Cleta dawkinsi (Li) Szawaryn, 2018

Szawaryn, Karol, 2018, Taxonomic notes on Australian herbivorous ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae: Epilachnini), Zootaxa 4413 (1), pp. 158-162 : 158-161

Cleta dawkinsi (Li) comb. nov.

( Figs. 1 A–J )

Epilachna dawkinsi Li, 1993: 222 .

Epilachna dawkinsi: Jadwiszczak & Węgrzynowicz 2003: 55 ; Ślipiński 2007: 184.

Redescription: (Based on holotype female) Length 4.51 mm; width 3.61 mm; TL/EW = 1.25; PL/PW = 0.47; PL/ EL = 0.26; PW/EW = 0.59; EL/EW = 1.05. Body oval, convex ( Figs. 1B, D ); head, pronotum and elytra pubescent. Head, pronotum, scutellar shield and elytra chestnut-brown ( Figs. 1A, D ); each elytron with nine black spots arranged as in Fig. 1D and 1F . Ventral side light-brown to brown. Head and pronotum uniformly punctate; elytron with two kinds of punctures throughout; larger punctures about twice as large as smaller once, small punctures densely distributed with about 1.5–2 their diameter apart, larger punctures more sparsely distributed with a distance of about 3–4 their diameter.

Head exposed, transverse; ventral antennal grooves present. Eye finely faceted, with inner margins emarginate antero-medially ( Fig. 1A ). Frons simple. Antenna shorter than width of head, with 11 antennomeres; scape large and pedicel swollen, pedicel distinctly narrower than scape; antennomere 3 elongate; antennomeres 4–7 subquadrate, antennomere 8 transverse; antennal club relatively compact, 3-segmented, asymmetrical. Maxillary stipes much longer than galea; galea transversely oval, sclerotized and glabrous, anterior edge pubescent; terminal palpomere elongate, parallel-sided, prementum subquadrate.

Prothorax. Prosternal process ( Fig. 1I ) smooth, without carinae, bordered laterally, about as wide as prosternal length in front of a procoxal cavity. Prosternum in front of coxa with anterior margin uniformly arcuate ( Fig. 1I ). Procoxal cavity with bordering line, reaching notosternal suture laterally ( Fig. 1I ).

Pterothorax. Mesoventrite ( Fig. 1I ) with anterior edge emarginate, entirely raised; mesoventral process smooth; meso-metaventral suture straight. Scutellar shield ( Fig. 1D ) small, triangular. Elytra with lateral margins not explanate, visible from above in anterior half; epipleuron smooth, incomplete at apex, its inner margin with bordering line nearly complete, fading before base of elytron. Metaventral postcoxal lines joined on metaventral process in straight line, laterally complete, not descending.

Legs short, stout with apices of mid and hind femora not protruding from outer margin of elytral epipleuron. Fore, mid and hind trochanters with sub-triangular projection ( Fig. 1H ), with weak cavities on their inner surfaces for receiving tip of tibiae in repose. Mid and hind coxae, femora and tibiae simple, tibiae without spurs at apex. Tarsal claws double, with inner teeth touching each other ( Fig. 1C ).

Abdomen detached with only first four ventrites present, other ventrite missing. Abdominal postcoxal lines recurved roundly, incomplete ( Fig. 1G ). Female genitalia as in Fig. 1E. A sclerite occurs anterior to coxites in membrane connecting paraprocts. Coxites transverse, oval; inner edge of coxites weakly emarginate, ventral surface with sclerotized pocket/ridge antero-medially. Styli distinct. Bursa copulatrix missing.

Type material. Holotype, female ( SAM), “Reedy Creek, S.E. S. Aust., Jan.–Feb. 1962, J.C. Dawkins/ Holotype / Epilachna australiensis [crossed out on label] dawkinsi sp. n., det. C.S. Li 1981/ SAMA Database, No. 25-035487”; original labels ( Fig. 1J ).

Comments. Re-examination of the type specimen revealed that the species described by Li belongs to the African genus Cleta Mulsant, 1850 based on the subquadrate prementum, lack of carinae on the mid and hind tibiae, and lack of spurs on the apices of the tibiae. As the type specimen is female, only female genitalia were studied. They agree with the general structure of the female genitalia of the genus Cleta : a sclerite is present anterior to the coxites in the membrane connecting the paraprocts, the coxites each have a distinctive ridge on the ventral surface, and are transverse-oval and distinctly emarginate on the inner margin.

This discovery was surprising as no species of Cleta was previously known outside Africa and Madagascar. Two hypotheses were considered: the specimen described as E. dawkinsi was introduced to South Australia from Africa, or the specimen was mislabeled. I have asked the curator of SAM collection (Peter Hudson) about other materials collected by C. F. Dawkins and the response was very interesting. Mr. Dawkins collected materials in various places but two localities are important for the purpose of present paper. Dawkins collected insects in Tanganyika (East Africa) in 1961 and in Reedy Creek (South Australia) in 1962. That information supports the hypothesis that the type specimen of E. dawkinsi was mislabeled, and probably was collected in former Tanganyika state (currently Tanzania).

In the light of these facts , Epilachna dawkinsi Li, 1993 is transferred here to the genus Cleta Mulsant, 1850 . Cleta consists of more than 100 species distributed in the Afrotropical region, mainly in Eastern Africa and Madagascar ( Szawaryn et al. 2015, Tomaszewska & Szawaryn 2016). Cleta (formerly the “ E. sahlbergi group”) was revised by Fürsch (1963) but only male genitalia were examined. Madagascan species that probably belong to this genus, are known mostly from original descriptions and have not been revised. As only female genitalia of E. dawkinsi are available for study it is impossible to attribute E. dawkinsi to any particular species of Cleta . Thus E. dawkinsi is provisionally transferred to the genus Cleta as C. dawkinsi . Further work is needed to determine if it is synonymous with another species from this group.

Within the Epilachna sahlbergi group, Fürsch (1963) proposed four smaller groups of species, one of them is a group of species thought to be closely related to E. sahlbergi . Epilachna dawkinsi has similar coloration to the typical coloration of that group. The distinct and unusual sub-triangular projections of trochanters might be very useful for identification of the correct placement of this species within Cleta .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cleta dawkinsi holotype (Li, 1993); A) habitus anterior; B) habitus lateral; C) tarsal claw; D) habitus dorsal; E) female genitalia, ventral; F) left elytron and coxite, original drawings from Li 1993; G) postcoxal abdominal line; H) protrochanter; I) prosternum and mesoventrite; J) holotype labels.