Theopea flavipalpis Laboissière

Lee, Chi-Feng & Bezdĕk, Jan, 2019, Revision of the genus Theopea Baly (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae) in Sundaland and the Philippines: Redefinition of the genus, Zootaxa 4683 (4), pp. 451-507 : 469-471

Theopea flavipalpis Laboissière

( Figs 8 A–8C, 9)

Theopea flavipalpis Laboissère, 1940: 36 ; Wilcox, 1973: 630 (catalogue); Kimoto, 1990: 234 (catalogue); Mohamedsaid, 1997 b: 207 ( Malaysia: Sabah: Banggi island); Mohamedsaid & Holloway, 1999: 169 (catalogue); Mohamedsaid, 2000c: 355 (material in UKM); Mohamedsaid, 2004: 126 (catalogue).

Types. Holotype ♂ ( IRSB): “ Malacca [h, w] // V. Laboissière det., 1940: [p] / Theopea / flavipalpis m. / ♂ [h, w] // Coll. Chapuis [p, w] // M. R. Belg. [p, w] // TYPE [p, r] // cf. Bull. Mus. / Hist. Nat. Belg. [p] / XVI, 1940, no 37 / p. 36–37, fig. 10 [h, w]” . Paratypes. 2♂♂ ( IRSB), same but with “Para- / type [p, o]” ; 1♂ ( IRSB), same but with “Collect. / Duvivier [p, w]” .

Other specimens examined (n= 20). INDONESIA. Sumatra. 1♂ ( MNHUB), Liangagas, leg. Dohrn ; 1♂ ( MNHUB) , 1♀ ( HNHM), Soekaranda, leg. Dohrn ; Kerinci: 1♂, 1♀ ( NHMB), Seblat N.P., 24 km NE Tapan, Muara Sako → E env., 2°05’S 101°15’E, 400–550 m, 4–18.III.2003, leg. Dembický ; Riau: 5♂♂ ( JBCB), Bukit Tigapuluh N.P., 0°50’S 102°23’E, 18–25.I.2000, leg. J. Bezděk ; WEST MALAYSIA. 1♂ ( BMNH), 1905, leg. Casteln , FREY Coll.; Johor: 1♂ ( BMNH), Mt. Ophir , VIII.1905 ; Malaca: 1♀ ( MNHUB) , Perak; 1♂, 1♀ ( USNM), same locality, 1959, coll. F. Monros ; Perak: 1♂, 5♀♀ ( BMNH), leg. Doherty ; 1♂ ( ZMUK), Mus. Hauschild, 12.IX.1914 ; Penang: 1♂ ( BMNH), (Lamb.), Coll. Pascoe ; Selangor: 1♀ ( BMNH) , Kuala Lumpur, 3.VI.1921, leg. H. M. Pendlebury.

Redescription. Length 6.9–7.7 mm, width 2.5–2.6 mm. General color ( Figs 8 A–8C) metallic blue or purple; antennomeres I–VIII bluish black, IX–XI white or pale yellow; maxillary palpi white. Antennae filiform in males, but antennomeres V–VIII swollen ( Fig. 9A ), length ratios of antennomeres I–XI 1.0: 0.3: 0.9: 1.0: 1.0: 0.8: 0.8: 0.8: 0.8: 0.7: 1.0, length to width ratios of antennomeres I–XI 3.4: 1.3: 3.0: 3.3: 3.1: 2.3: 2.1: 2.1: 2.4: 2.5: 4.0; more slender in females ( Fig. 9B ), length ratios of antennomeres I–XI 1.0: 0.3: 0.7: 0.9: 0.8: 0.8: 0.8: 0.7: 0.7: 0.6: 0.8, length to width ratios of antennomeres I–XI 3.3: 1.5: 2.8: 3.3: 3.1: 2.6: 2.9: 2.9: 3.1: 3.0: 3.9. Elytra elongate and parallel-sided, 2.0x longer than wide; disc with dense, coarse punctures, arranged into longitudinal rows, with one distinct longitudinal ridge between two longitudinal rows of punctures, but basally abbreviated. Tarsomeres I of front legs swollen in males; subparallel in females. Aedeagus ( Figs 9 C–9E) extremely slender, 12.5x longer than wide; parallel-sided, but narrowed subapically, apically rounded and depressed near middle; tectum well sclerotized, extremely slender from apical 1/12 to 1/3; strongly curved near apex and base in lateral view; ventral surface with hollow, elongate area from near apex to apical 1/7, basal notch closed. triangular sclerites absent; internal sac with one median, elongate sclerite, about 0.4x as long as aedeagus, apically tapering, with one pair of longitudinal rows of elongate setae from dorsal aspect from near base to middle; and one pair of sclerites composed of four hook-like processes located above longitudinal rows of elongate setae. Gonocoxae ( Fig. 9G ) elongate, widest at apical 1/10, both gonocoxae combined together from basal 1/7 to apical 1/7; apices narrowly rounded, each gonocoxa with eight setae along outer margin from apex to apical 1/6; with one pair of short lateral processes at basal 2/5. Ventrite VIII ( Fig. 9F ) elongate and well sclerotized; disc with several long setae laterally and near apical margin, and with dense, short setae along apical margin; spiculum extremely slender. Receptacle of spermatheca ( Fig. 9H ) strongly swollen; pump slender and strongly curved; proximal spermathecal duct deeply inserted into receptacle, narrow and short.

Variations. Some specimens from West Malaysia have only the apical antennomere white, while some populations from Sumatra have the apical four antennomeres white.

Diagnosis. Theopea flavipalpis Laboissière is the only species of the T. flavipalpis group found in West Malaysia and Sumatra; others are in Borneo. Although some specimens are easily recognized by the black antennae, except the apical white antennomers, others are similar to those of T. sabahensis sp. nov. with three apical white antennomeres. The aedeagi of males of T. flavipalpis are characterized by wider apices, in contrast to the tapering apices of the aedeagi in other species.

Distribution. West Malaysia, Indonesia (Sumatra). Records from Banggi island ( Mohamedsaid 1997 b) need confirmation since they probably represent T. lui sp. nov. based on the distribution.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Habitus of Theopea flavipalpis Laboissière and T. guoi sp. nov. 8A. T. flavipalpis, male, dorsal view; 8B. Same, ventral view; 8C. T. flavipalpis, female, dorsal view; 8D. T. guoi sp. nov., male, dorsal view; 8E. Same, ventral view.

FIGURE 9. Diagnostic characters of Theopea flavipalpis Laboissère. 9A. Antenna, male; 9B. Antenna, female; 9C. Aedeagus, dorsal view; 9D. Aedeagus, lateral view; 9E. Aedeagus, ventral view; 9F. Abdominal ventrite VIII; 9G. Gonocoxae; 9H. Spermatheca.