Monolepta kmenti, Bezděk, 2012

Bezděk, Jan, 2012, Galerucinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of Socotra Island, with a review of taxa recorded from Yemen, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52, pp. 403-428 : 420-422

Monolepta kmenti sp. nov.

( Figs. 16 , 32–38 )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Aloove vill. env., 12°31.2′N 54°07.4′E.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♂, ‘ YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island / Aloove area , ALOOVE vill. env. / Jatropha unicostata shrubland with / Boswellia elongata trees, / 19.-20.vi.2012, / 12°31.2′N 54°07.4′E, 221 m [w, p] // SOCOTRA expedition 2012 / J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, / P. Kment, I. Malenovský, / J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg. [w, p]’ ( NMPC). PARATYPE: 1 ♀, ‘ YEMEN, Socotra Isl. / Zemhon area, 270-300 m, / N 12°20,58′, E 054°06.39′E / 16.- 17.6.2010,V.Hula leg.[w, p]’ ( JBCB). The specimens are provided with additional printed red labels: ‘ HOLOTYPUS [or PARATYPUS], / Monolepta / kmenti sp. nov., / J. Bezděk det., 2012’.

Description. Body length: male (holotype) 3.1 mm; female 3.8 mm.

Male (holotype, Fig. 16 ). Body elongate, glabrous, completely pale brown, mandibles and maxillar palpi dark brown. Legs pale brown, base of metatarsomere I black. Antennae gradually darkened from antennomere IV.

Head lustrous, covered with very fine microreticulation (including frontal tubercles). Labrum transverse, with four pale setae in transverse row, anterior margin with indistinct incision in middle. Frontal tubercles subtriangular, slightly elevated, with anterior tips separated by even nasal keel. Interocular space 2.25 times as wide as transverse diameter of eye. Frons distinctly impressed posteriorly to frontal tubercles, posteriorly to eye with setigerous pore bearing long seta.Antennae slender, 0.85 times as long as body, length ratios of antennomeres I–XI equal to 12-5-6-12-12-11-11-11-10-9-10.

Pronotum semiopaque, covered with fine punctures, transverse, 1.6 times as broad as long, widest in midlength, slightly narrowed anteriorly and posteriorly, 0.72 times as broad as elytral base (measured at humeral calli). Surface with two large lateral impressions. Lateral margins slightly rounded, anterior margin straight, posterior margin widely rounded. Anterior margin unbordered, posterior margin thinly bordered, lateral margins with border slightly wider than posterior one. Anterior angles rectangular, posterior angles obtusely angulate. All angles with setigerous pore bearing long pale seta. Scutellum triangular, lustrous, glabrous, impunctate.

Elytra semiopaque, slightly divergent posteriorly, with maximal width behind middle, 0.71 times as long as body and 1.57 times as long as wide. Humeral calli developed. Elytral surface densely covered with small confused punctures and very fine microreticulation. Epipleura wide in basal third, before middle tapering and disappearing in apical third. Macropterous.

Legs slender, densely covered with short pale setae. Protarsomere I elongated, slender, slightly divergent, lateral margins straight, 0.9 times as long as two following tarsomeres combined, length ratios of protarsomeres I–IV equal to 9-6-4-6. Metatarsomere I long, slender, 1.6 times as long as two following tarsomeres combined, length ratios of metatarsomeres I–IV equal to 16-6-4-7. Claws with distinct basal tooth.

Ventral surface semiopaque, finely punctate and covered with pale setae. Anterior coxal cavities open posteriorly.Apical ventrite with two incisions, median lobe distinctly impressed ( Fig. 37 ).

Apical half of aedeagus parallel, narrower than basal half, apex almost straight, ventral side apically with large impression disappearing in midlength of aedeagus ( Fig. 32 ).

Female. Last ventrite regularly rounded, without incisions. Spermatheca with small subglobular nodulus, cornu relatively thin, C–shaped, with apex bent ( Fig. 38 ). Sternite VIII elongate, laterally with 6 setae, tignum very long, apically slightly bent ( Fig. 33 ). Vaginal palpi with several long setae apically, base triangularly widened ( Fig. 34 ). Ventral bursa sclerites large, elongate, kidney-shaped ( Fig. 35 ). Dorsal bursa sclerites small, slightly elongate ( Fig. 36 ).

Differential diagnosis. Monolepta kmenti sp. nov. is similar to M. saudica Medvedev, 1996 from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen, and can be distinguished by the following characters: colour pale brown (yellow in M. saudica ), antennae darkened from antennomere IV (antennae yellow with darkened antennomere IX in M. saudica ) and aedeagus with apical half parallel and apex almost straight (aedeagus gradually tapering towards the triangular apex in M. saudica ) (cf. SCHLICH & WAGNER 2010).

Within the African species, Monolepta kmenti sp. nov. can be compared with M. citrinella Jacoby, 1899 described from the RSA but widely distributed through Africa and occurring also in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia (T. Wagner, pers. comm. 2012). Monolepta citrinella differs in yellow body and yellow antennae with the last two antennomeres darkened apically (body pale brown and antennae darkened from antennomere IV in M. kmenti sp. nov.).

Etymology. Dedicated to Petr Kment (Prague, Czech Republic), specialist in Heteroptera and participant in Socotra expedition 2012 who collected the holotype of this new species.

Distribution. Socotra Island, Yemen.

Figures

Figs.13–18.Habitus.13 – Monolepta suchomeli sp. nov.(paratype, male, 1.9 mm); 14 – M.hlavaci sp. nov.(paratype, male, 2.9 mm); 15 – M. hlavaci sp. nov. (black form) (paratype, female, 2.8 mm); 16 – M. kmenti sp. nov. (holotype, male, 3.1 mm); 17 – Madurasia obscurella Jacoby, 1896 (female, 2.7 mm); 18 – Medythia sp. (female, 3.3 mm).

Figs. 32–38. Monolepta kmenti sp.nov.32 – aedeagus (a – dorsal view, b – lateral view,c – ventral view); 33 – sternite VIII and tignum; 34 – vaginal palpi; 35 – ventral bursa sclerites; 36 – dorsal bursa sclerites; 37 – last male ventrite; 38 – spermatheca. Scale bars: 0.5 mm for Figs. 32–37, 0.25 mm for Fig. 38.