Mniophila taurica Nadein, 2009

Damaška, Albert František, Fikáček, Martin, Daňková, Klára, Čičovský, Daniel, Smyčková, Marie, Koštíř, Vojtěch & Munclinger, Pavel, 2024, From Europe to Caucasus: cryptic diversity and unexpected biogeographic history of a Western Palaearctic moss-inhabiting flea beetle (Chrysomelidae: Mniophila), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 201 (4), pp. 1-25 : 19-20

Mniophila taurica Nadein, 2009

( Fig. 13H , 14 )

Mniophila taurica Nadein 2009: 120 .

Material eoamined: Types: Holotype ( ZIN): (i) Ukraine, Crimea, ascent to Chatyr-Dagh plateau from Sosnovka Vill., 18. VI. 2003 Nadein K.; (ii) Quercus -Fraxinus-Fagus forest, on Fagus stem and in moss; (iii) HOLOTYPUS Mniophila taurica sp. nov. Nadein K.S. 2009. Paratypes: Three ( ZIN) with same label as holotype: one ( ZIN): (i) Crimea, Angarskiy Pass, upper Sosnovka Vill., ascent to plateau, route N 147, near PTL, 18. VI. 2003 Yunakov N.; (ii) PAÞTYPUS Mniophila taurica sp. nov. Nadein K.S. 2009; one ( ZIN, labels wriưen in Russian): (i) Krym, Bakhchisarayskiy r-n, ushh. Bolshoy Kanyon, 5. 05. 1999, N. Yunakov (ii) V lesu, na mkhe sredi kamney (iii) PAÞTYPUS Mniophila taurica sp. nov. Nadein K.S. 2009.

Type locality: Ukraine: Crimea, Sosnovka–Chatyr-Dagh .

Distribution: Ukraine (Crimea).

Differential diagnosis: The species differs from other known Mniophila in the following characters: (i) apex of aedeagus wide

and flat, with a feebly developed apical denticle (in other species of Mniophila , apex of aedeagus is more or less pointed or with a well-developed apical denticle) and (ii) vaginal palpi with very short apical part. From the Ponto-Caucasian species M. caucasica and M. transcaucasica , it differs by having irregular elytral puncturation.

Redescription: Habitus. Body ovate, convex, 1.3–1.5 mm long, 0.9 mm wide in maximum, 0.7 mm high. Ventral surfaces black with greenish or bluish metallic lustre; dorsal surfaces dark brown; antennae and legs yellow to yellowish brown. Head. Hypognathous, triangular, black, surface chagrined. Supraorbital and orbital sulci deep, well-developed. Orbit wide, triangular, impunctate, projecting anteriorly. Frontal calli triangular, flat, feebly projecting, delimited posteriorly by a shallow supracallinal suture.Frontal ridge triangular, distinctly projecting apically. Clypeus black, labrum distinctly narrower than clypeus, black, deeply incised in the middle. Eyes round. Antennae short, reaching humeral part of elytra. Antennomere I long and wide, as long as antennomeres II and III combined. Antennomere II elongated but bulbose, longer than antennomere III but shorter than III and IV combined. Antennomere III elongated, antennomeres V – VI shorter than III. Antennomere VII widened, protruded anteriorly. Antennomere VIII distinctly shortened, round. Antennomeres IX–XI widened. Thorax. Pronotum convex, strongly protruded posteriorly; anterior pronotal margin about half as long as maximal length of pronotum. Anterolateral pronotal edges dull, rounded. Pronotal surface black with metallic lustre, shallowly punctured by scaưered tiny punctures. Elytra widened, maximal elytral width about 1.5× greater than maximal width of pronotum. Elytral puncturation dense, punctures small but distinct, weakly impressed and shallow, forming irregular rows or partly confused. Elytral margin sharp, epipleura widened in basal two-thirds. Surface of the prosternal process between procoxae wrinkled. Anterior metaventral process dull, almost as wide as mesocoxal cavity, emarginated

by a row of punctures in its basal part, covered by scaưered setae. Margin of the metaventral process slightly elevated. Legs yellow to yellowish brown, metatibiae slightly curved laterally. Protibiae only slightly narrowed posteriolaterally in basal third. Metatarsomere slightly elongated. Abdomen. Ventrites I and V each longer than ventrites II– IV combined. Ventrite I bearing an anterior process reaching the space between mesocoxae, emarginated. All abdominal ventrites chagrined, bearing punctures, and rows of long yellowish setae. Genitalia. Median lobe of aedeagus parallel-sided in ventral and dorsal view; strongly curved in lateral view. Apex of aedeagus wide, apical denticle almost indistinct. Spermathecal pump slender, receptacle wide, apical part narrowed. Duct short, J-shaped. Vaginal palpi short, parallel, wide; basal fused part longer than apical part. Tignum short, wide. DNA sequences. Fresh material cannot be collected due to the war in Ukraine. We have not been successful in obtaining sequences from the paratypes either. Therefore, DNA sequences have not been studied. The species identity is, however, clear based on the morphological diagnosis.

Figures

Figure 13. Comparison of the head morphology of different Mniophila species. A, M.muscorum; B, M.haveli; C, M. wroblewskii; D, M. bosnica; E, M. turcica; F, M. caucasica; G, M. transcaucasica; H, M.taurica.

Figure 14. Mniophila taurica. A, habitus in dorsal view; B, habitus in lateral view; C, habitus in ventral view; D, median lobe of aedeagus in ventral view; E, median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; F, median lobe of aedeagus in dorsal view; G, detailed view of the aedeagus apex (up: ventral view; below: dorsal view); H, spermatheca; I, vaginal palpi; J, tignum.