Clavicornaltica Scherer, 1974

Konstantinov, Alexander S. & Duckett, Catherine N., 2005, New species of Clavicornaltica Scherer (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from continental Asia, Zootaxa 1037, pp. 49-64 : 50

Clavicornaltica Scherer, 1974

Clavicornaltica Scherer, 1974: 58 (type species Clavicornaltica besucheti Scherer 1974: 60 , by original designation; type locality Sri Lanka; type depository Natural History Museum, Geneva).

Clavicornaltica is easily recognizable from other flea beetle genera, most of all by its clavate antenna ( Figs. 1–4 ), a feature that it shares only with the Caribbean endemic genus Normaltica Konstantinov. The antenna of Clavicornaltica differs from that of Normaltica by the antennomere 4 being the shortest. In Normaltica , antennomere 5 is shorter than 4. Among other diagnostic features are: body small, round and convex in lateral view ( Figs. 4–8 ); head flat in lateral view with wide frontal ridge, lacking supracallinal sulci ( Fig. 2 ); with well developed grooves to receive basal antennomeres ( Figs. 2–4 ); frons very broad; orbit wide ( Fig. 2 ); last 4 antennomeres bearing many long setae, appearing velvety; antennomere 2 as wide (or wider) basally as apically ( Fig. 3 ); eyes ovate, with relatively large, bulging ommatidia; maxillary palpi large, fusiform ( Figs. 2, 4 ); pronotum wider than long, but longest at midline; anterolateral callosity of pronotum extremely long, so that setiferous pore situated well behind middle of lateral margin ( Fig. 4 ); elytra brown, shiny, without calli; scutellum triangular, small, impunctate; metasternum projecting anteriorly between mesocoxae, completely covering mesosternum ventrally ( Figs. 9–10 ); remnants of mesosternum positioned vertically relative to entire beetle body; femora dorsoventrally flat with groove to receive tibiae ( Figs. 11–12 ); all tibiae channeled dorsally; third metatarsomere very narrow, with fourth situated at its base; metatibial spur long; abdominal sternite 1 narrow near middle, adjacent to intercoxal process and much wider laterally near margin, with longitudinal ridge widening anteriorly ( Fig. 21 ); apical abdominal tergum with wide median groove ( Figs. 26 , 29 ), having row of setae in middle; male genitalia abruptly curved in lateral view with long basal part (except C. rileyi ); female genitalia ( Figs.19 –33) composed of full set of structures including tergite IX ( Figs. 20, 22 , 24 ); spermatheca with pump and receptacle forming angle, but not separated from each other by distinct border ( Figs. 19 , 23 , 27 ); tignum narrow and long, without sclerotization posteriorly ( Fig. 24 , 31 ); vaginal palpi ( Figs. 20 , 24 , 28 ) fused basally (their shape and degree of separation vary from species to species).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dorsal habitus, Clavicornaltica dali, sp. nov.

FIGURES 2 – 4. Clavicornaltica tamdao. 2, anterior view of head. 3, anterior view of antenna. 4, lateral habitus (note position of anterior prothoracic seta).

FIGURES 5 – 8. Lateral silhouettes of Clavicornaltica spp. 5, C. lonsheng. 6, C. dali. 7, C. tamdao. 8, C. vietnamensis.

FIGURES 9 – 13. Ventral views of Clavicornaltica legs and sternal structures. 9, meso­ and metasterna of C. dali. 10, meso­ and metasterna of C. longsheng. 11, 12, 13, ventral view of leg and abdomen of C. tamdao.

FIGURES 19 – 22. Female genitalia and abdomen, Clavicornaltica tamdao. 19, spermatheca. 20, ventral view of terminalia. Tignum (obliquely oriented), vaginal palpi (transversely oriented) and ventral view of tergite VIII and IX. 21, ventral view of abdomen. 22. dorsal view.

FIGURES 23 – 26. Female genitalia and abdomen, Clavicornaltica vietnamensis. 23, spermatheca. 24, tignum (obliquely oriented), vaginal palpi (transversely oriented) and ventral view of tergum VIII and IX. 25, ventral view of abdomen. 26, dorsal view of abdominal apex and tergum VII on the right, ventral abdomen on left.

FIGURES 27 – 31. Female genitalia and abdomen, Clavicornaltica longsheng. 27, spermatheca. 28, vaginal palpi. 29, tergum VII, dorsal view. 30, abdomen, ventral view. 31, tignum.