Bonesioides godzilla, Freund & Wagner, 2003

Freund, W. & Wagner, TH., 2003, Revision of Bonesioides Laboissière, 1925 (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae; Galerucinae) from continental Africa, Journal of Natural History 37 (16), pp. 1915-1976 : 1951-1952

Bonesioides godzilla sp. nov.

Description

Total length. 8.9–9.5 mm (mean: 9.1 mm).

Head. Labrum, labial and maxillary palpus dark brown to black; frons and vertex either dark metallic blue or metallic black. Eyes small, frons broad (figure 58); WE/DE: 0.44–0.51 (mean: 0.47). Antenna dark blue to black, extending towards end of mesosternum (figure 58). Antennal articles short and broad (figure 59), A2/A3: 0.61–0.69 (mean: 0.65), article 4 shorter than 2 and 3 combined, ratio article 3 to 4: 0.64–0.71 (mean: 0.68).

Thorax. Pronotum and elytra dark metallic blue to metallic black. Pronotum long and broad, PL: 1.6–1.7 mm (mean: 1.62 mm), PW: 2.9–3.2 mm (mean: 3.05 mm), PL/PW: 0.50–0.55 (mean: 0.53). Elytra nearly parallel-sided from humeri towards the apex of elytra. EW: 3.8–4.4 mm (mean: 4.07 mm), EL: 6.6–7.2 mm (mean 6.80 mm), EW/EL: 0.58–0.61 (mean: 0.60). Mesothorax, metathorax and legs dark metallic blue to metallic black. Metatibia about twice as long as metatarsus (figure 58), TA/TI: 0.43–0.50 (mean: 0.46).

Abdomen. Dark metallic blue to metallic black.

Male genitalia. Median lobe homogeneously narrowed apically (figure 61). Orifice very broad, nearly rectangular at base. Tectum short and broad, wide open in lateral view. Endophallus slender, with two small spiculae. Protruding apical part of sclerotized ductus ejaculatorius and large endophallic brush partly covered by tectum.

Female genitalia. Spermatheca with slightly expanded nodulus, short middle part and slightly curved, nearly straight cornu, with a sharper bend near apex (figure 60).

Distribution. Recorded from Congo and Ghana (figure 11).

Diagnosis. Bonesioides godzilla sp. nov. is similar to B. coerulea and B. caerulea (figures 7, 26). The pronotum of B. godzilla sp. nov. is much broader (figure 58), the antennal articles are shorter and broader (figure 59). The PW is largest in B. godzilla sp. nov. (2.95–3.20 mm), while smaller in B. coerulea (2.4–2.6 mm) and B. caerulea sp. nov. (2.1–2.4 mm). The elytra in B. godzilla sp. nov. are nearly parallelsided from humeri apically (figure 58), while in B. coerulea and B. caerulea elytra expanded apically (figures 7, 26). B. godzilla sp. nov. is the largest of all Bonesioides species known. The total length ranges between 8.9 and 9.5 mm, while B. caerulea has a maximum length of 7.9 mm and B. coerulea of 8.6 mm.

Type material

H: W ‘ Holotypus Bonesioides godzilla / Bonesioides godzilla Freund & Wagner 2000 / Bonesioides coerulea All. G. E. Bryant det. 1951 / Congo belge P. N. U., R. Kateke (s. aff. I. Lufira), 960 m, 23-XI–5-XII 1947, Miss G. F. de Witte: 1093a’ (IRSNB); Congo: 9°4∞S/26°43∞E. P: Congo: 1 ex., Kisangani, 0°33∞N/25°14∞E, March 1972, J. Taverniers (MRAC). Ghana: 1 ex., Asente Akem, 6°45∞N/1°30∞W, Junod, coll. Clavareau (MRAC).