Fidia dichroma Strother, 2008

Strother, M. S. & Staines, C. L., 2008, A revision of the New World genus Fidia Baly 1863 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Adoxini), Zootaxa 1798 (1), pp. 1-100 : 39-40

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.1798.1.1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039887A6-FF8C-7442-A1C3-7B8E0872DD09
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Fidia dichroma Strother
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Fidia dichroma Strother , New Species

( Figs. 11 View FIGURES 9–12 , 39, 59, 68, 75, 88; Map 6)

Holotype ♂ ( MCZC): " MEXICO: Chiapas Mirador El Caminero on hwy. 195 27 June 1990 R. Turnbow / HOLOTYPE Fidia dichroma M.S.Strother 1993 [red]". The specimen is glued on a point and is in excellent condition with all structures intact or preserved with the specimen as follows: abdomen and left mesothoracic leg glued on the point with the specimen, left protarsomeres 3–5 and aedeagus with associated sclerites preserved in glycerin in a microvial pinned beneath the specimen . Paratypes (7): " GUATEMALA: Suchitepeqeuz Zapotitlan, 1525 meters Finca Las Nubes 16 June '73 Ginter Ekis / Comp. with Bowditch coll. Not in MCZC MCZC-B, E.G.Riley, 87" ( EGRC:1); same data as holotype ( RHT:1) ; " MEXICO: Chiapas Mirador El Caminero Hwy 195 11km S Rayon 1900m, 27-VI-1990 M.C. Thomas " ( FSCA:2); " 10 mi. N. Bochil Chis. Mex. V.4, 1969 H.F.Howden " ( CMNC:1); and " Col. Pinabeto, Chapis [sic], Mex. VII-22-74 / Coll. by W.F. Chamberlain " ( TAMU:2). Each paratype also bears the label, " PARATYPE Fidia dichroma M. S. Strother 1993 [yellow]" .

Description. Males: TL = 3.68–4.00 mm, HW = 1.64–1.68 mm. Females: TL = 4.12–4.68 mm, HW = 1.88–2.12 mm. Color: Sexes dimorphic in color. Males: head, prothorax, and femora fulvous to orangebrown; elytra black with distinct aeneous luster; mesosternum, metasternum, and abdominal sterna dark redbrown to blackish; tibiae basally testaceous to orange-brown, dorsally and distally dark red-brown to nearly black; pubescence of head, pronotal disc, and coarser setae of basal, lateral, and sutural areas of elytron strawyellow, pubescence of venter and lateral aspect of pronotum immediately dorsad procoxal cavity whitish. Females: variable; entirely testaceous to orange-brown with blackish abdomen and dark tibial apices and tarsi; colored as in males, but elytron predominantly orange-brown with wide, continuous very dark red-brown suture and preapical area; specimen from Guatemala entirely dark orange-brown with legs and elytra predominantly dark red-brown; pubescence colored as in males except in specimen from Guatemala which has elytral pubescence whitish rather than straw-yellow. Pronotum: Length subequal to width, widest at middle, sides moderately arcuate in dorsal view, dorsum nearly straight in lateral view; densely punctate-reticulate, pubescence moderately dense. Mesepisternum: Densely pubescent. Elytra: Intrahumeral callus well-developed, posteriorly and mesally bordered by poorly defined, shallow impression; asetose punctate-striae obsolete on disc, laterally becoming well-developed with convex interstices; surface of disc moderately densely, coarsely punctate-reticulate, laterally becoming weakly punctate-undose or punctate-strigose; setae along sutural margin and lateral aspect stouter and more densely placed than sparsely distributed, hair-like setae on disc. Abdomen: Males with medial area of first three sterna flat, impunctate, glabrous; fourth sternum with low, rounded callus, bearing several long, posteriorly directed setae, situated on either side of weakly impressed medial area; last sternum with small, shallow, subcircular impression, posterolaterally bordered by dense, semicircular tuft of long, erect setae; pygidium dorsally convex in apical ½ with subacutely rounded apex. Females with medial area of all sterna evenly convex, uniformly punctate-pubescent; apical margin of last sternum with small, semicircular notch; pygidium dorsally flattened in apical ½ with small, angulate apical process on subacutely rounded apex. Legs: Both sexes with pro- and mesofemur distinctly swollen, widest at or immediately distad middle, distinctly tapering toward base; hind femora longer than either pro- or mesofemora, extremely narrow in basal 1/3, widest at apical 1/3. Male: all tibial spurs small, lacking surface sculpture; pro- and meso- basitarsus subequal in width for most of length; metabasitarsi distinctly tapered towards base; disco-setae on pro- and mesobasitarsi only. Penis: In posterior view, sides tapered, more acutely so posteriad of ostium, to narrow, subtruncate apex. In lateral view, declivitous part bent at nearly right angle to basal part; eudorsal surface of declivitous part feebly convex with distal portion subangulately curved euventrally; euventral surface feebly to moderately sinuate, basally convex and apically concave; apex acutely tapered to long, narrow point. Sperm guide composed of one or two sclerites, with upper sclerite weakly developed or obsolete. Spermatheca: Basal arm type.

Etymology. From Greek di, meaning two, and chroma, meaning color; denoting the distinctly bicolored dorsum of the males.

Diagnosis. Small to medium-sized (3.68–4.68 mm); mesepisternum densely pubescent. Males with dorsum distinctly bicolored, head and pronotum fulvous to orange-brown, elytra black with aeneous luster; last abdominal sternum with small, shallow medial impression, posterolaterally bordered by dense, semicircular tuft of long, erect setae ( Fig. 59 View FIGURES 58–60 ); penis tapered to acute apex ( Fig. 88 View FIGURES 87–89 ). Females with apical margin of last abdominal sternum bearing small, semicircular notch ( Fig. 68 View FIGURES 61–70 ); pygidium of female with small, angulate apical process ( Fig. 75 View FIGURES 71–75 ).

Males of F. dichroma are easily distinguished from all other species by the characters listed above. Females are distinguished from other all species by the apical notch of the last abdominal sternum and the angulate apical process of the pygidium. Fidia clematis also has densely pubescent mesepisterna but is entirely dark red-brown to blackish and only occurs as far south as Veracruz, Mexico. No other species from Guatemala and southern Mexico possesses a densely pubescent mesepisternum.

Distribution (Map 6). Fidia dichroma were collected in Suchitepequez, Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico, one at 1525 m and two at 1900 m.

Specimens Examined (3 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀).

Temporal Data. Collecting dates ranged from 4 May to 22 July.

Natural History. Unknown.