Sikkimia babai (Kimoto, 1989) Kimoto, 1989

Lee, Chi-Feng & Bezdek, Jan, 2016, Revision of the wingless Sikkimia Duvivier (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae) from Taiwan, including a new generic synonymy and four new species descriptions, ZooKeys 553, pp. 79-106 : 83-86

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Sikkimia babai (Kimoto, 1989) comb. n.

Taiwanolepta babai Kimoto, 1989: 74.

Type locality.

Taiwan: Kaoshiung county, Shinanshan (溪南山), 23°05'36"N, 120°48'18"E, 2600 m.

Type material.

Deposition of type specimens (holotype and one paratype) was not indicated by the original paper. The paratype ♂was found at the KMNH, labeled: "Thu Yun Shan [出雲山], near Liu Kui [六龜], S-Taiwan 23.VII.1986 Col. K Baba / Taiwanolepta babai n. sp. Det. S. Kimoto, 1989 / PARATYPE (printed on blue paper) / PHOTO (printed on red paper)".

Other material examined

(n= 18). Kaoshiung: 7♂♂, 7♀♀, Tengchi (藤枝), 23°04'02"N, 120°45'21"E, 2.VI.2008, leg. C.-F. Lee (2 spec. in JBCB); 1♂, same locality, 26.V.2009, leg. C.-F. Lee; 1♀, Shihshan logging trail (石山林道, =Tengchi), 1.X.2008, leg. M.-H. Tsao; 1♂, 3♀♀, same locality, 2.X.2008, leg. M.-H. Tsou.

Description

Male. Length 7.1-7.5 mm; width 3.9-4.1 mm. Coloration reddish-brown, head dark brown, legs and antennae black. Antenna (Fig. 17) elongate, about as long as body; antennomeres I to VIII filiform; IX widening slightly towards apex; × and XI extremely swollen (Figs 24-26, 36-38), × with a deep groove, from middle to apex, of mesal surface; apex of XI pointed, weakly concave in apical 1/3 of mesal surface and in basal 1/4 of outer surface; dorsal surface with two longitudinal ridges, one centrally located, curved, from middle to basal 1/5; other longitudinal ridge along mesal surface from middle to basal 1/4; one deep groove between the two longitudinal ridges; one transverse groove near base; small process at apical 1/3 near outer margin; length ratios of antennomeres II to XI about 1.0: 1.2: 2.0: 1.9: 1.9: 1.9: 1.7: 1.9: 3.2: 3.5, and length to width ratios of antennomeres II to XI about 1.4: 1.5: 2.4: 2.1: 2.1: 2.3: 2.2: 1.8: 2.4: 2.0. Pronotum transverse, 1.7 × wider than long; anterior and posterior mar gins almost straight; lateral margins weakly rounded or straight; disc finely punctured. Elytra narrow, about 1.3 × longer than wide; densely and randomly punctuate, humeri reduced. Abdominal ventrite V (Fig. 48) trilobed, internal anterior margin extended, reaching ventrite III; median longitudinal, internal ridge running from base to apex of extension. Abdominal tergite I with only spiracles sclerotized; tergites II–V with sclerotized spiracles and transverse weakly sclerotized areas; most of tergite VI and spiracles strongly sclerotized; tergite VII entirely and strongly sclerotized. Aedeagus (Figs 19-20) narrow in dorsal view, about 6.2 × longer than wide, parallel-sided in basal 1/3, becoming slightly narrower towards apex; apex subtriangular and pointed; ventral surface well sclerotized and smooth; narrow and moderately curved in lateral view; endophallic sclerite longitudinal and slender, bifurcate apically, about 0.3 × as long as aedeagus.

Female. Length 8.1-8.4 mm; width 5.3-5.8 mm. Similar to males, but dark brown ventrally; antennae (Fig. 18) filiform, antennomeres × and XI not swollen; length ratio of II to XI about 1.0: 1.7: 2.2: 2.2: 2.2: 2.0: 1.8: 1.9: 2.2: 2.8, and length to width ratios of II to XI about 1.9: 2.4: 3.4: 3.6: 3.8: 3.6: 3.2: 3.3: 3.7: 4.4. Elytra wider than in male, length equal to width. Gonocoxae (Fig. 21) slender, together about 4.0 × longer than wide, joined from base almost to middle, base strongly narrowed in basal 1/3 with a long medial groove, apices tubular and sub-parallel, inner margins slightly indented medially, apex with nine setae. Ventrite VIII (Fig. 22) with extremely long spiculum; apical margin widely rounded, weakly sclerotized basally, disc with long scattered setae along apical margin. Abdominal tergites I–III membranous, only spiracles sclerotized, tergites IV–VII entirely and strongly sclerotized. Receptacle of spermatheca (Fig. 23) strongly swollen and transverse, pump elongate and moderately curved, proximal spermathecal duct long and wide.

Diagnosis.

Sikkimia babai is similar to Sikkimia sufangae sp. n. They share a slender aedeagus (more than 5.9 × longer than wide), but in Sikkimia babai it is parallel-sided (aedeagus wider basally in Sikkimia sufangae sp. n. (Fig. 66, 67)). Antennomere XI in male Sikkimia babai has one process on the inner antero-lateral surface and the outer antero-lateral surface is flat (process absent on inner antero-lateral surface and outer antero-lateral surface depressed in Sikkimia sufangae sp. n.). The gonoxae are sub-parallel in Sikkimia babai (diverging in Sikkimia sufangae sp. n.).

Host plant.

Polygonum chinense L. ( Polygonaceae ).

Distribution.

Tengchi (Kaoshiung county) (Fig. 50) and its surrounding areas.