Paraclytra crocata ( Lacordaire, 1848 )

Bezděk, Jan & Kantner, František, 2010, Revision of the genus Paraclytra (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cryptocephalinae: Clytrini), with description of P. cervenkai sp. nov. from Sultanate of Oman, Zootaxa 2353, pp. 1-33 : 6-8

Paraclytra crocata ( Lacordaire, 1848)

( Figs. 2–4 , 17 , 28–29 , 39–40 )

Clythra (Clythra) crocata Lacordaire, 1848: 226 (original description)

Clytra crocata: Lefèvre, 1872: 141 (key), 150; Jacoby & Clavareau, 1906: 36 (catalogue); Clavareau, 1913: 49 (catalogue); Winkler, 1929: 1240 (catalogue); Bryant, 1957: 353 ( Yemen)

Paraclytra crocata: Medvedev, 1978: 55 (partim, Yemen); Medvedev, 1979: 295; Medvedev, 1980: 301 (partim, Yemen); Medvedev, 1993b: 130 ( Saudi Arabia, Yemen), 134 (key); Medvedev, 1996: 218 (key), 234; Medvedev, 1997: 319 ( Yemen)

Paraclytra crocata var. melanaria Medvedev, 1979: 295 (unavailable name, Yemen)

Paraclytra crocata ab. melanaria: Medvedev, 1996: 218 (key)

Clytra rufitarsis: Bryant, 1957: 354 ( Yemen)

(see also P. sennariensis and P. cervenkai sp. nov.)

Type locality. „Arabie“.

Type material. Paraclytra crocata : Holotype Ƥ ( ZMHB), labelled: “23174 [w, p] // Arabia .... [partly illegible, w, h] // Clythra * / crocata Lacord [w, h] // Paraclytra / crocata Lac. [h] / L. N. Medvedev 19 [p] 72 [w, h] // HOLOTYPUS, / Clythra (Clythra) / crocata Lacordaire, 1848 / des. J. Bezdĕk & / F. Kantner 2006 [red label, p]“.

Additional material studied. 40 specimens — SAUDI ARABIA: 13 2ƤƤ, Asir N. P., Abha env., 2200 m, 7.vi.1982, Heiss leg. ( AWCW); 13 1Ƥ, Fifa near Gizan, 27.-31.iii.1983, C. Holzschuh leg. ( NHMB); 13, Wadi Wajj, 18 km SW of Taif, 1800 m, 5.x.1979, W. Büttiker leg. ( NHMB); 1Ƥ, Wadi Majarish, 7.ii.1980, W. Büttiker leg. ( NHMB); 1Ƥ, Jizan, 10.ii.1981, A. S. Talhouk leg. ( NHMB); 13, Taif, 25.vi.1983, A. Talhouk, S. Tilkian, R. Abousouheyrah, K. Eltaher & A. Elmadi leg. ( NHMB). YEMEN: 1Ƥ, Sana´a, 11.v.1980, T. B. Larsen leg. ( NHMB); 233 1Ƥ, Hammam Ali, ca 5.600 ft., 28.viii.1937, C. Rathjens leg. ( BMNH); 3ƤƤ, Yemen, without additional data, Millingen leg. ( BMNH); 13, Wadi Dhahr, NW of Sana´a, 27.ii.1946, A. R. Waterston leg. ( BMNH); 13, Jebel Jihaf, ca 7.100 ft., ix.1937, H. Scott & E. B. Britton leg. ( BMNH); 1Ƥ, same data, x.1937 ( BMNH); 2ƤƤ, Jebel Jihaf, Wadi Lejij, ca 7.000 ft., 1.x.1937, H. Scott & E. B. Britton leg. ( BMNH); 2ƤƤ, Wadi Hardaba, 2.100 ft., 11.ix.1937, H. Scott & E. B. Britton leg. ( BMNH); 13 2ƤƤ, Yemen Frontier, El Kubar, 1903, G. W. Bury leg. ( BMNH); 1Ƥ, Aden, 8.iv.1929, without the name of the collector ( BMNH); 1Ƥ, Museimir, ca 2.000 ft., 7.iii.1940, P. W. R. Petrie leg. ( BMNH); 1Ƥ, Thama, near Beit al Faqih, 15.viii.1946, A. R. Waterston leg. ( BMNH); 1Ƥ, Lodar, 800 m, 16.v.1967, K. Guichard leg. ( BMNH); 1Ƥ, Khodzheilya [= Al Hudaydah?], 19.viii.1930, N. Filippov leg. ( LMRM); 233 1Ƥ, 20 km S of Taizz, 13°30´N 43°57´E, 1200 m, 24.x.2005, J. Halada leg. ( FKCC); 1Ƥ, 20 km NW of Dhawran, 14°40´N 44°13´E, 1794 m, 29.x.2005, S. Kadlec leg. ( FKCC); 13, Jabal al Fatk, NE of Al Ghaydah, 16°40´N 53°05´E, 729 m, 12.-13.x.2005, S. Kadlec leg. ( FKCC); 1Ƥ, Haraz Mts., ca 80 km SE of Sana´a, Manacha env., 15°03´50.2´´N 43°44´32.6´´E, 2600-2800, 11.vi.2009, L. Purchart leg. ( JBBC); 233 1Ƥ, Wadi Dhahr, 10.vi.2009, V. Hula leg. ( JBBC).

Description. Head orange, darker specimens have orange head with two small black spots on the inner margin of the eyes, or with a broad black band on frons from eye to eye, or with black frons and clypeus, or almost completely black with an orange longitudinal stripe on vertex or only with small orange spots behind eyes. Apices of mandibles and palpi usually darker. Antennomeres 1 to 4 orange, antennomeres 5 to 6 sometimes with the brownish bases or antennae black from antennomere 5. Pronotum orange, dark specimens have black pronotum with extreme anterior margin brownish or completely black. Scutellum completely orange or completely black. Elytra orange, with two black markings: one small round spot at the first third near suture (often this spot missing), one black band at two thirds usually isolated from epiplaurae and suture (in the darkest specimens the bands are connected at suture). Rarely, there is also an indistinct very small brownish spot on humeral calli. All femora black, hind tibiae black with a brownish base, mid femora black with more or less orange base and the inner side, fore tibiae usually palest, orange with a darkened outer side, tarsi brownish to blackish. Rarely all tibiae completely black. Prosternum orange with a widely black base behind coxae, meso-, metasternum and abdomen black.

Measurements. Males: 7.20–7.80 mm; females: 7.25–8.75 mm (holotype: 8.50 mm).

Male ( Figs. 2–4 ). Labrum transverse, anterior margin widely shallowly incised. Head lustrous, anterior part covered with very fine punctures, frons with larger punctures and vertex nearly impunctate. The short hairs visible only along the inner margins of the eyes. Frons narrow, 1.4 times as wide as the diameter of the eye, with a round shallow impression in the middle. Antennomere 1 moderately clavate, antennomere 4 small, triangular, antennae distinctly serrated from segment 5.

Prothorax transverse, 1.70 times as wide as long, widest at two thirds, moderately convex, nearly impunctate (only scutellar thickening with large distinct punctures), lustrous. Lateral margins moderately rounded, convergent anteriad, anterior margin slightly concave, posterior margin slightly rounded, thickened in the scutellar area, distinctly sinuated before the thickening. Anterior angles rectangular with a shortly rounded tip, posterior ones obtusangulate. All margins bordered, except the middle part of anterior margin where the border disappears. Scutellum triangular with rounded apex, lustrous, laterally with distinct punctures, scutellar base with pale hairs.

Elytra cylindrical, 1.70–1.80 times as long as wide at the humeral part, glabrous, lustrous, densely covered with small fine confused punctures dissappearing in elytral apices.

Tarsi slender. First protarsomere elongate, 1.25 times as long as broad, 0.60 times as long as the two following tarsomeres combined.

Aedeagus as in Fig. 17 .

Female. Frons broader, 1.8–2.0 times as wide as the transverse diameter of the eye. Spermatheca and rectal sclerites as in Figs. 28–29 , 39–40 .

Differential diagnosis. The coloration of P. c ro c a t a is variable. The forms with black head and pronotum cannot be associated with any other Paraclytra species. The forms with a postmedian black band only resemble the palest aberrations of P. sennariensis and the forms with both the postcutellar spot and the postmedian black band are very similar to P. cervenkai sp. nov. and some aberrations of P. sennariensis . All these taxa can be correctly distinguished mainly based on the structure of aedeagus ( Figs. 16–17 , 22–24 ). Moreover, males of P. sennariensis have broader frons (2.00–2.25 times as broad as the diameter of the eye contrary to 1.20–1.40 times in males of P. c ro c a t a) and broader tarsi than P. crocata . Males of P. cervenkai sp. nov. differ in the first protarsomere 1.5 times as long as broad while 1.25 times as long as broad in males of P. crocata .

Medvedev (1978, 1980) distinguished P. crocata and P. sennariensis by the shape of posterior pronotal angles (more rounded in P. c ro c a t a). However, this character can not be used for correct identification of both species. We do not see any differences in the shape of pronotal angles in the examined material. Moreover, the material identified by Medvedev was re-identified based on dissected aedeagus with different results.

Distribution. Saudi Arabia, Yemen. Medvedev (1996) mentioned also Palestine without exact data. We consider this record as a doubtful one because the occurrence of P. crocata seems to be restricted to Yemen and south of Saudi Arabia, but it may refer to P. sennariensis . The records from Sultanate of Oman ( Regalin 2002) refer to P. cervenkai sp. nov.

Comments. Lacordaire (1848) described P. c ro c a t a based on one female (holotype, deposited now in ZMHB). Besides two usual black markings on the elytra, the holotype also has indicated a brown humeral spot. Such coloration is rare in this species, but relatively common in P. sennariensis . For correct identification it was necessary to compare the female genitalia of the holotype of P. crocata and of the female paralectotype of P. sennariensis . Both species differ in the size of a sclerotized junction at the base of spermathecal duct and in the presence of two sclerites at bursa copulatrix near the junction of spermathecal duct (sclerites missing or indistinct in P. sennariensis ) ( Figs. 28–29 , 34–35 ). The genitalia of the female specimens assigned here to P. crocata slightly differ from the holotype: the sclerotized junction at the base of spermathecal duct is smaller and more slender and the adjoining sclerites are slightly smaller. Despite these small differencies we follow Medvedev´s conception of this species and assign determined material to P. crocata .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Habitus of Paraclytra, males. 1 — P. cervenkai sp. nov. (paratype, Sultanate of Oman: Taqah, 7.85 mm); 2 — P. crocata (Saudi Arabia: Fifa, 7.70 mm); 3 — P. crocata (Saudi Arabia: Taif, 7.95 mm); 4 — P. crocata (Yemen: Hammam Ali, 7.05 mm); 5 — P. elegans (paratype, Namibia: Namuskluft, 7.25 mm); 6 — P. gambiensis (neotype, Senegal: Toubakouta-Ziguinchor, 7.85 mm).

FIGURES 16 – 19. Aedeagus of Paraclytra (a—dorsal view, b—lateral view, c—ventral view). 16 — P. cervenkai sp. nov.; 17 — P. c ro c a t a; 18 — P. elegans; 19 — P. gambiensis. Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURES 27 – 29. Spermatheca of Paraclytra. 27 — P. cervenkai sp. nov.; 28 — P. crocata (holotype, „ Arabie “); 29 — P. crocata (Yemen: Jebel Jihaf). Scale bar 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 38 – 40. Rectal sclerites of Paraclytra (a—dorsal view, b—ventral view). 38 — P. cervenkai sp. nov.; 39 — P. crocata (holotype, „ Arabie “); 40 — P. crocata (Yemen: Jebel Jihaf).

FIGURES 20 – 23. Aedeagus of Paraclytra (a—dorsal view, b—lateral view, c—ventral view). 20 — P. intersecta; 21 — P. minuta; 22 — P. sennariensis (lectotype, Sudan: Sennar); 23 — P. sennariensis (paralectotype of P. rufitarsis, „ Arabie “). Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURES 24 – 26. Aedeagus of Paraclytra (a—dorsal view, b—lateral view, c—ventral view). 24 — P. sennariensis (paratype of P. signata ssp. aethiopica, Eritrea: Cheren); 25 — P. signata (lectotype of P. notata, Senegal); 26 — P. traegaordhi. Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURES 34 – 37. Spermatheca of Paraclytra. 34 — P. sennariensis (paralectotype); 35 — P. sennariensis (paratype of P. signata ssp. aethiopica); 36 — P. signata; 37 — P. traegaordhi. Scale bar 0.5 mm.