Acronymolpus gressitti, Samuelson, G. Allan, 2015

Samuelson, G. Allan, 2015, Acronymolpus, a new genus of Eumolpinae, endemic to New Caledonia (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae), ZooKeys 547, pp. 93-102 : 96-97

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Acronymolpus gressitti sp. n. Fig. 3

Description

(Holotype). Body moderately robust, broadest across elytral humeral region then moderately narrowed to rounded apex. Body surfaces and appendages largely piceous; antennal segments 1-2 yellow, 3-4 brownish; tarsal pads yellowish. Dorsum glabrous, venter: metasternum and first abdominal ventrite each with group of elongate pale setae. Body length 2.35 mm; body breadth 1.4 mm.

Head: frontal surfaces largely smooth, with a hint of fine sculpture; upper frons with a few large, deep punctures; postantennal swellings ± subquadratae; oblique suture becoming deep above eye; vertex with coronal suture deep, with surfaces on each side convexly swollen; interantennal space broad, flat, about 3 × as broad as antennal socket; orbit slightly broader than antennal socket; interocular space with breadth subequal to maximum eye diameter; gena not quite 0.5 × as deep as eye.

Antenna rather slender, attaining apical 1/3 of elytron; relative lengths of segments (cmm): 18: 12: 18: 18: 20: 17: 20: 20: 20: 20: 30; apical 5 segments distinctly heavier than preceding ones.

Prothorax 0.59 × as broad as long; base broadly convex across middle; lateral margin moderately convex; disc uniformly convex and rather uniformly punctured, punctures ± elliptical and commonly 1 × as large as interspaces; interspaces smooth with hint of microsculpture.

Elytron smooth and shining; lateral margin moderately narrowed from posthumeral area to preapex; apex convex: humerus slightly produced, smooth; inner basal disc with punctures deep, and larger than pronotal ones.

Ventral surfaces: hypomeron subshining, with fine isodiametrical sculpture; metastrnum with isodiametric sculpture; metacoxae enlarged and ending slightly before apical margin of ventrite 1; relative lengths of abdominal ventrites (cmm): 32: 8: 6: 10: 16; surfaces subshining, with moderate isodiametric sculpture; first abdominal ventrite moderately inclined between coxae; last ventrite with median impression before apex.

Legs: femora subclavate, surfaces with fine sculpture; metafemur and tibia subequal in length.

Measurements: BL 235 mm; BB 1.4 mm; HB 82 cmm; IAS 20 cmm; AS 6 cmm; ORB 7 cmm; IOS 36 cmm; EYE 34 × 26 cmm; GENA 16 cmm; PNL 70 cmm; PNB 118 cmm.

Holotype.

NEW CALEDONIA: Mt Panie, 500 m, 3.iii.1981, on Freycinetia , J. L. Gressitt collector (BPBM 16,843).

Remarks.

The less tapered body form of this species separates it from Acronymolpus meteorus , sp. n., which is very strongly narrowed apically. This is the only specimen of the genus with any information on plant associates; in this case Freycinetia . The name honors the late J. Linsley Gressitt, who contributed greatly to entomology of the Pacific and beyond.