Taophila deimos Samuelson

Samuelson, Allan, 2010, Review of Taophila, a genus endemic to New Caledonia (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae), Zootaxa 2621, pp. 45-62 : 53

Taophila deimos Samuelson , new species

Fig. 3e

Description. Male (Holotype). Dorsum pitchy castaneous with slight violaceous lustre, head and pronotum darkest, almost black. Antenna orange-testaceous on 1–5, 4–6 more reddish, 7–11 darkest, castaneous. Ventral surfaces and legs largely pitchy castaneous. Pronotum appearing granose being closely and deeply punctulate in contrast to a smoother elytron; elytral punctures small, deep and not too conspicuous between swollen, pustulate interspaces. Dorsal surfaces moderately setose, the silvery setae fine and erect.

Head: frontal surfaces generally flat and continuous through interantennal region; frons rather deeply punctate with interspaces smooth, punctures a little larger above, though still small; vertex similarly punctate and with fairly distinct median line; eye with maximum diameter about 0.55 x as broad as interantennal space; gena about 0.4 x as deep as eye. Antenna extending to basal 2/5 of elytron, apical 5 segments heavier than preceding ones. Prothorax about 0.80 x as long as broad, broadest just before middle; side convex anteriorly, then evenly narrowed from widest convex point to produced posterior angle; base beaded with antimarginal impression; disc closely and densely punctulate, appearing rough at low magnifications, punctures small and deep with interspaces actually smooth-shining and raised at higher magnifications; surface densely setose. Elytron rather gradually and convexly narrowed to apex; humerus moderately produced; disc with basal quadrant confusedly punctate the punctures commonly 1 x as large as interspaces and 2– 3 x as large as pronotal ones, these punctures not prominent due to swollen, ± transversely pustulate interspaces; lateral punctures large and becoming more regular in lateral 3 rows; surfaces smooth-shining. Ventral surfaces: propleuron smooth-shining with deep punctures commonly 2 x as large as interspaces; metasternum shining and smiliarly punctate and with surface with suberect setae; abdominal ventrites shining but with fine microsculpture; intercoxal piece of ventrite 1 fairly narrow at 9:60 breadth of segment; ventrite 1 in lateral profile gradually inclined to metathorax; remaining ventrites normal. Legs: femora moderately swollen medially; metatibia rather straight and briefly expanded at apex. Genitalia: aedeagus: length including base 102 cmm; narrowest breadth 18 cmm; preapex normally expanded with microtruncate extremity. Measurements: Body length 2.8 mm; body breadth 1.4 mm; head breadth 84 cm; interantennal space 30 cmm; interocular space 54 cmm: eye 30 cmm: gena 12 cmm; pronotal length 90 cmm; pronotal breadth 110 cmm; elytral length 2.0 mm.

Holotype ɗ (BPBM 17,184). NEW CALEDONIA. Yahoue, iii.1978, N.L.H. Krauss.

Remarks. A smaller dark castaneous species with violaceous lustre. Differing from congeners by the overall dark coloration and erect dorsal pubescence. Further differs from the variant of T. subsericea Heller with pustulate discal elytral interspaces by having the elytral apex evenly and convexly narrowed. Unique male. The name commemorates a satellite of planet Mars .