Metaparia mandibuloflexa Sublett, Schultz, and Cook, 2021

Sublett, Clayton A. & Cook, Jerry L., 2021, A Comprehensive Revision of the Genus Metaparia Crotch, 1873 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae) and Description of a New Genus, The Coleopterists Bulletin 75 (4), pp. 779-811 : 794-796

Metaparia mandibuloflexa Sublett, Schultz, and Cook , new species zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:870E0B4E-F95C-4590-B324-28B739DF59C3 ( Figs. 2f , 31–36 )

Metaparia mandibuloflexa Schultz 1970: 98 [invalid name, not published].

Type Specimens. Holotype here designated, labels “Brownsville./V-8-35 Tex./J. N. Knull// HOLOTYPE / Metaparia /mandibulo-/flexa/ Schultz 1970 [label is on red paper]//Illustrated//OSUC 0320028 [label has QCR code]”; deposited in the OSUC. Paratypes here designated: 1 male, point-mounted, labeled “Brownsville,/VIII-8-37. Tex.//D.J. & J.N./Knull Collrs.// PARATYPE / Metaparia /mandibulo-/flexa/ Schultz 1970 [red type label]//OSUC 533744”; 13 males, point-mounted, labeled “Brownsville,/VIII-8-37. Tex.//D.J. & J.N./ Knull Collrs.// PARATYPE / Metaparia /mandibulo-/ flexa/Schultz [red type label]//OSUC [barcode number]”; barcode numbers: 533740, 533741, 533742, 533744, 533745, 533746, 533747, 533748, 533749, 533750, 533751, 533752, 533753 [dissected]; deposited in the OSUC. 1 male, point-mounted, labeled “McAllan Texas / IV-5-1944 /ON Bean// PARATYPE / Metaparia /mandibuloflexa/ Schultz 1970 [red type label]”; 1 female point-mounted, labeled “McAllan, Tex/IV-5-44/ON Bean// PARATYPE / Metaparia /mandibulo-/flexa/ Schultz 1970 [red type label]”; deposited in the NMNH.

Description. Male, body ovular, sides subparallel, dorsum convex ( Figs. 31, 32 ). Length 4.32 mm. Width 3.08 mm. Dorsum shining black, venter and legs red-brown with cupreous sheen, antennomeres 1–6 light brown, antennomeres 7–11 red-brown. Head: IOR 2.32. Frons and clypeus punctate-setose, space between punctures smooth; punctures small, medium dense. Clypeus trapezoidal, corners round- ed, sharply narrowed in apical 1/4, apex emarginate; emargination deep, broad ( Fig. 33 ). Labrum with dark metallic spot medially. Mandibles enlarged, lateral face subrugulose, setose, black with cupreous sheen in basal half, smooth, red-brown in apical half. Dorsal face smooth, red-brown, outer basal edge lobed; lobe rounded, projecting ca. 45°. Antennomere 1 rectangular, edges rounded. Antennomeres 7–10 rectangular, longer than wide. Pronotum: Pronotal ratio 0.51. Disc punctate, glabrous, space between punctures smooth; punctures small, dense. Anterior edge setose, setae directed anteriorly. Sides subparallel in posterior half, evenly rounded in anterior half. Posterior edge margined with lip; upper edge margined with punctures. Scutellar shield: Form semi-ovate, anterior edge straight, disc smooth, impunctate. Elytra: Disc punctate-striate, space between punctures smooth; punctures large, dense; striae weakly geminate basally, single and more distinct apically. Basal calli smooth, impunctate. Costae sublaterally posterior to basal calli and subapically between striae; costae short, smooth. Venter: Prosternal lateral arms weakly convex, truncate, tapering towards and not meeting pronotal anterior edge; disc punctate-setose ( Fig. 2f ). Prosternum margined with bead, anterior and posterior edges straight, sides concave, disc sparsely setose. Legs: Trochanters with single, long seta. Aedeagus: Median lobe subequal to basal hood, weakly curved, apex emarginate; emargination shallow, arched ( Figs. 35, 36 ).

Variation. Length 2.83–3.83 mm (males) or 3.04–4.33 (females). Width 1.89–2.83 mm (males) or 2.14–2.95 mm (females). Males do not differ substantially from the holotype; females differ primarily in having the mandibles not enlarged and the dorsal lobe greatly reduced or absent. Dorsum sometimes shining dark red-brown. Head: IOR 2.08–2.50 (males) or 2.00–2.32 (females). Clypeus may be bell-shaped. Right and left mandible (males) or left mandible (female) inner dorsal edge with one triangular tooth. Pronotum: Pronotal ratio 0.54– 0.75 (males) or 0.53–0.60 (females). Anterior corners microsculptured between punctures. Scutellar shield: Form semi-circular. Spermatheca: Form narrowly U-shaped ( Fig. 34 ).

Diagnosis. Metaparia mandibuloflexa is distinguished from other species of Metaparia by the dorsal lobes of the male mandibles projecting at 45°. Only one other species of Metaparia , M. prosopis , has male mandibles with a prominent ridge, but in this species the ridge is perpendicular to the mandible dorsal surface.

Specimens Examined. 278 specimens deposited in BYU, EGRC, MCZ, NMNH, OSUC, and TAMU. MEXICO: Nuevo León: Monterrey (1 TAMU) ; Sabinas Hidalgo (1 BYU) . Tamaulipas: 30.8 mi. S. San Fernando (2 TAMU) . Anahuac (5 TAMU) . UNITED STATES: Texas: Cameron: Boca Chica (1 BYU) ; 5 mi. W. Boca Chica (4 NMNH) ; Brownsville (12 MCZ, 7 NMNH, 19 OSUC, 34 TAMU); 11 mi. E. Brownsville (3 BYU) ; Esperanza Ranch, Brownsville (4 MCZ) ; Harlingen (1 MCZ) ; Palmito Hill, Hwy. 4 E. of Brownsville (7 BYU) ; Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary (38 BYU, 14 EGRC, 69 TAMU); South Point Nursery (23 TAMU) . Hidalgo: Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park (1 TAMU) ; Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge (1 TAMU) ; Hidalgo Co. (1 NMNH, 1 OSUC). Kenedy: Kenedy Co. (1 BYU) . Reeves : 14 mi NW Pecos (1 EGRC) . San Patricio: Lake Corpus Christi State Park (1 TAMU) . Starr: Arroyo Salado at Rt. 83, 14 mi. E Rio Grande City (1 TAMU) ; 5 mi. E. El Sauz (3 BYU) ; Falcon State Park (4 TAMU) ; 5 mi. NE of Salineno (13 BYU) . Uvalde : Uvalde Co. (1 OSUC) . Webb: Laredo (1 MCZ) ; Santo Tomás (4 MCZ) . Zapata: Falcon Heights, Falcon Dam (1 NMNH) ; Zapata Co. (1 OSUC) . Ambiguous: Uvalde (1 MCZ) . State of Texas (4 MCZ, 1 NMNH) .

Distribution. Mexico (Nuevo León, Tamaulipas), United States (Texas) ( Fig. 71 ).

Temporal Occurrence. April, May, June, July, August, September.

Remarks. Schultz (1970) originally described M. mandibuloflexa and deposited the holotype in the OSU collection, but the work was never published and the nomenclatural acts are invalid. As a tribute to W. T. Schultz’s work on Eumolpinae of the United States and with his permission, we are using the name originally proposed in his dissertation. The holotype proposed by Schultz (1970) is a good representative of the species and is designated as the holotype.

Figures

Fig. 2. Lateral arm of prosternum of species of Metaparia. a) M. cephalotes, b) M. clytroides, c) M. guatemalensis, d) M. hybrida, e) M. lesueuri, f) M. mandibuloflexa, new species, g) M. opacicollis, h) M. prosopis, new species, i) M. viridimicans. Scale bars = 0.5 mm. Left side is anterior edge.

Figs. 31–36. Holotype of Metaparia mandibuloflexa, new species. 31) Dorsal habitus; 32) Lateral habitus; 33) Head, frontal view; 34) Spermatheca; 35) Median lobe, apical view; 36) Median lobe, lateral view. Figs. 31, 32 scale bars = 1.0 mm; Figs. 33, 35, 36 scale bars = 0.5 mm; Fig. 34 scale bar = 0.1 mm.

Figs. 70–75. Distribution maps for Metaparia and Dispardentium species. 70) M. cephalotes (black circles), M. clytroides (black triangles), M. guatemalensis (gray triangles); 71) M. hybrida (gray triangles), M. lesueuri (black circles), M. mandibuloflexa, new species (black triangles); 72) M. opacicollis (black triangles); 73) M. prosopis, new species (black triangles); 74) M. viridimicans (black triangles); 75) D. laevicollis (black triangles).