Sphenoraia rutilans ( Hope, 1831 )

Lee, Chi-Feng, 2014, The Genus Sphenoraia Clark, 1865 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae) in Taiwan, with Description of a New Species, The Coleopterists Bulletin 68 (1), pp. 143-151 : 143-151

Sphenoraia rutilans ( Hope, 1831)

( Figs. 2–5 , 11–12 , 19–20 , 24 , 28 , 31 , 34 )

Eumolpus rutilans Hope, 1831: 30 (“Nepaul”).

Gallerucida rutilans: Maulik 1936: 547 ( India) .

Sphenoraia (Sphenoraioides) rutilans: Gressitt and Kimoto 1963: 657 ( China?).

Chrysomela mutabilis Hope, 1831: 20 (“Nepaul”).

Galleruca fulgida Kollar and Redtenbacher, 1844: 554 (“Himaleya, Massuri”).

Sphenoraia fulgida: Baly 1879: 454 ( India: Assam); Jacoby 1889: 220 ( Myanmar: Bhamo, Metanja).

Sphenoraia (Sphenoraioides) fulgida: Laboissière 1934: 131 ( India, Myanmar, China).

Sphenoraia cyanea Allard, 1890: 92 (“ Inde ”).

Eustetha micans: Maulik,1936:547 (misidentification).

Diagnosis. Sphenoraia rutilans and S. chujoi are similar to S. micans in being metallic blue, purple, or coppery with lateral grooves on the pronotum, but differ by the presence of lateral grooves on the pronotum (absent in S. micans ), the poorly developed hook of the lateral endophallic sclerites (well-developed in S. micans ), and the well-sclerotized base of the gonocoxa (poorly sclerotized in S. micans ).

Redescription. Color generally metallic blue or green, elytra golden green, purplish red, or bronzy golden green ( Figs. 2–5 ). Head smooth, without microreticulation, vertex impunctate. Pronotum transverse, about 1.9–2.1X wider than long, with scattered prominent and minute punctures and 1 pair of lateral transverse grooves; lateral margins rounded; anterior margin moderately concave, posterior margin widely rounded; anterior angles obtuse; posterior angles weakly angulate. Elytra 1.4X longer than wide, widened posteriad, widest at apical 1/3; disc with distinct punctures irregularly arranged into longitudinal rows; interstices between longitudinal rows with scattered minute punctures.

Male. Length 8.0– 8.5 mm, width 3.8–4.5 mm. Antenna ( Fig. 11 ) 0.6X as long as body, antennomeres IV-XI flattened and laterally widened, ratio of length of antennomeres IV to XI about 1.0: 1.0: 1.0: 0.9: 0.9: 0.8: 0.8: 1.0; ratio of length to width of antennomeres IV to XI about 2.4: 2.0: 1.6: 1.4: 1.4: 1.2: 1.2: 2.2. Posterior margin of last ventrite with 1 pair of shallow depressions near apex. Penis ( Fig. 19 ) slender and tubular, apex widely rounded; in lateral view, almost straight, slightly curved at apex ( Fig. 20 ); ventral surface with weakly sclerotized area and median longitudinal ridge near apex. Endophallic sclerites ( Fig. 24 ) composed of 1 median sclerite and 1 pair of lateral sclerites. Median sclerite longitudinal, with median ridge from apex to middle; 1 pair of lateral sclerites smaller than median sclerite, about 0.7X as long as median one, slender and strongly curved near apices, apex slightly bifurcate.

Female. Length 9.3–9.5 mm, width 5.3–5.5 mm. Antenna ( Fig. 12 ) similar to that of male, 0.6X as long as body, ratio of length of antennomeres IV to XI about 1.0: 1.0: 1.0: 1.0: 0.9: 0.9: 0.9: 1.1; ratio of length to width of antennomeres IV to XI about 2.6: 2.3: 1.9: 1.6: 1.3: 1.3: 1.4: 2.4. Posterior margin of last ventrite widely rounded. Gonocoxae ( Fig. 28 ) wide and straight, connected at middle; apex obliquely truncate, with more than 10 long setae; base slender and well-sclerotized. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 31 ) apically widened and weakly sclerotized, apical margin visible and slightly emarginated at middle; disc with long setae surrounding outer margin; spiculum long. Spermathecal receptaculum ( Fig. 34 ) strongly swollen, pump narrow and strongly curved, spermathecal duct long and slender, shallowly projecting into receptaculum.

Distribution. India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, China.

Type Material. Eumolpus rutilans : holotype (sex undetermined, BMNH), labeled: “Type [white round label with red border] // rutilans, Hope [w, h] // “ Eumolpus ” / rutilans, Hope / Type [w, h]”.

Chrysomela mutabilis : holotype (sex undetermined, BMNH), labeled: “Type [white round label with red border] // mutabilis, Hope [w, h] // Hardwicke / Bequest. [white label with black margin] // Sphenoraia / mutabilis, / Hope / Type [w, h]”.

Galleruca fulgida : holotype ♂ ( NMW), labeled: “ Alte Sammlg . [p] / Kaschmir [h, w] // Fulgida / Redt / Kaschmir [white label with black margin]”.

Sphenoraia cyanea : holotype ♂ ( MNHN), labeled: “ Inde [w, h] // Ex-Musaeo [p] / E. ALLARD [p] / 1899 [vertically, p, w] // “MUSÉUM PARIS / 1952 / COLL. R. OBERTHUR [p, w] // SYNTYPE / Sphenoraia / cyanea Allard, 1890 [p, w] // SYNTYPE [p, red label] // MNHN / EC4077 [p, w]” .

Specimens Examined. HIMALAYA oriental: 4♂♂, 1♀, leg. R. P. Bertrand, 1905 -313; 2♂♂, North India ; INDIA: 11♂♂, 7♀♀, without other data ; 1♂, 3♀♀, Assam ; 2♂♂, Assam, Shillong , 26.IV.1908, leg. H. M. Parish ; 1♂, Assam, Sudiya , leg. Doherty ; 1♂, 2♀♀, Cahar; 1♂, Jaunsar, Chakrata , VIII.1919, leg. H. G. Champion ; 14♂♂, 1♀, Kumaon, W. Almora , leg. H. G. Champion ; 1♂, same locality, V-VIII.1916, leg. H. G. Champion ; 1♂, same locality, VI.1917, leg. H. G. Champion ; 1♀, Kumaon, Almora, Ranikhet , VI-VIII.1916, leg. H. G. Champion ; 2♂♂, same locality, VI.1920, leg. H. G. Champion ; 1♂, Kumaon, Gori Valley , 7000 ft., leg. H. G. Champion ; 1♀, Kumaon, Mainital , IX.1917, leg. H. G. Champion ; 3♂♂, Kumaon, E. Ramganga V., 5000 ft., leg. H. G. Champion ; 2♂♂, Kumaon, Sarju Valley , 4000 ft., leg. H. G. Champion ; 1♀, Lebong , VII.1909, 3716 ; 2♂♂, 1♀, Manijur , leg. Doherty ; 1♀, Punjab ; 1♀, Punjab, Dagshai , 1924, leg. J.E.M. Boyd ; 1♂, 1♀, Punjab, Kangra Valley , 4500 ft., IX.1899, leg. Dudgeon ; 1♀, Sikkim, Gopaldhara , leg. W. K. Webb ; 18♂♂, 1♀, Sikkim, Gopaldhara, Rungbong Vall. , leg. H. Stevens ; 1♀, same locality, 1911, leg. W. K. Webb ; 2♂♂, 1♀, Sikkim, Kurseong , 3–6000 ft., leg. P. Newton ; 8♂♂, 4♀♀, Sikkim, Mungphu; NEPAL: 1♀, Trisuli Valley , 4–6000 ft. (all in BMNH)

Figures

Figs. 1–8. Dorsal habitus of Sphenoraia species. 1) S. chujoi; 2–5) S. rutilans; 6–8) S. micans.

Figs. 9–16. Antennae of Sphenoraia species. 9) S. chujoi, male; 10) S. chujoi, female; 11) S. rutilans, male; 12) S. rutilans, female; 13) S. micans, male, China; 14) S. micans, female, China; 15) S. micans, female, South Taiwan; 16) S. micans, female, North Taiwan. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

Figs. 17–22. Penises of Sphenoraia species. 17) S. chujoi, dorsal view; 18) S. chujoi, lateral view; 19) S. rutilans, dorsal view; 20) S. rutilans, lateral view; 21) S. micans, dorsal view; 22) S. micans, lateral view. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

Figs. 23–26. Endophallic sclerites of Sphenoraia species. 23) S. chujoi; 24) S. rutilans; 25) S. micans, China; 26) S. micans, Taiwan. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figs. 27–29. Gonocoxae of Sphenoraia species. 27) S. chujoi; 28) S. rutilans; 29) S. micans.

Figs. 30–32. Sternite VIII of Sphenoraia species. 30) S. chujoi; 31) S. rutilans; 32) S. micans. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

Figs. 33–35. Spermatheca of Sphenoraia species. 33) S. chujoi; 34) S. rutilans; 35) S. micans. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.