Gallerucida levifasciata Xu & Nie, 2022

Xu, Si-yuan, Nie, Rui-E & Yang, Xing-ke, 2022, Notes on spotted-elytron species of Gallerucida Motschulsky with the description of six new species from China (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae), ZooKeys 1116, pp. 33-55 : 33

Gallerucida levifasciata Xu & Nie sp. nov.

Figs 8-14

Type material.

Holotype. China: ♂, Gansu, Gannan / 1992 // unknown, leg. (IZAS).

Paratype. China: 1♂, Gansu, Gannan / 1992 // unknown, leg. (IZAS).

Description.

Length 5.5-6.0 mm, width 3.0-3.5 mm (n = 2, including holotype). Holotype length 5.5 mm, width 3.0 mm.

Male: Body oval and colorful (Figs 8-10 ). First three segments of antennae light reddish brown, 4th segment brown, remaining segments lost; head, pronotum and scutellum atropurpureus with metallic luster; elytra and epipleura yellowish brown, elytra with an irregular brown band from scutellum to middle area, and five brown spots after middle distributed in two rows, first row arranged four slight slim brown strips, second row arranged one round brown spot reaching elytron apical area; suture brown; body ventral surface and femora dark green; apical area of anterior metasternal process, tibiae and tarsi dark brown.

Head distinctly narrower than prothorax; occiput concave, with strong sparsely punctures; frontoclypeus triangular, slightly convex, with punctures; frontal tubercle developed. Antennae (only basal four segments remain) basal three segments moderately shiny, 4th segment covered with fine pale hairs; length ratios of segments I-IV 1.0: 0.3: 0.3: 1.7. Pronotum transverse, ~ 2.3 × as broad as long, lateral margin rounded, anterior margin concave, anterior corner indistinct, basal margin convex, disc area with densely strong punctures. Anterior metasternal process reach apex of the mesocoxal cavities, with punctures. Scutellum triangular, slightly rounded apically, with sparsely punctures. Elytra subparallel-sided, 1.6 × as long as broad; disc slightly convex, two types of irregular punctures in elytra: space between smaller punctures smaller than diameter of puncture, epipleura surface smooth. Last sternite of male with distinctly light trilobite concavities (Fig. 11 ).

Aedeagus slight broadened in middle area in dorsal view, apex obtuse angled, slightly curved towards ventral side; internal sclerites (Figs 12-14 ): a pair of lateral sclerites shorter and converging in apical area in dorsal view.

Derivatio nominis.

The specific epithet Gallerucida levifasciata is formed from the Latin adjectives levis (meaning light) and fasciata (banded); named for the irregular light brown band on the elytra adjacent to the scutellum.

Distribution.

China: Gansu.

Diagnosis.

Gallerucida levifasciata closely resembles G. bifasciata Motschulsky, but it can be distinguished from the latter by: ventral surface color, scutellum with punctures and elytra with two types of large and small irregular punctures; G. levifasciata is also similar to G. piceusfasciata sp. nov., but the latter has a yellow metasternal process apically and basal abdominal sternite.

Figures

Figures 8 - 14. Gallerucida levifasciata sp nov (holotype) 8 dorsal view 9 ventral view 10 lateral view 11 ventral view of 5 th ventrite, male 12 aedeagus, dorsal view 13 ditto, lateral view 14 ditto, ventral view. Scale bars: 5 mm (8 - 10); 1 mm (11 - 14).