Liroetis apicalis Gressitt & Kimoto, 1963

Bezděk, Jan, 2021, Redefinition of Liroetis, with descriptions of two new species and an annotated list of species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 61 (2), pp. 529-614 : 589-592

Liroetis apicalis Gressitt & Kimoto, 1963

( Figs 272–276 , 292 , 300, 306 )

Liroetis apicalis Gressitt & Kimoto, 1963: 532 (key), 533 (original description).

Liroetis apicalis : Wංඅർඈඑ (1973): 476 (catalogue); JංൺඇǤ (1988): 192 (noted); Bൾൾඇൾඇ (2010): 478 (catalogue); YൺඇǤ et al. (2015): 247 (key), 248 (noted).

Type locality. ‘[ China:] Se-long, San-kiang-kou, Wassuland, E. Sikang

Prov. [= Sichuan Province]’.

Type material examined. Hඈඅඈඍඒඉൾ: ♀, ‘Selong 4000 m / 7.–8.1934

/ Wassuland [w, p] // W. Szechuan China / Sankiangkou / leg. Friedrich

[w, p] // Museum Frey / Tutzing [w, p] // HOLOTYPE [p] / Liroetis ♀

/ apicalis [h] / Gressitt & Kimoto [r, p] // Liroetis / apicalis / sp. 1 [h] /

Det. S. Kimoto [p] ’61 [w, h]’ ( NHMB).

Material examined. CHINA: SංർΗඎൺඇ: Mts. 12 km SSE of Rilong,

Dong He River-source area, 30°54′N 102°53′E, 4100 m, 18.–20.vi.2013,

2 JJ 1 ♀, J. Kaláb leg. ( BMNH).

Diagnosis. Colouration. Body black except for yellow anterior pronotal angles, longitudinal stripe between humeral callus and scutellum, irregular apical elytral spot, lateral margin in middle of elytra, and extreme posterior margins of abdominal ventrites I–IV.

Body length. JJ: 6.8–7.2 mm, ♀: 8.2 mm.

Male ( Fig. 274 ). Antennae 0.65 times as long as body. Pronotum 1.63 times as wide as long, lustrous, covered with fine punctures, anterior margin with complete well visible border. Middle part of posterior margin of abdominal ventrite IV obliquely impressed, with narrow median incision. Last abdominal ventrite with longitudinal median impression and sinuate impression along posterior margin. Protarsomere I enlarged, subtriangular, metatibial spur absent.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 292 ). Median lobe of aedeagus flat, 5.00 times as long as wide; apical half subparallel, slightly narrower then basal half; apex folded down. Lateral view: ventral side straight except for folded apex and base; lateral elevation indistinct. Dorsal process 8.50 times as long as wide, 0.68 times as long as median lobe; very narrow, gradually narrowing apically, apex with two small lateral subtriangular protuberances. Lateral view: dorsal process straight in basal two thirds, bent in apical third and before base, ventral side of apical third with two small triangular processes subapically, apex in frontal view with two small divergent denticles directed downwards.

Female ( Figs 275–276 ). Metatibial spur absent. Last abdominal ventrite with posterior margin entire. Sternite VIII heart-shaped, middle part with triangular impression, lateral parts of posterior margin with very long setae; tignum 0.80 times as long as sternite VIII, with bifurcate apex forming two thin divergent processes ( Fig. 306 ). Spermatheca without visible nodulus, cornu C-shaped ( Fig. 300 ).

Differential diagnosis. Liroetis apicalis can be distinguished from other species of L. grandis species-group by having black elytra with yellow stripe between humeral callus and scutellum, on lateral elytral margin, and with irregular yellow spot at elytral apex ( Figs 274–275 ). Other species in this group have yellow elytra with black spot on humeral calli and three black spots preapically on each elytron in transverse row (rarely with additional black pattern).

Distribution. China: Sichuan (Gඋൾඌඌංඍඍ & Kංආඈඍඈ 1963, present paper).

Figures

Figs 272–276. Liroetis apicalis Gressitt & Kimoto, 1963. 272–273 – Female, holotype. 272 – dorsal view; 273 – labels. 274 – Male (7.1 mm), dorsal view. 275–276 – Female (8.3 mm). 275 – dorsal view; 276 – head and pronotum.

Figs 291–298. Aedeagus of Liroetis, dorsal and lateral views, apex of dorsal process in frontal view. 291 – L. alticola Jiang, 1988; 292 – L. apicalis Gressitt & Kimoto, 1963; 293 – L. nigropictus (Fairmaire, 1889); 294 – L. obliquevirgatus Lopatin, 2013; 295 – L. octopunctatus (Weise, 1889); 296 – L. paragrandis Jiang, 1988; 297 – L. suwai (Takizawa, 1988); 298 – L. yulongnis Jiang, 1988. Scale 0.5 mm.

Figs 299–310. Spermatheca (Figs 299–304) and sternite VII (Figs 305–310) of Liroetis. 299, 305 – L. alticola Jiang, 1988; 300, 306 – L. apicalis Gressitt & Kimoto, 1963; 301, 307 – L. octopunctatus (Weise, 1889); 302, 308 – L. paragrandis Jiang, 1988; 303, 309 – L. suwai (Takizawa, 1988); 304, 310 – L. yulongnis Jiang, 1988. Scales 0.25 mm for Figs 299–304, 0.5 mm for Figs 305–310.