres in female with pointed setae. In male, setae on the ventral side of first pro- and mesotarsomeres are short and plumose-capitate. Metafemur is sexually dimorphic as in other species of the genus.

Type material. Holotype ♂. Labels: 1) SOUTH INDIA Western Ghats Tamil Nadu, 35 km SW Kodaikanal 30.XI.2003, 2060 m Kukal Shola N 1Oْ 16' 23" E 77ْ 21' 55", leg. Konstantinov, Prathapan, Saluk; 2 ) Holotype Phaelota maculipennis sp. nov. des. D. Prathapan, A. Konstantinov, 2007 ( USNM) . Paratypes 1 ♂, 1 ♀ the same labels as holotype ( USNM, PKDC) .

Etymology. The species name refers to the maculate elytron and is an adjective.

Remarks. Phaelota maculipennis can be differentiated from most other flightless species of Phaelota by its black head and pronotum (head and pronotum yellow to dark brown in other species) and the characteristic color pattern of the elytron. The dorsum is entirely metallic black in P. saluki n. sp. and elytron is metallic black with greenish reflections and the pronotum is brown in P. viridipennis n. sp., the other two flightless species known from the hills of the Western Ghats. A unique character of P. maculipennis is the Y-shaped spicule. The aedeagus with a deep furrow along the ventral side is another diagnostic feature. P.

maculipennis and P. viridipennis share several features like the highly raised antennal callus, convex vertex and posterior margin of the last abdominal sternite in male without a distinct lobe in middle.