Paraplotes jengi 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 : 227-229

Paraplotes jengi Lee , sp. nov.

( Figs 15–20 , 83 )

Paraplotes taiwana: Kimoto, 1969: 57 (part). (misidentification)

Type locality. Taiwan: Nontou county, Hsitou (ffi®), 23°41’N, 120°48’E, 1600 m.

Type material (n= 54). Holotype ♂: Nantou: Hsitou (ffi®), 14.VI.2011, leg. C.-F. Lee“ ( TARI). Paratypes: 9♂♂, 10♀♀ ( TARI), same data as holotype; 1♂, same locality, 6.V.2009, leg. C.-F. Lee ( TARI); 1♂, same locality, 7.III.2010, leg. Y.-T. Wang; 9♂♂, 7♀♀, same locality, 9.VIII.2011, leg. C.-F. Lee ( TARI); 5♂♂, 1♀, same locality, 9.VIII.2011, leg. M.-H. Tsou ( TARI); Chiayi: 4♂♂, 3♀♀, Alishan (RfflM), 12.VI.2014, leg. B.-X. Guo ( TARI); 1♂, Shihmientung (A*⅛), 18.II.2012, leg. M.-L. Jeng ( TARI); 2♂♂, Tabu (⋏⅛), 12–22.III.2011, leg. M.-L. Jeng ( TARI).

Description. Male: Length 4.4–4.8 mm, width 2.5–2.6mm. Yellowish-brown or dark yellowish-brown; central part of pronotum, last four antennomeres, coxa, base of femur, and tarsi darkened; meso- and metathoracic ventrites blackish brown; elytron bluish- or purplish- metallic. Antenna relatively short, about 0.7X as long as body; ratios of length to width of antennomeres III to XI about 1.0: 1.1: 1.1: 0.9: 1.0: 1.1: 1.0: 1.0: 1.0. Pronotum strongly transverse, 2.4X wider than long, anterior margin slightly concave, sides parallel. Elytra long, about 1.5X longer than wide. Aedeagus ( Figs 15–17 ) slender, 4.6X longer than wide, sides parallel, apex truncate, but slightly convex near middle, in lateral view moderately curved, apex wide; tectum sclerotized; apico-lateral sclerites small; lateral spiculae one-paired; median spicaula extremely long, about 0.9X as long as aedeagus.

Female: Length 4.1–4.5 mm, width 2.7–2.8 mm. Similar to males, but pronotum anteriorly widened; elytra relatively wider than males, about 1.2–1.3X longer than wide. Hind wings ( Fig. 83 ) extremely reduced, about 0.18–0.20X as long as those of males, lateral margin moderately concave near base. Gonocoxae ( Fig. 18 ) connected with a wide but longitudinal, irregularly-margined sclerite, connection between gonocoxae and sclerite slender. Ventrite VIII ( Fig. 19 ) extremely and apically widened, surface with less dense setae along apex, apical margin truncate without setae, spiculum slender. Spermathecal receptaculum ( Fig. 20 ) as wide as pump; pump strongly curved, apex widely rounded; spermathecal duct short, stout, shallowly projecting into receptaculum.

Color variation. Few males with head and pronotum blackish brown or black, legs dark brown.

Differential diagnosis. Paraplotes jengi is similar to P. y a oi with the apex of aedeagus truncate and slightly concave near middle ( Figs. 15–17 , 67–69 ); but P. jengi sp. nov. has a more slender aedeagus, smaller apico-lateral sclerites, and one-paired lateral spiculae ( Figs. 15–17 ).

Distribution. Widespread to Nontou and Chiayi counties ( Fig. 79 ).

Etymology. Dedicated to Dr. Ming-Luen Jeng (NMNS) for collecting part of the type series. Notes. Specimens collected from Fenchihu (AE"AE) and Alishan (RfflM) ( Kimoto 1969) should belong to this species based on the locality (all in Chiayi county).

Figures

FIGURES 15 – 20. Diagnostic characters of Paraplotes jengi Lee, sp. nov. 15. Aedeagus, dorsal view; 16. Aedeagus, lateral view; 17. Aedeagus, ventral view; 18. Gonocoxae; 19. Ventrite VIII; 20. 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 67 – 72. Diagnostic characters of Paraplotes yaoi Lee, sp. nov. 67. Aedeagus, dorsal view; 68. Aedeagus, lateral view; 69. Aedeagus, ventral view; 70. Gonocoxae; 71. Ventrite VIII; 72. Spermatheca.

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.