Macromonycha kantnerorum, Sekerka, 2008

Sekerka, Lukáš, 2008, Review of the genus Macromonycha (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 48 (1), pp. 95-102 : 99-101

Macromonycha kantnerorum sp. nov.

( Figs. 3-4 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♀, ‘ Jordan occ.bor. 24.iv. / AJLUN env., alt. 840 m / 32°19,8’N; 35°43.1’E / 30 km W Jarash / leg F.& L.Kantner 2006 [w, p, cb]’ ( NMPC) . PARATYPES: ♀, same data as holotype ( FKLC) ; 2 ♀♀, ‘ Jordan occ.bor. 30.iv. / alt. 590 m, rock steppe / 32°27,4’N ; 35°42.4’E / 30 km WWN of Ajlün / leg F.& L.Kantner 2006 [w, p, cb]’ ( FKLC, LSLC) ; J, ‘ Anatolia’ ( LSLC) .

Description. Measurements (n = 4). Length: 5.25-5.59 mm (mean 5.46 mm), width: 3.25- 3.46 mm (mean 3.38 mm), length of pronotum: 1.76-1.94 mm (mean 1.85 mm), width of pronotum: 3.15-3.33 mm (mean 3.21 mm), body length/width ratio: 1.60-1.62 (mean 1.61), width/length of pronotum ratio: 1.65-1.83 (mean 1.74).

Body elongate, parallel-sided ( Fig. 3 ). Pronotum, scutellum and elytra uniformly yellow, only basal margins of pronotum and elytra black. Clypeus dark brown, prosternal collar yellow, remaining ventral parts including legs yellow. Antennal insertions yellow, segments 1 and 7 partly infuscate, segments 8-11 black, remaining ones yellow.

Pronotum elliptical, with maximum width in basal 1/4 length, broadly rounded hind angles and without distinct corners. Disc strongly convex, indistinctly bordered at margin, with two high tubercles in basal part and deep impressions on sides. Whole surface granulate except impressed and feebly striate area between tubercles. Explanate margin of pronotum rugose with wrinkles and folds, and with crenulate outer margin.Area above head slightly impressed, microgranulate and with medial costa reaching extreme margin of pronotum.

Scutellum triangular, micro-sculptured. Base of elytra slightly wider than base of pronotum, humeral angles moderately protruding anteriad. Basal margin of elytral disc moderately serrate. Disc in basal 2/3 depressed, posterior 1/3 feebly convex. Punctuation moderate, irregular, only three submarginal rows more or less regular. Suture moderately elevated, first interval with six tubercles. Third interval elevated and strongly costate in basal half, and in basal 1/3 length connected by transverse costa with suture and thus forming elevated H-shaped area; posterior half formed by five isolated tubercles. Sixth interval with costa developed in four rudiments: short costa in basal 1/6 length, isolated tubercle slightly behind midlength, three fused tubercles in 3/5 length and small tubercle on apical slope connected with costa on third interval. Eighth interval with four tubercles: one on humerus, one low around midlength and two in posterior half. Each of three submarginal intervals on apical slope of disc with a low tubercle in apical part. Marginal row with coarse punctures (ca. twice as coarse as on disc) and interrupted by five transverse folds. Explanate margin almost horizontal, moderately broad, distinctly constricted in basal 1/6 length, and with crenulate outer margin. Its surface rugose with coarse punctures and deep sulci ( Fig. 3-4 ). Whole surface of the beetle covered with white, short, stiff and bristle-like setae.

Head broad, eyes large. Clypeus as wide as long, clypeal grooves formed by rows of deeply impressed punctures running along eyes to antennal insertions; surface flat, coarsely punctate and with long golden setae. Labrum shallowly emarginate. Venter of pronotum with short antennal grooves bordered externally by an obtuse fold. Prosternal collar normal, without lateral plates. Prosternal process narrow, smooth and shiny, distinctly expanded apically with shallow median sulcus and irregular tubercle on apex; whole surface covered with very sparse, long setae.

Antennae stout. Segments 9 and 10 as wide as long. Length ratios of antennal segments 1-11 equal to 100: 62: 90: 74: 64: 56: 56: 53: 62: 56: 126, i.e. third antennomere 1.46 as long as second and 1.22 as long as fourth.

Tibia with regular row of setae on inner apical margin. Tarsi with last segment strongly projecting behind marginal setae of third segment. Tarsal sole strongly reduced. Claws divergent, simple.

Female genitalia. Spermatheca with C-shaped vasculum with brown apex, ampulla distinctly separated from vasculum and formed by moderately long tube, ductus very long and consisting of moderately thick spiral.

Male. Aedeagus uniform, without diagnostic characters.

Differential diagnosis. Macromonycha kantneroum sp. nov. and M. anatolica distinctly differ from M. apicalis by the presence of high tubercles on the pronotal disc and distinctly elevated structure of the elytra, while all of those are very low in M. apicalis . Macromonycha apicalis also has four colour morphs: uniformly yellow (including underside), black or brown with somewhat paler elytral structures and uniformly dark underside, and black with yellow spots in the anterior 2/3 of elytral marginalia and uniformly blackish underside. Macromonycha kantnerorum sp. nov. and M. anatolica have only one known colour form with a uniformly yellow dorsum and venter and uniformly black head. This combination does not occur in M. apicalis . Both species also differ from M. apicalis in having the clypeus at most as wide as long (distinctly wider than long in M. apicalis ). Macromonycha anatolica differs from the new species by an oval, stout and distinctly widened body in the middle (length / width ratio: 1.52), while M. kantnerorum sp. nov. has the body elongate and parallel-sided with the length / width ratio always over 1.60. Macromonycha kantnerorum sp. nov. also has distinctly higher developed pronotal tubercles and elytral structure (especially the H-shaped costae in the postscutellar area), while M. anatolica has them distinctly lower and does not possess strongly elevated H-shaped costae in the postscutellar area. Finally, M. anatolica has a blackish prosternal collar while in M. kantnerorum sp. nov. it is uniformly yellow.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to its collectors František Kantner and Liběna Kantnerová (Lipí, Czech Republic).

Bionomics. Unknown. The specimens from Jordan were collected by sweeping on a steppe.

Distribution. Jordan and Turkey.

Figures

Figs.1-4. Habitus of Macromonycha Spaeth, 1911 species.1-2 – M. anatolica (Weise, 1900), holotype; 3-4 – M. kantnerorum sp. nov. (1, 3 – body in dorsal view; 2, 4 – body in lateral view).