Shairella caerulea (Kimoto, 1996) Lee, 2022

Lee, Chi-Feng, 2022, The genus Japonitata Strand (Insecta, Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae) in Taiwan: a redefinition of the genus and descriptions of two new species, ZooKeys 1125, pp. 171-192 : 171

Shairella caerulea (Kimoto, 1996) comb. nov.

Figs 9 , 10

Japonitata caerulea Kimoto, 1996: 33 (Taiwan).

Type examined.

Holotype ♂ (SEHU) (Fig. 9A-C ): "Pilu (碧綠), Hualien / Taiwan / 10.VII.1983 / H. Takizawa [p, w] // HOLOTYPE [p, r] // Japonitata / Japonitata caerulea / Kimoto, n. sp. [h] / Det. S. Kimoto, 19[p]95[h, w] // Euliroetis [h] / Det. H. Takizawa [p, w] // 0000000172 / Sys. Ent / Hokkaido Univ. / Japan [SEHU] [p, w]".

Specimens examined.

Hualien: 1♀ (NMNS), Hualuhsi (華祿溪), 1300 m, 28.VII.-25.IX.2011, leg. W.-T. Yang & K.-W. Huang ; 1♀ (NMNS), Biyu Sacred Tree (碧綠神木), 2150 m, 1.VI.-28.VII.2011, leg. W.-T. Yang & K.-W. Huang ; 1♂ (NMNS), same but with “28.VII.-5.IX.2011” ; 1♂, 1♀ (NMNS), same but with “28.V.-24.VII.2012” ; 2♂ (NMNS), same but with “24.VII.-10.IX.2012”; Kaohsiung : 1♀ (TARI), Chungchihkuan (中之關), 1930 m, 10.VI.2015, leg. T.-H. Lee ; Nantou : 1♂ (TARI), Tunyuan (屯原), 1900 m, 21.VI.2019, leg. B.-X. Guo. All specimens from Hualien were collected using Malaise traps .

Redescription.

Length 6.8-6.9 mm, width 3.7-3.9 mm. General color (Fig. 9D-F ) black to blackish brown; abdomen yellow; elytra bluish black. Antennomeres II-XI filiform in males (Fig. 10A ), ratios of lengths of antennomeres I-XI 1.0: 0.3: 0.9: 1.0: 1.1: 1.1: 1.1: 0.9: 0.9: 0.8: 1.0; ratios of length to width from antennomeres I-XI 3.0: 1.4: 2.9: 3.6: 3.9: 4.2: 4.3: 4.2: 4.6: 4.3: 6.1; more slender in females (Fig. 10B ), ratios of lengths of antennomeres I-XI 1.0: 0.4: 0.9: 1.0: 1.0: 1.0: 1.0: 0.9: 0.9: 0.8: 0.9; ratios of length to width from antennomeres I-XI 3.0: 1.6: 3.4: 3.9: 4.3: 4.6: 4.8: 5.5: 6.1: 5.3: 6.1. Pronotum 2.2 times wider than long; disc with scarce fine punctures at sides, reduced medially, with transverse groove near base, medially abbreviated, laterally connected with short longitudinal groove on basal margin; lateral margins slightly rounded, widest behind apices; apical margin slightly concave and basal margin slightly convex. Elytra 1.4 × longer than wide; disc with confused, dense, fine punctures; with one small tubercle behind scutellum, with one deep depression behind tubercle; with one indistinct longitudinal ridge from humeral calli, parallel with lateral margin, abbreviated subapically; with one additional, deep depression at middle, above longitudinal ridge; lateral margins moderately rounded, widest at apical third, apices divergent. Aedeagus (Fig. 10C, D ) wide, 4.4 × longer than wide; lateral margins straight, widest at apex, gradually narrowed towards base; apex with deep notch; moderately curved in lateral view; tectum membranous; one endophallic sclerite longitudinal and slender, 0.7 × as long as aedeagus, base shallowly bifurcate, lateral margins with clustered short setae at apical third; with short membranous area near apex. Apical margin of abdominal ventrite V in males with distinct median lobe (Fig. 10G ), narrow, apical margin slightly recurved, with median internal ridge from apex to base, with narrow furrow between gonocoxae; basal margin expanding posteriorly. Gonocoxae (Fig. 10F ) longitudinal and connected basally; each gonocoxa narrowed subapically, apex truncate, with eight long apical setae; base weakly sclerotized but strongly sclerotized medially. Ventrite VIII (Fig. 10E ) in females with apex weakly sclerotized, small, depressed medially; with dense short apical setae; spiculum extremely elongate. Spermathecal receptaculum (Fig. 10H, I ) slender, as wide as pump, not separated from pump; pump long and curved, apex slightly swollen, dorso-ventrally bifurcate; sclerotized spermathecal duct short, not separated from receptaculum.

Diagnosis.

Shairella caerulea (Kimoto, 1996), comb. nov. and S. quadricostata (Kimoto, 1996), comb. nov. are characterized by having normal elytra and functional hindwings (shortened elytra and reduced hindwings in other species; Lee and Beenen 2017) although some populations of S. quadricostata have variably reduced hindwings. Shairella caerulea is distinguished easily from S. quadricostata by its bluish black elytra without longitudinal ridges other than the lateral ridge (Fig. 9 ) (black elytra with three pairs of weak longitudinal ridges in S. quadricostata ; Fig. 5 ); median internal ridge of abdominal ventrite in males expending from apex into base (Fig. 10G ) (median internal ridge of abdominal ventrite V in males expanding from apex, abbreviated before base in S. quadricostata ; Fig. 6K ); bifurcate apex of aedeagus (Fig. 10C ) (apically narrowed apex of aedeagus in S. quadricostata ; Fig. 6C ); apex of spermatheca swollen, bifurcate in frontal view (Fig. 10H, I ) (apex of spermatheca rounded with small process in S. quadricostata ; Fig. 6H-J ).

Host plant and biology.

Unknown.

Remarks.

All specimens deposited at the National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung were collected using Malaise traps. Many flightless, nocturnal galerucines have been collected in Malaise traps, including Taiwanoshaira chujoi (Kimoto, 1982) ( Lee and Beenen 2020), Paraplotes taiwana Chûjô, 1963 ( Lee 2015), and Lochmaea lesagei Kimoto, 1996 ( Lee 2019). Moreover, two specimens were collected during the night by Ta-Hsiang Lee (李大翔) and Bo-Xin Guo (郭泊鑫), respectively; they are members of TCRT. These events suggest that adults of Shairella caerulea are nocturnal.

Distribution.

This species is probably widespread in Taiwan although few specimens are available for study.

Figures

Figure 5. Habitus and field photographs of Shairella quadricostata (Kimoto) A holotype, female, dorsal view B ditto, lateral view C labels on the holotypes D nontype, male, dorsal view E ditto, ventral view F ditto, lateral view G two adults collected at Tengchih (藤枝) and feeding on leaves of Hemiboea bicornuta H adult resting on leaves of Hemiboea bicornuta in Erhwanping (二萬坪).

Figure 6. Diagnostic characters of Shairella quadricostata (Kimoto) A antenna, male B antenna, female C aedeagus, dorsal view D ditto, lateral view E abdominal ventrite VIII, from Erhwanping (二萬坪) F same, from Wulai (烏來) G gonocoxae H spermatheca, from Tengchih (藤枝) I same from Wulai (烏來) J same from Erhwanping (二萬坪) K abdominal ventrite IV-V, male.

Figure 9. Habitus of Shairella caerulea (Kimoto) A holotype, male, dorsal view B ditto, lateral view C labels on the holotypes D nontype, male, dorsal view E ditto, ventral view F ditto, lateral view.

Figure 10. Diagnostic characters of Shairella caerulea (Kimoto) A antenna, male B antenna, female C aedeagus, dorsal view D ditto, lateral view E abdominal ventrite VIII F gonocoxae G abdominal ventrite IV-V, male H spermatheca I apex of spermatheca, front view.