Phaelota flavipennis (Motschulsky) 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 : 4-6

Phaelota flavipennis (Motschulsky) New combination

( Figs 7 – 12)

Hypnophila flavipennis Motschulsky, 1866: 39 ( Sri Lanka, lectotype, designated by Medvedev, 2006, not examined); Scherer, 1969: 233.

Kamala flavipennis: Maulik, 1926: 259 ; Scherer, 1969: 234.

Thrylaea flavipennis: Ogloblin, 1930: 98 ; Heikertinger and Csiki, 1940: 528; Scherer, 1969: 234.

Distribution. Sri Lanka.

Host plants. Unknown.

Description. Total body length 3.0 mm, width 2.1 mm. Body entirely light brown, with pronotum and tibial apex darker. Last 5 antennomeres dark brown ( Fig. 7).

In lateral view, vertex and frons form convex line, their intersection being concave and proximal end of frons higher than vertex. Vertex minutely punctate ( Fig. 10). Antennal callus slightly raised, oblique, shorter than wide, as low near supracallinal sulcus as near supraantennal sulcus, separated from each other by round midfrontal impression. Suprafrontal sulcus poorly developed medially, absent laterally, midfrontal sulcus poorly developed. Frontal ridge smooth. Anterofrontal ridge without vertical carina medially. Maxillary palpus with preapical palpomere subequal to more than half of apical palpomere. Third antennomere nearly as long as second ( Fig. 11). Tenth antennomere longer than wide.

Lateral margin of pronotum slightly convex ( Fig. 8), anterolateral callosity forms acute denticle at pore. Disc shiny, punctation fine, much stronger than that on vertex. Antebasal transverse impression absent except for small curved longitudinal line laterally on each side near posterior margin. Scutellum shiny, impunctate, triangular, wider than long, apex rounded. Elytron with well developed humeral callus ( Fig. 7), without depression posteriorly, maximum width at proximal 1/3. Striae slightly depressed. Interstices flat with small punctures. Width of interstices subequal to 4 – 7 times diameter of a puncture. Epipleuron oblique, not reaching apex. Metasternum about two times as long as prosternum. Metafemur with flat, serrated ridge along its posterior edge ( Fig. 9). Metatibia straight in lateral view, curved from dorsal view, proximal 1/3 dorsally convex, rest of surface nearly flat. Claw longer than metatibial spine.

Median lobe of aedeagus gently curved in lateral view ( Fig. 12), with apex bent dorsally in lateral view. Ventral side convex, slightly narrowed in basal one third, apex gently depressed, with a pair of longitudinal depressions ending gradually towards base, with ridge narrowing towards apex; dorsal opening partially covered by lamina sclerotized along middle ( Fig. 12).

Female unknown.

Material examined. ♂. Labels : 1) Ceylon: Kan, Dist., Udawattakelle, 25 – 30 Oct. 1966, J.F.G. Clarke Thelma M. Clarke; 2) Phaelota flavipennis (Motschulsky) det. Prathapan and Konstantinov, 2008 ( USNM) .

Remarks. Although Medvedev (2006) recently designated the lectotype of this species, it remains inaccessible for our study. We based our concept of this species on the specimen that we identified as P. flavipennis with the help of the detailed illustration of the median lobe of the aedeagus provided by Ogloblin (1930). In the key, P. flavipennis is in the same couplet with P. variabilis from which it can be easily separated based on its larger size ( P. flavipennis is 3.0 mm long, P. variabilis is 2.3 mm), pronotum darker than the elytra (in P.

variabilis , pronotum is of lighter color than elytra) and the median lobe of the aedeagus with the apex bent dorsally in lateral view (in P. variabilis apex bent ventrally, Fig. 74).