Miritius abdominalis Morais & Linzmeier

Morais, Ana Carla C., Ribeiro-Costa, Cibele S. & Linzmeier, Adelita M., 2016, On the taxonomy of the Brazilian flea beetle genus Miritius Bechyné & Bechyné (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini: Monoplatina) with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4067 (3), pp. 334-344 : 342-343

Miritius abdominalis Morais & Linzmeier , new species

( Figs 29–36 )

Description. Body 4.5 mm long and 1.8 mm wide (N=3), silver pubescence, moderately convex in lateral view, fuscous ( Fig. 30 ). Color light brown to dark brown, head darker. Presence of spots slightly darker as follows: one on basal calli; one on sutural margin behind basal calli; another on anterior margin of posterior third close to epipleural margin of elytra, forming a X pattern; another near the elytral apex (visible in specimens lighter in color) ( Fig. 29 ).

Head ( Fig. 31 ) with supraorbital pores indistinguishable. Vertex with silver pilosity. Antennal calli wellmarked, separated by midfrontal sulcus narrow and deep. Suprafrontal sulcus deep and wide. Suprantennal, supracalinal and orbital sulci shallow. Supraorbital and frontolateral sulci absent. Midcranial suture absent. Frontal ridge narrow and undeveloped, extending from interantennal region to close to frontoclypeal region. Anterofrontal ridge narrow, shallow. Frontoclypeal suture absent. First antennomere 2x longer than second; third to fifth antennomeres narrower and longer than others; sixth antennomere as narrow as preceding ones and shorter; seventh to eleventh antennomeres thicker and slightly shorter than sixth; eleventh slightly longer than previous antennomere; sixth and seventh antennomeres darker. Gena as long as length of eye, densely punctate. Labrum quadrangular with anterior angles rounded.

Pronotum transverse, 1.2 to 1.3x wider than long. Anterior and posterior margins almost straight. Pronotal disc with a slight longitudinal depression medially. Elytral apex slightly truncated. Basal and humeral calli welldeveloped, forming slight depression between them which extends to first line of punctures, behind basal calli. Epipleura bent inward, densely pubescent.

Metafemur 1.5x longer than wide; metatibia slightly arched in lateral view and straight in dorsal view with parallel margins; outer dorsal margin with pre-apical projection, followed by numerous teeth and an apical projection; metatibial spur short; first and second metatarsomeres similar in size, 2x size of third, fourth metatarsomere globose, longer than second and third together.

Abdomen with drop-shaped marking on ventrite I of male, absent in females, ventrite IV constricted medially. Aedeagus with lateral margin sinuous, apex rounded, slightly more sclerotized, tapered on second third, basal part long and wider than apex, in ventral view ( Fig. 35 ). Aedeagus sinuous, basal part long and slightly bent in lateral view ( Fig. 36 ). Tignum with posterior area spoon-shaped, truncated at apex, with long setae on lateral margins ( Fig. 33 ). Vaginal palpi diverging medially ( Fig. 33 ). Spermatheca with receptacle and pump slightly indistinct, pump slightly more sclerotized than receptacle ( Fig. 34 ).

Note. The male abdomen was lost during the SEM photos.

Type material. Miritius abdominalis Holotype ♀. Labels: 1) Chapada dos Guimarães, 3.2.1961; 2) Brasil, MT, J. & B. Bechyné; 3) Holotype Miritius abdominalis Morais & Linzmeier, 2015 [microtube with female genitalia] ( MPEG).

Etymology. The specific name abdominalis refers probably to the presence of a marking drop-shaped in the first male abdominal ventrite that Bechyné paid attention.

Material examined. 1 exemplar ♂. Labels: 1) Chapada dos Guimarães, 31.1.1961; 2) Brasil, MT, J. & B. Bechyné; 3) Miritius abdominalis Morais & Linzmeier det. 2015 [microtube with male genitalia, posterior leg, scutellum, membranous wings] ( MPEG). 1 exemplar ♀. Labels: 1) Chapada dos Guimarães, 1.2.1961; 2) Brasil, MT, J. & B. Bechyné; 3) Miritius abdominalis Morais & Linzmeier det. 2015 ( MPEG). 2 exemplars ♀. Labels: 1) Chapada dos Guimarães, 3.2.1961; 2) Brasil, MT, J. & B. Bechyné; 3) Miritius abdominalis Morais & Linzmeier det. 2015 [one without head].

Comments. Miritius abdominalis can be immediately separated from all other Miritius species by its markings, slightly darker on elytra forming a X pattern, metatibia slightly arched in lateral view, an apical projection on outer dorsal margin of metatibia and gena as long as the length of eye (other species are shorter than the length of eye). In Miritius abdominalis and M. benevidensis the large, C-shaped sclerite in the internal sac of the median lobe of aedeagus is absent; M. abdominalis can be separated from M. benevidensis by antennal calli well-developed, separated by midfrontal sulcus narrow and deep (antennal calli slightly developed, separated by poorly developed midfrontal sulcus in M. benevidensis ), frontal ridge narrow and undeveloped (narrow and well developed in M. benevidensis ), antennomeres 6 and 7 darker (antenomeres 6 to 8 darker in M. benevidensis ), pronotum 1.2 to 1.3x wider than long (1.2x longer than wide in M. benevidensis ), elytral apex truncated (rounded in M. benevidensis ). In addition, M. abdominalis differs from other Miritius by the presence of a drop-shaped marking in male abdominal ventrite I.

Figures

FIGURES 29 – 36. Miritius abdominalis Morais & Linzmeier sp. nov. 29 Dorsal habitus 30 Lateral habitus 31 Head, frontal view 32 Abdomen, ventral view 33 Vaginal palpi and tignum 34 Spermateca 35 Aedeagus ventral view 36 Aedeagus lateral view.