Phaelota kottigehara, Prathapan, K. D. & Konstantinov, A. S., 2009

Prathapan, K. D. & Konstantinov, A. S., 2009, Descriptions of eight new species of Phaelota (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) with a new generic synonymy and a key to species of Indian subcontinent, Zootaxa 1991, pp. 1-27 : 6-7

Phaelota kottigehara , new species

( Figs 16 – 21)

Distribution. India (Karnataka).

Host plants. Collected on unidentified fern.

Description. Total body length 3.8 mm, width 2.5 mm. General color shining chocolate brown. Each elytron with three black patches: anterior patch confined between humeral callus and first mesal row of punctures and narrowly extending backwards near suture reaching up to 1/3 of elytron; lateral patch indistinct, on lateral side of humeral callus; posterior patch smaller than anterior patch, irregular, placed slightly behind middle ( Fig. 16). Antenna black except basal two antennomeres and apex of last antennomere brown. All tarsi and tibiae piceous except tibiae brown proximally. Apex of metafemora dark brown.

In lateral view, vertex and frons form convex line, their intersection being concave and proximal end of frons higher than vertex. Vertex finely punctate, moderately convex ( Fig. 18). Antennal callus slightly raised, oblique, longer than wide, low near supracallinal sulcus, high near supraantennal sulcus, separated from each other by midfrontal depression extending into interantennal space. Suprafrontal and midfrontal sulci poorly developed. Frontal ridge sparsely punctate. Anterofrontal ridge without vertical carina medially. Maxillary palpus with preapical palpomere subequal to half of apical palpomere. Third antennomere distinctly longer than second; fourth apparently shorter than third; fourth to sixth subequal in length; seventh longer than sixth; eighth to tenth subequal, apparently shorter than seventh; eleventh slightly shorter than two times length of tenth. Width of tenth antennomere more than half of its length.

Pronotum anteriorly narrower than posteriorly ( Fig. 17). Lateral margin weakly curved, anterolateral callosity forms blunt obtuse denticle at pore. Disc shiny, punctation fine, yet stronger than those on vertex, with a few stronger punctures near middle of posterior margin. Antebasal transverse impression absent except for imperceptible curved vertical line laterally on each side near posterior margin. Scutellum shining, impunctate, triangular, wider than long, apex narrowly rounded. Elytron with well developed humeral callus, with depression posteriorly, maximum width at proximal 1/3. Interstices flat with extremely minute punctures. Width of interstices subequal to 4 – 7 times diameter of a puncture. Epipleuron oblique, not reaching apex. Metasternum about two times as long as prosternum. Metatibia straight in lateral view, curved from dorsal view, proximal 1/ 3 dorsally convex, rest of surface nearly flat. Claw longer than metatibial spine.

Receptacle of spermatheca shorter than pump ( Fig. 19). Internal side of receptacle strongly convex, external side weakly convex. Pump strongly curved like a hook. Vaginal palpus sclerotised along medial margin; of uniform width in distal half; proximal sclerotization lighter than distal sclerotization, each subequal to unsclerotized area in middle ( Fig. 20). Tignum slightly curved proximally, distal sclerotized part slightly widened ( Fig. 21).

Male unknown.

Type material. Holotype ♀. Labels: 1) India Karnataka Kottigehara 22.IX.2004 Prathapan Coll. 2 ) Holotype Phaelota kottigehara sp. nov. des. D. Prathapan, A. Konstantinov, 2007 ( USNM) .

Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition based on the type locality.

Remarks. Phaelota kottigehara can be separated from P.jacobyi Prathapan and Viraktamath by its excarinate anterofrontal ridge (anterofrontal ridge with a vertical carina medially in P. jacobyi ) and extremely short spermathecal duct (spermathecal duct nearly twice as long as receptacle in P. jacobyi ). The antebasal transverse impression is laterally well impressed and strongly punctate in P. jacobyi while it is imperceptible in P. kottigehara . The general color as well as elytral spots are also different in these two species. P. sindhoori Prathapan and Viraktamath resembles P. kottigehara in having a short spermathecal duct, but they can be easily separated by the chocolate brown color and black spots on the elytron in P. kottigehara ( P. sindhoori is entirely brownish red except eyes and 5 – 7 distal antennomeres piceous, Figs 59 – 62). The receptacle of the spermatheca in P. sindhoori is subequal to the pump with a concave outer side (receptacle shorter than pump with either sides convex in P. kottigehara ). P. vaishakha Prathapan and Viraktamath can be easily separated from P. kottigehara by the following characters: transverse, highly convex antennal callus ( Figs 64 – 69) (antennal callus oblique, longer than wide and moderately convex in P. kottigehara ); antebasal transverse impression distinct (antebasal transverse impression nearly imperceptible in P. kottigehara ) and lateral pronotal margin strongly curved (lateral pronotal margin weakly curved in P. kottigehara ). P. flavipennis can be separated from P. kottigehara by transverse antennal callus and distinct antebasal transverse impression. P. kottigehara is similar to P. mauliki n. sp. but can be separated by its excarinate anterofrontal ridge (anterofrontal ridge is with a vertical carina medially in P.mauliki ) and the shape of the spermatheca which has a convex outer side (outer side of spermatheca concave in P. mauliki ). Though the color is highly variable in P. mauliki , it lacks black spots on elytron ( P. kottigehara has black spots on the elytron).