Charidotella moraguesi, Borowiec, Lech, 2007

Borowiec, Lech, 2007, Two new species of Charidotella Weise (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Cassidini), with a key to Charidotella sexpunctata group, Zootaxa 1586, pp. 59-66 : 60-62

Charidotella moraguesi sp. nov.

Etymology

Dedicated to Gerard Moragues (Marseille, France) for his great contribution to the knowledge of Cassidinae of French Guyana (see Borowiec and Moragues 2005).

Diagnosis

A member of nominotypical subgenus. Charidotella moraguesi is very close to Ch. zona (Fabricius, 1801) and Ch. ecuadorica ( Borowiec, 1989) . The three species are the only within Ch. sexpunctata group with pale pattern on ventral side of elytra forming in the middle more or less regular yellow ring. Ch. ecuadorica distinctly differs in the black pattern of the elytra being present on both the dorsal and ventral surface, while in Ch. moraguesi and Ch. zona the black pattern occurs only on the ventral surface of elytra. Ch. zona differs in the presence of a more or less visible dark pattern on the base of the pronotal disc (no pattern in Ch. moraguesi ) and only the apical segment of antennae infuscate (four apical segments infuscate to black in Ch. moraguesi ). The punctation of the disc in Ch. moraguesi is distinctly coarser than in Ch. zona , especially the punctures in the middle of the sides of the disc are very coarse, distinctly coarser than punctures on top of the disc while in Ch. zona the punctures on the sides of the disc are only slightly coarser than on the top of the disc. Black areolae around punctures in Ch. moraguesi are larger than in Ch. zona . In Ch. moraguesi the pale ring on the disc in posterior part is distinctly wider than on sides, and in anterior part it is interrupted along the second row of punctures while in Ch. zona the ring is more regular, the same width in all parts and complete.

Description

Length 5.1–5.6 mm, width 4.2–4.65 mm, length of pronotum 1.8–2.0 mm, width of pronotum 3.1–3.35 mm, length/width ratio 1.20–1.23, width/length ratio of pronotum 1.65–1.78. Body broadly oval, sexual dimorphism indistinct (fig. 1).

Pronotum and scutellum uniformly yellow. Elytra yellow, on underside with black pattern occupying a great part of elytral surface, except marginal interval, anterior part of humerus, a large yellow ring in centre of disc, and yellow sutural intervals between scutellum and the yellow ring. Each elytral puncture with black centre and black areola, elytra appear distinctly black punctate. Clypeus yellow with black basal corners. Prothorax yellow except black external margins of procoxal cavities. Mesothorax yellow, metathorax in the middle black, at sides with large yellow spots. Epimera and episterna of mesothorax yellow except black margins, lateral plates of metasternum brown to black. Abdomen in the middle black, sides and apex broadly yellow. Coxae partly infuscate to black, trochanters yellow, legs uniformly yellow. Antennal segments 1–7 yellow, 8– 11 brown to black, segments 10 and 11 ventrally paler than dorsally.

Pronotum moderately broad,1.65–1.78 times as wide as long. Anterior margin forms distinct arch, sides narrowly rounded, maximum width of pronotum in basal 2/5 length. Whole surface of pronotum smooth, shiny, explanate margin with honeycomb structure.

Scutellum triangular, without sulci or impressions. Base of elytra distinctly wider than base of pronotum. Humeri rounded, moderately protruding anterad. Elytral disc distinctly, almost regularly convex with the top of convexity in postscutellar point (fig. 2). Punctation of disc regular, on top of disc moderately coarse, in the middle of sides coarse, punctures gradually decreasing from top of disc to slope. Punctures on sides of disc approximately thrice coarser than in two sutural rows. Interspaces 1–3 broad, three to four times as wide as rows, lateral interspaces partly only twice as wide as rows. Surface of intervals flat, smooth, and mirror. Principal impression distinct, moderately deep with 4–6 coarse punctures. Explanate margin of elytra broad, in widest part slightly wider than half width of disc of elytron, moderately declivous. Surface of the margin smooth, mirror, with honeycomb structure. Apex of elytral epipleura bare.

Clypeus moderately broad, approximately 1.3 times as wide as long. Clypeal lines fine, well visible from base to 1/3 length of clypeus (fig. 3). Margins of clypeal plate slightly elevated, surface of clypeal plate from base to apex gradually impressed thus apex of clypeal plate distinctly elevated. Anterior margins of clypeal plate converging in soft arch. Surface of clypeal plate impunctate, shiny. Eyes large, occupying whole sides of head, gena invisible. Labrum very shallowly emarginate. Antennae moderately long, length ratio of antennal segments: 100:50:39:55:50:44:50:47:47:50:97. Segment 2 almost 1.3 times longer than segment 3, segment 4 approximately 1.43 times as long as segment 3, segments 9 and 10 slightly longer than wide. Prosternal collar short, forms regular arch. Prosternal process typical for the genus Charidotella , broad, not constricted in the middle, apex only slightly expanded laterally, central part shallowly impressed. Surface of prosternal process regular, smooth, without punctures. All claws with large basal tooth.

Type material

Holotype: “ Guyane Fr. NE, 20 km SSE of Roura, Fourgassie, 3.II.2006, Šárovec & Houška lgt.”; two paratypes: the same data; 6 paratypes “ Guyane Fr. NE, 15 km SSE of Roura, Fourgassie, 17.I.2006, Šárovec & Houška lgt.” (holotype and 3 paratypes preserved at the Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Taxonomy, Zoological Institute, University of Wrocław, Poland; 4 paratypes in private collection of M. Sniżek, Česke Budejovice, Czech Republic; one paratype in private collection of Gerard Moragues, Marseille, France).