Bohumiljania xanthogramma, Reid & Beatson, 2011

Reid, C. A. M. & Beatson, M., 2011, Revision of the New Caledonian endemic genus Bohumiljania Monrós (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Spilopyrinae), Zootaxa 3000, pp. 1-43 : 16-18

Bohumiljania xanthogramma sp. nov.

( Figs 10, 18, 33–36, 44, 52, 64–66, 82–83, 93–96, 100, 106–108, 116–117, 126–127, 134, 143–144, 154)

Material examined

Types: Holotype: male/ N slope Pic D’Amoa, 20:58S 165: 17E, 480m, mv light rainforest, 11912, 15.xii.2004, G. Monteith ( MHNP) ; Paratypes (3): male, female, same data as holotype ( ANIC, MHNP) ; female, ditto, except 500m, at mv light, 8690, 10.xi.2001 / leg → Farrell for DNA/ ( QMB) .

Non-type : male/ Mandjella Lower Creek, 20:24S 164:31E, 600m, mv light rainforest, 11906, 12.xii.2004, G. Monteith ( AMS)

Description Length: males 16.5–17mm, females 21–23mm; body elongate parallel-sided, length c. 2.8x width, length c. 3.4x height, elevated towards elytral base in profile with flat pronotum. Body and appendages yellow to orange, but most of dorsal surface lime-green including: head posterior to antennae, pronotum and pronotal hypomeron, elytra except sutural and lateral margins; tibiae, sides of metaventrite, metepisternum, sides of abdominal ventrites I–III and ventrites IV–V with variable greenish hue; antennomeres 1–6 reddish-orange with blackish anterior edges, 7–11 dull red; edges of tarsomeres 1–3 slightly darkened; apices of mandibles and edge of buccal cavity at antennal sockets black. Head and pronotal punctures each armed with recumbent short white setae. Head microreticulate, pronotum and elytra shining, without microreticulation.

Head: distinctly pubescent, recumbent setae long and dense on genae; puncturation dense (intervals </= diameters) and fine posteriorly, larger and sparser between and anterior to eyes; midline of head shallowly depressed; eyes large and laterally prominent, with small internal canthus, separated by c. 4x eye width (male) or c. 4.2x eye width (female); temples short, c. 0.2x length eye, not posteriorly truncate; gena short, 0.25x eye length (male) or 0.2x eye length (female), genal lobe ratio 1.5–2; antennae situated at anterior of head, in laterally directed sockets, c. 5x socket diameter apart, c. 0.6x body length (male) or 0.5x body length (female); all antennomeres elongate: 2 shortest (c. 0.5x first), <3, <1, <4=6, <5, <8, <7=9, <10, <11 (male), or 2, <3=6, <1=4, <5, <7=8, <9=10=11 (female); antennomeres 7 & 8 (male) or 7 (female) comparatively slightly expanded; labrum not densely setose, with 1 pair of prominent setae on disc and 2 pairs at sides; apical maxillary palpomere elongate, with narrow tip in both sexes, preapical as long as apical (female) or slightly shorter (male); mentum strongly transverse, width 3x median length, with prominent anterior angles; gula with distinct transverse ridges.

Thorax: pronotum distinctly pubescent, with sparse recumbent setae except glabrous anterior of middle, inner part of hypomeron densely pubescent; pronotum almost parallel-sided, slightly narrowed anteriorly, anterior truncate, base broadly convex; pronotal width c. 1.15x length; anterior angles strongly laterally produced, c. 60°, posterior angles not produced, 90°; anterior not margined except near angles, sides and base margined; sides of disc longitudinally shallowly grooved in basal half, with a slight swelling between groove and lateral margin; pronotal punctures variable in size and density: generally more closely and strongly punctured in lateral grooves, at sides and anterior, more finely and sparsely at base and absent from a circular area on anterior of disc; anterior corner of hypomeron strongly punctured; prosternum densely punctured and pubescent at sides, process smooth, almost impunctate and glabrous; prosternal process elongate, strongly elevated from middle of prosternum, flat, straight sides slightly expanded to strongly bilobed apex, angle between lobes V-shaped, c. 90°; scutellum impunctate, almost quadrate, with rounded apex, medially depressed; elytron glabrous, elongate groove between humerus and epipleuron, sculpture coarsening towards apex, from basal half strongly and densely punctured with shallow grooves between punctures to apical half entirely strigose-rugose with punctures more or less obliterated; upper margin epipleuron reaching angle of humerus at base but obliterated by rugose sculpture in apical tenth; mesoventrite median process abruptly elevated to strongly bilobed apex, angle between lobes U-shaped, c. 75°; wing fully developed, with uncoloured medial fleck; metaventrite shining and glabrous medially, densely pubescent and finely punctured at sides, apical lobe laterally margined and flat or shallowly depressed; metepisternum densely finely punctured and pubescent; 1 short spur on protibia, 2 on remainder; tarsi short, length first metatarsomere 1.7x width (male), 1.5x width (female); length second metatarsomere 1.1x width (male), = width (female).

Abdomen: ventrites I and II entirely fused; ventrites shallowly microreticulate, mostly smooth and shining, especially at middle, but generally with sparse recumbent setae and punctures, sides of I with denser patches of fine punctures and V with longer more erect setae; ventrite 1 almost entirely laterally keeled, II keeled for basal 2/3–3/ 4, III–V without lateral keels; apex ventrite V with broad V-shaped excision in male, evenly rounded in female.

Genitalia: spiculum relictum transversely rectangular, with shallowly concave apical margin; base of tegmen with asymmetric median keel; penis thick, apex angulate with narrowly concave tip in dorsal view, acute and acuminate in lateral view; ostium of penis without distinct sclerites; endophallic sclerite well-developed, not exerted in repose; apex female sternite VIII narrowly and shallowly concave, basal apodeme small and quadrate to elongate with slightly expanded apex; gonostylus ovate, flattened, almost fused to gonocoxite; spermatheca strongly folded, with median swelling, duct short and thick with long tight loop before insertion of gland; rectal kotpresse as B. lafoa ( Fig. 147), with denser transverse band of spinules, band elongately lobed on venter, narrow on dorsum.

Notes Etymology: from Greek, xantho (yellow) and gramma (line), in reference to the yellow suture.

The male specimen from Mandjelia is treated here as B. xanthogramma but without type status. It differs slightly from all other specimens of B. xanthogramma (all from Pic D’Amoa) in elytral colour, pronotal sculpture and penis shape ( Fig. 108, not acuminate in lateral view), but without additional material we are reluctant to describe it as new. This male specimen was collected near a single female of a specimen we have described under B. lafoa (q.v.). We reject conspecificity of these two specimens because of: different colour; similar size (all other species show a large difference between male and female), slightly different pronotal and elytral sculpture.

Bohumiljania xanthogramma has been collected at two localities in central and NW New Caledonia, Pic D’Amoa and possibly Mandjelia, both of moderate elevation, 480–600m asl. Possibly this is a relatively widespread species of medium elevation rainforest in northern New Caledonia. All specimens were taken at mv light, in November & December. The hostplant is unknown.

One specimen is labelled with a note indicating provision of a leg to Harvard University for molecular analysis. As far as we are aware no molecular sequence has been published for this species.