Paraplotes meihuai Lee

Lee, Chi-Feng, 2015, The genus Paraplotes Laboissière, 1933 in Taiwan, a speciose group with brachelytrous females (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), Zootaxa 3904 (2), pp. 223-248 : 229

Paraplotes meihuai Lee , sp. nov.

( Figs 21–32 , 84 )

Type locality. Taitung county, Motien (U⋏), 23°12’N, 121°01’E, 1700 m.

Typer material (n= 48). Holotype ♂ ( TARI): Taitung: Motien (U⋏), 20.VI.2011, leg. C.-F. Lee”. Paratypes: 10♂♂, 7♀♀, same data as holotype; 1♀, same locality, 24.VI.2010, leg. M.-H. Tsou ( TARI); 3♂♂, 2♀♀, Liyuan (≪№), 23.VI.2010, leg. M.-H. Tsou ( TARI); 11♂♂, 13♀♀, same locality, 24.VII.2013, leg. C.-F. Lee ( TARI).

Description. Male: Length 4.5–4.8 mm, width 2.3–2.5 mm. Dark brown or blackish brown, thoracic and abdominal ventrites black; elytra dark purplish metallic ( Figs 21–23 ). Antenna relatively long, about 0.9X as long as body; ratios of length to width of antennomeres III to XI about 1.0: 1.1: 1.3: 1.3: 1.3: 1.5: 1.3: 1.3: 2.3. Pronotum strongly transverse, 2.6–2.7X wider than long, anterior margin slightly concave, lateral margins slightly rounded. Elytra long, about 1.5X longer than wide; disc with coarse punctures. Aedeagus ( Figs 27–29 ) slender, 4.7X longer than wide, sides parallel, apex rounded but slightly asymmetric; in lateral view moderately curved, apically tapering; tectum sclerotized; apico-lateral scerlites small; lateral spiculae two-paired; median spicaula short about 0.7X as long as aedeagus.

Female: Length 4.6–5.0 mm, width 2.7 mm. Similar to males; elytra relatively wider than males, about 1.3X longer than wide ( Figs 24–26 ). Hind wings ( Fig. 84 ) moderately reduced, about 0.25–0.28X as long as those of males, lateral margin slightly concave near base or middle. Gonocoxae ( Fig. 30 ) connected with an slender sclerite, abtruptly widened at basal 1/3, basal margin truncate; connection between gonocoxae and sclerite extremely slender. Ventrite VIII ( Fig. 31 ) apically widened, surface with dense setae along apex, as well as apical margin, spiculum slender. Spermathecal receptaculum ( Fig. 32 ) extremely wide, as wide as pump; pump strongly curved, apically narrowed, apex narrowly rounded; spermathecal duct short, stout, shallowly projecting into receptaculum.

Differential diagnosis. Paraplotes meihuai is characterized by its asymmetric and rounded apex of aedeagus and much longer antenna ( Figs 21–23 ).

Distribution. Type specimens were collected on the road from Motien (U⋏) to Liyuan (≪№) ( Fig. 80 ) where adults of Paraplotes taiwana were also collected ( Fig. 79 ).

Etymology. Dedicated to Mr. Mei-Hua Tsou for collecting type specimens.

Figures

FIGURES 21 – 26. Habitus of Paraplotes meihuai Lee, sp. nov. 21. Male, dorsal view; 22. Male, ventral view; 23. Male, lateral view; 24. Female, dorsal view; 25. Female, ventral view; 26. Female, lateral view.

FIGURES 27 – 32. Diagnostic characters of Paraplotes meihuai Lee, sp. nov. 27. Aedeagus, dorsal view; 28. Aedeagus, lateral view; 29. Aedeagus, ventral view; 30. Gonocoxae; 31. Ventrite VIII; 32. Spermatheca.

FIGURES 81 – 91. Hind wings. 81: male; 82 – 85: females. 81, Paraplotes taiwana, Tulanshan; 82, P. cheni, a & b, different individuals from same population; 83, P. j e ng i, a – c, different individuals from same population; 84, P. meihuai, a – c, different individuals from same population; 86, P. taiwana, a: Tulanshan, b: Motien, c: Tahanshan; 87, P. tatakaensis; 88, P. ts oui, a: Chihlanshan, b: Lalashan, c: Taipingshan; 89, P. tsuenensis, a & b, different individuals from same population; 90, P. y ao i, a: Machiatsun, b: Tengchih, c: Tona, d & e: Taoyuan; 91. P. yuae, a: Wushihken; b: Anmashan, c: Wuchihshan.

FIGURES 79 – 80. Distribution map of Paraplotes species of Taiwan, solid line: 1000 m, broken line: 2000 m. 79. Widespread species, brown dots: P. tsoui, green dots: P. y ua e, pink dots: P. jengi, red dots: P. y a oi, blue dots: P. taiwana; 80. Localized species, brown dots: P. tahsiangi, pink dot: P. tsuenensis, green dots: P. tatakaensis, red dots: P. meihuai, blue dot: P. cheni.