Australotymnes, Flowers, Wills, 2009

Flowers, Wills, 2009, A new genus and species of Eumolpinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from the western dry forest of Ecuador, Zootaxa 2132, pp. 65-68 : 65-66

Australotymnes new genus ( Figs. 1–8 )

Type species. Australotymnes jipijapa n. sp.., here designated.

Body elongate oval, dorsally convex ( Figs. 1–2 ). Head with frons and clypeus coarsely punctate. Eyes oval, shallowly and broadly emarginate at antennal insertion; ocular sulci absent. Antenna with scape elongate oval, pedicel subglobose, shorter than scape, distinctly shorter than antennomere 1; flagellum filiform, each antennomere slightly wider at apex, elongate; antennomeres 3–6 with scattered appressed setae, antennomeres 7–11 densely pubescent, with whorl of long erect setae at apex of antennomeres 3–10; antennomere spindle-shaped. Mandibles with outer margin with sharp bend, lateral surface rugose and setose, apical teeth broad, pointed. Maxillary palpi with apical segment tapered. Prothorax distinctly wider than long; pronotum moderately convex, with posterior margin subequal to anterior margin, anterior angles almost square, posterior angles subacute; all angles with a seta-bearing puncture; basal marginal bead present; lateral margin narrow and evenly rounded, with widest part of pronotum just behind middle. Prosternum longitudinally slightly inclined behind coxae, transversely flat; with anterior margin recessed for reception of gular area of head; posterior margin of intercoxal process truncate. Lateral wings of prosternum recessed for reception of gular area of head, with anterior margin weakly convex. Hypomeron weakly concave. Mesosternum subequal in width to prosternum, flat between coxae; metasternum convex, swollen anterior to hind coxae; metepisternum gradually narrowed posteriorly. Legs sparsely covered with short prostrate setae; all surfaces alutaceous. Femora strongly swollen in middle; tibiae bicarinate, slightly sulcate between carinae, with seta increasing in length toward apex; protibiae widened in apical third and spatulate at apex; middle and hind tibiae gradually widened apically. Tarsi densely and uniformly pilose beneath; basal and second tarsomeres subequal in length, third tarsomere shorter than second, deeply bilobed; terminal tarsomere distinctly surpassing apex of third tarsomere; claws divergent, appendiculate. Elytra with humeri prominent, rounded; basal calli obsolete, postbasal depression lacking, sides subparallel, convergent apices moderately declivous, epipluron narrow, acutely raised, slanted, tapering evenly from base to apex. Scutellum U-shaped, with base subequal to length; surface smooth. Abdomen with all segments subequal in length; pygidium with a longitudinal groove, surface and lateral margins smooth. Male genitalia ( Fig. 4–6 ): basal hood of median lobe weakly constricted at point of attachment, basal fenestra lacking, basal spurs weakly developed. Female Genitalia ( Fig. 7–8 ): Segments VIII–XI forming moderately long ovipositor, basal apodeme of sternum VIII long and narrow, tapered at the ends, tergum VIII with very weakly sclerotized diagonal bands, paraprocts developed into long thin rods. Spermatheca ( Fig. 8 ) Receptacle narrower than pump, duct lightly sclerotized, relatively short.

Etymology. Austro, Latin from australis meaning south; tymnes , from the genus Tymnes Chapuis. The latter name is originally from the Greek, as Herodotus mentions several personages named Tymnes (eg. Herodotus 440BCE).

Remarks. This genus can be distinguished from all other Neotropical Eumolpinae by the following combination of characters: 1) pygidium with median groove; 2) prosternum broadly recessed along anterior margin; 3) anterior margin of lateral arms of prosternum straight or weakly concave (i.e. not forming anterior "ocular lobes" as in Typophorus or Paria ); 4) subparallel sides of elytra. Australotymnes most closely resembles blue or green species of North American Tymnes but can be recognized by the straight or weakly concave lateral arms of the prosternum (these are weakly convex in Tymnes ), by the more strongly developed lateral margin of the pronotum, the well developed pygidial groove (developed only on the basal half of the pygidium in Tymnes ) and by the relatively short basal hood and long tubular median lobe of the male genitalia.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Australotymnes jipijapa 1, dorsal view; 2. lateral view; 3, view of apices of elytra.

FIGURES 4 – 8. Australotymnes jipijapa 4, median lobe; 5, apical sclerite; 6, apex of median lobe; 7, ovipositor; 8, spermatheca.