Caledonispa spinosa, Borowiec & Świętojańska & Sekerka, 2019

Borowiec, Lech, Świętojańska, Jolanta & Sekerka, Lukáš, 2019, Revision of the tribe Cryptonychini (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) of New Caledonia, Zootaxa 4690 (1), pp. 1-71 : 26-28

Caledonispa spinosa sp. nov.

(Figs 82–92, 224)

Etymology. Named for black spines on apex of mid tibiae of males.

Type locality. New Caledonia, Mt. Paniè , 1100 m a.s.l.

Diagnosis. Caledonispa spinosa sp. nov. is easily distinguished from all other species of Caledonispa by completely irregularly punctate elytra between 3 rd costa and lateral margin, while other species have around basal ⅓ length two or three nearly regular rows of punctures. At first glance the most similar is C. panieensis sp. nov. and for distinctive characters see diagnosis of C. panieensis .

Description. Length 11.40–14.20 mm, width 3.75–4.40 mm.

Head dark brown to brownish-black anteriorly with paler brown vertex. Pronotum from brown to dark brown, usually with pale brown medial stripe. Elytra uniformly pale brown to dark brown, always slightly paler coloured than sides of pronotum (Figs 82, 83). Antennomere I dark brown, remainder antennomeres pale brown, sometimes entire antennae brown. Thorax brown, prosternal alae and sides of metaventrite usually darker coloured than other parts of prothorax, dark brown to brownish-black. Abdomen pale brown, posterior margins of three basal ventrites darkened, brown. Fore femora brown with brownish-black median rings, mid and hind femora mostly dark brown to brownish-black with paler brown bases and apices, tibiae brown often with darker brown external margin, tarsi brown. Body glabrous except for yellowish hairs on frontoclypeus, short golden brown pubescence on distal antennomeres and golden orange pubescence on tarsal pads and apices of tibiae. Head approximately 1.3 × as broad as long, distance from anterior margin of eye to anterior corner of interocular plate as long as length of globular part of antennomere I. Interocular plate rectangular, slightly convex, not separated from vertex. Surface of interocular plate coarsely and densely punctate, punctures almost touching each other, with deep median sulcus extending to 3/4–4/5 length of plate, lateral sides carinate, anterior corners obtuse or only slightly protruding anterad (Figs 86, 87); interantennal process short in both sexes, extending to ⅓ length of antennomere I, triangular, strongly flattened laterally, with acute apex, dorsal part forming sharp keel, without sulcus. Frontoclypeus as long as broad (including interantennal process), acute apically, anterior corners forming elevated tubercles, surface flat with coarse and moderately dense punctures extending from base to anterolateral tubercles, anteriorly impunctate, along middle runs narrow median keel, whole surface with sparse, long hairs (Fig. 85). Antennae 0.34 × as long as body, slightly compressed apically; antennomere I large, approximately 1.2 × as long as broad; antennomere II short, 1.2–1.3 × as long as broad, 0.6 × as long as I; antennomere III elongate, 1.4 × as long as II; antennomeres IV–IV slightly shorter than III; antennomere VII approximately 1.3 × as long as III, antennomere VIII as long as III and antennomeres IX–X slightly longer than III; antennomere XI 1.4–1.5 × as long as X, subangulate apically (Fig. 84). Pronotum slightly wider than long, parallelsided behind anterolateral projections, anterior margin moderately convex, basal margin bisinuate; anterior angles obtuse with small anterior tubercle, basal angles bearing small, elongate obtuse tooth; disc slightly convex, slightly impressed near anterior corners, usually with small shallow impression before middle, without or with rudiments of medial sulcus along middle, surface shiny, punctation coarse and dense, punctures of same size on whole disc, on sides interspaces slightly smaller than puncture diameter with very fine and sparse secondary punctures, along middle runs more or less sparsely punctate area (Fig. 88). Elytra 2.3–2.4 × as long as broad, subparallel anteriorly and distinctly broadened posteriorly and widest in ⅔ length. Apex of elytra regularly rounded, with straight sutural angle and completely without lateral angle. Disc with 10–12 punctures in scutellar row, usually with 1–2 punctures between scutellar row and suture; eigth rows in posthumeral part, with several irregular and additional punctures between rows 7 and 8 behind humeral callus, nine rows behind middle but intervals with numerous additional punctures, apically rows disappear among secondary punctures and sculpture; intervals 1–3 flat, intervals 4 and 6 obtusely and broadly costate on whole length, interval 8 narrowly costate on whole length. Spaces among costae in apical part of elytra more or less irregular thus punctation is blurred among surface irregularities. Ventral surface shiny, hypomera coarsely punctate; prosternum with narrow and punctate sulcus along anterior margin, alae of prosternum smooth, prosternal process anteriorly finely and sparsely punctate, expanded apical part impressed with short wrinkles, granulation and punctation, appears irregular; mesoventrite partly with short grooves, metaventrite laterally microreticulate with moderately coarse and dense punctures; central part, anterior process and posterolateral convex with numerous oblique and transverse wrinkless; abdomen mostly shiny, with indistinct short grooves close to posterior margins of ventrites and apical emargination of last ventrite surrounded by granulate area. Legs stout, sexually dimorphic.

Sexual dimorphism moderately manifested, in males fore tibiae slightly more swollen with slightly deeper apical excavation than in females (Fig. 89), mid tibiae slightly widened preapically armed with moderately long, black spine (Fig. 91). In females fore tibiae slightly less swollen than in males, with slightly shallower apical excavation (Fig. 90), mid tibiae almost parallel-sided, apically armed with very small black spine (Fig. 92). Apex of abdominal ventrite shallowly emarginate in males while truncate in females.

Host plant. According to label data the beetles were collected from Freycinetia sp. and Pandanus sp. ( Pandanaceae ).

Type material examined. Holotype: ♂ ‘ NEW CALEDONIA | Mont Panie , 1100 m | 28.VII.1971 [w, p, cb] || Freycinetia [w, p, cb] || J.L. Gressitt | Collector | BISHOP Museum [w, p, cb]’ ( BPBM) . Paratypes: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, ‘ NEW CALEDONIA: | Mt. Panie , 1450- | 1638 m, 4 IV 1981 [w, p, cb] || Freycinetia [w, p, cb] || G.M. | Mc. Pherson, Colls. | BISHOP Museum | Acc. #1981.166 [w, p, cb]’ ( BPBM) ; 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, ‘ NEW CALEDONIA | Mt. Panier , 500- | 1000m, 11.X.1967 | J. Sedlacek [w, p, cb] || J. & M. Sedlacek | Collectors | BISHOP [w, p, cb]’ ( BPBM, LS) ; 1 ♂, ‘ NEW CALEDONIA | Mt. Panier , 1360 m | 10.X.1967 [w, p, cb] || In Pandanus [w, p, cb] || J. Sedlacek | Collector | BISHOP [w, p, cb]’ ( BPBM) ; 1 spec., ‘ NEW CALEDONIA | Mt. Panier , 1360 m | 10.X.1967 [w, p, cb] || J. & M. Sedlacek | Collectors | BISHOP [w, p, cb]’ ( BPBM) ; 1 ♂, ‘ NEW CALEDONIA | Mt. Panié 1400 m | 27. VII.1971 [w, p, cb] || Pandanus J.L. Gressit | Collector [w, p, cb]’ ( BPBM) ; 1 ♀, ‘ NEW CALEDONIA (N) | -20.5886 / 164.7702 | Mt. Paniè E trail | 1350–1629 m | 24.11.2010 rainforest | leg. R. Ruta, M. Wanat [w, p, cb]’ ( WMNH) ; 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀, ‘ NEW CALEDONIA | Mt Paniè , 1300-1600 m | 15 May, 1984, G. Monteith & D. Cook [w, p, cb]’ ( QMBA, LS) ; 2 ♂♂, ‘ NEW CALEDONIA | 20°35’S × 164°46’E | MtPanie summit, 1600m | 18 Nov 2000. Bouchard | Burwell, Monteith. 9939 [w, p, cb]’ ( QMBA) ; 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, ‘ NEW CALEDONIA | 20°34’S × 164°46’E | MtPanie refuge 1300m | 16-18Nov2000. Bouchard | Burwell & Monteith 9938 [w, p, cb]’ ( QMBA, LS) .