Phaelota mauliki, 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 : 11-13

Phaelota mauliki , new species

( Figs 31 – 39)

Distribution. India (Tamil Nadu).

Host plants. Collected on unidentified ferns.

Description. Total body length 2.7 – 4.2 mm, width 1.9 – 2.7 mm. Color highly variable. Two distinct color morphs – yellow or red and black- and their intermediates were observed ( Figs 31 – 33). Red and black form: head, pronotum, legs, antennae, thoracic sternites piceous to black; elytron, abdominal sternites red except first abdominal sternite being red to piceous; labrum, apex of basal five antennomeres, anterofrontal ridge, mouth parts, antennal socket, base of first antennomere, trochanter, claw tarsomere lighter than head and thorax. Yellow form: entirely shining light yellow, except six distal antennomeres black; all tarsomeres dark brown; apex of all tibiae, basal five antennomeres darker than rest of body; apex of last antennomere brown. Dorsum of one specimen entirely shining black except brown apices of basal five antennomeres.

Frons and vertex form slightly convex line in lateral view. Vertex shining, moderately convex, finely punctate. Antennal callus oblique, about as wide as long, raised near margin with antennal socket than posterior or mesal margins. Antennal calli slightly raised, separated from each other by midfrontal sulcus that continue into interantennal space as shallow midfrontal longitudinal depression. Suprafrontal sulcus poorly developed. Frontal ridge shiny, extremely minutely punctate. Anterofrontal ridge sharply carinate medially. Maxillary palpus with apical palpomere about two times as long as preapical. Third antennomere distinctly longer than second; 3 – 5 each subequal in length, fifth being slightly wider than third and fourth; sixth subequal to or longer than fifth; seventh longer, wider than sixth; eighth slightly shorter than seventh; ninth subequal to or slightly longer than eighth; tenth apparently longer than wide, subequal to or shorter than ninth; eleventh slightly shorter than two times length of tenth.

Pronotum anteriorly narrower than posteriorly, lateral margins almost straight ( Fig. 31). Anterolateral callosity forming obtuse denticle at pore. Disc shiny, punctures minute to medium sized, stronger towards distal region, size of largest puncture being less than half as those on base of elytron. Antebasal transverse impression indistinct, represented by a weak, short longitudinal impression on either side, almost nonexistent in majority of specimens. Mesoscutellum shiny, extremely minutely punctate, triangular, apex narrowly rounded, slightly wider than long. Elytron with well developed humeral callus, with depression posteriorly, maximum width at anterior 1/3. Disc shiny, punctures bold, interstices flat with a mixture of minute to small punctures. Punctures turn indistinct posteriorly. Width of interstices in anterior half vary from 3 – 6 times diameter of a puncture. Epipleuron subhorizontal, not reaching apex. Metasternum about two times as long as prosternum. Metatibia straight in lateral view, slightly curved from dorsal view; dorsally convex in proximal 1/3, concave in distal 1/4, rest of surface flat.

Posterior margin of last abdominal sternite in male weakly bisinuate with a transverse lobe in middle ( Fig. 39). Median lobe of aedeagus gently curved with weakly recurved apex in lateral view ( Fig. 34); ventral side convexly raised like a ridge along middle, preapically with curved impressions on either side, parallel sided in ventral view. Dorsal opening incompletely covered by a rectangular lamina. Arm of tegmen shorter than stem ( Fig. 35). Receptacle of spermatheca about as long as pump, internal side strongly convex, external side weakly concave with maximum width slightly above middle. Pump with horizontal part slightly longer than vertical. Duct shorter than receptacle ( Fig. 36). Vaginal palpus with membranous part in middle longer than anterior sclerotization or posterior sclerotization; anterior sclerotization apparently longer than posterior; slightly narrowed near middle, widening proximally ( Fig. 37). Tignum slightly widened anteriorly, straight in ventral view, curved in lateral view, sclerotized part of apex slightly widened ( Fig. 38).

Sexual dimorphism. All first tarsomeres ventrally flat with short, capitate setae in male and with pointed setae in female. Metafemur sexually dimorphic as in other species.

Type material. Holotype ♂. Labels: 1) SOUTH INDIA Western Ghats Tamil Nadu, Naduvattam 27.VI.2004 N11ْ 28' 24.2" E76ْ 33'04" Prathapan K. D. Coll. 2 ) Holotype Phaelota mauliki sp. nov. des. D. Prathapan, A. Konstantinov, 2007 ( USNM) .

Paratypes. 6 ♂, 9 ♀ the same labels as holotype; 4 ♂, 3 ♀ Labels: 1) SOUTH INDIA Western Ghats Tamil Nadu, Avalanche 2030m 26.VI.2004 N11ْ 18' 00.3" E76ْ 35'42.8" Prathapan K. D. Coll.; 2 ) Paratype Phaelota mauliki sp. nov. des. D. Prathapan, A. Konstantinov, 2007 (8 USNM, 4 BMNH, 2 NHMB, 2 NPC, 2 UASB, 4 PKDC) .

Etymology. This species is named after Samarendra Maulik who did the first monograph on the leaf beetles of the Indian subcontinent. The name is a noun.

Remarks. Phaelota flavipennis is similar to P. mauliki in having various color forms. P. flavipennis can be differentiated from P. mauliki by its excarinate anterofrontal ridge and laterally well impressed antebasal transverse impression on the pronotum. The second and third antennomeres are subequal in P. flavipennis but the latter is distinctly longer in P. mauliki . P. mauliki closely resembles P. sindhoori Prathapan and Viraktamath , especially in the structure of the spermatheca, absence of antebasal transverse impression on the pronotum, and the oblique antennal calli, but can be differentiated from P. sindhoori by the longer midfrontal depression (shorter in P. sindhoori , Fig. 60), vertical carina in the middle of the anterofrontal ridge (anterofrontal ridge excarinate in P. sindhoori ), epipleuron which is nearly horizontal (distinctly oblique in P. sindhoori ) and antennal callus raised near antennal socket than near vertex (antennal callus higher near vertex than near antennal socket in P. sindhoori ). The yellow form of P. mauliki resembles P. jacobyi in color but lacks black spots on the elytron which are invariably present in P. jacobyi ( Figs 13, 15). In P. jacobyi the basal six antennomeres are translucent brown, not widened, and without short, dense setae, and the five distal antennomeres are black, distinctly widened with dense, short setae (in P. mauliki basal five antennomeres are translucent, not widened and without short, dense setae while the distal six antennomeres are black, distinctly widened with short, dense setae). The punctures on the vertex of P. jacobyi ( Fig. 14) are much stronger than those on P.mauliki . The spermathecal duct in P. jacobyi is nearly two times as long as the receptacle where it is shorter than the receptacle in P. mauliki . P. vaishakha is rather hemispherical in appearance compared to P. mauliki which is comparatively longer and less convex. The following characters will differentiate P. vaishakha from P. mauliki : antennal calli transverse and narrowly separated from each other (oblique and distinctly separated by midfrontal depression in P. mauliki ); anterofrontal ridge excarinate (anterofrontal ridge vertically carinate medially in P. mauliki ); lateral pronotal margins strongly curved (nearly straight in P. mauliki ); six basal antennomeres brown while distal five black (basal five brown and distal six black in P. mauliki ); aedeagus distinctly widened at distal 1/ 3 in ventral view (aedeagus parallel sided in ventral view in P. mauliki ).