Monolepta meihuai Lee, Tian, and Staines

Lee, Chi-Feng, Tian, Pei-Ling & Staines, Charles L., 2010, Monolepta meihuai, a New Species from Taiwan, with Redescription of Its Sibling Species Monolepta mandibularis Chûjô, 1962 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 64 (4), pp. 303-311 : 306-310

Monolepta meihuai Lee, Tian, and Staines , new species

Diagnosis. This species is very similar to M. mandibularis by having an impression on the pronotum and long hairs on the abdominal ventrites, but differs in color pattern. The endophallus is similar to those of M. gracilipes and M. mandibularis , but differs from M. gracilipes by the more slender spiculae ( Figs. 17, 18 ) and from M. mandibularis by the inward curved, exterior spiculae ( Fig. 18 ) compared with anterior curved, exterior spiculae ( Fig. 16 ).

Description. L e n g t h: M a l e s 3.8 –4.4 m m (mean = 4.1 mm; n = 6); females: 4.3–5.1 mm (mean = 4.8 mm; n = 6). Color ( Figs. 3, 4 ): Dark yellowish brown; antenna apically darkened; pro-, meso, and metasterna, and metepisternum black; tarsi and apex of abdominal sternite V darkened. Antenna ( Fig. 28): Long, about 0.9X body length; antennomeres IV–X about 5.4 times longer than broad at apex; length ratio of antennomeres II to III 0.92–1.09 (mean = 1.00); length ratio of antennomeres III to IV 0.40–0.45 (mean = 0.42) ( Fig. 27) in males, 0.45–0.54 (mean = 0.49) in females. Thorax: Pronotal length to width 0.70– 0.74 (mean = 0.72); maximal width of elytra to length of elytra 0.57–0.64 (mean = 0.61). Length of basi-metatarsus to metatibia 0.43–0.51 (mean = 0.47). Abdomen: Sternites with dense long hairs. Male genitalia ( Fig. 11 ): Median lobe ( Figs. 24–26) broad, sub-parallel; apex slightly emarginated; tectum wide and short, about 0.5X as long as median lobe; ventral surface weakly sclerotized at apex and middle; endophallus ( Fig. 18 ) similar to M. gracilipes ( Fig. 17 ), but lateral spiculae more slender.

Female. Antenna relatively shorter ( Fig. 29), about 0.7X length of body. Spermathecal cornu ( Fig. 30) slender, dorsally flattened; middle part long, apically and strongly curved, slightly widened near cornu; nodulus spherical, large; proximal spermathecal duct long, widest near nodulus, tightly coiled. Dorsal part of bursa-sclerites ( Fig. 32) with teeth at outer margin of apical 1/3, extending into middle of dorsal surface, basally widened; ventral part ( Fig. 31) slender, with one row of teeth along outer margin.

Color Variation. In a few specimens, the thoracic sterna remain yellowish brown ( Fig. 5 ). In other specimens, black spots extend into the middle of the abdominal sternites ( Fig. 6 ).

Distribution ( Fig. 23 ). Monolepta meihuai is found at 1,000 –2,500 m elevation in Hinchu, Hualien, Ilan, Nantou and Taichung counties. It is sympatric with M. mandibularis over much of its range.

Type Series (372 specimens). H o l o t y p e ♂: “ Taiwan: Nantou (county), Tatachia , 21.IX.2009, leg. C.-F. Lee ” ( TARI); paratypes : 20♂♂, 18♀♀, same data as holotype ( TARI) ; 3♂♂, 6♀♀, but with “leg. M.-H. Tsou ” ( USNM) ; 7♂♂, 9♀♀,

same locality, 30.X.2009, leg. C.-F. Lee ( TARI); 3♂♂ , but with “ 17.XI.2009 ” ( TARI); 1♀ , same locality, 05.X.2008, leg. M.-H. Tsao (= Tsou) ( TARI); 1♀ , Hsinchu county, Mamei , 04.V.2008, leg. M.-H. Tsao ( TARI); 1♂, 1♀ , but with “ 18.V.2008 ”; 4♀♀ , Hualien county, Tayuling , 12-15.IX.1980, leg. K.S. Lin & C.H. Wang ( TARI); 8♂♂, 7♀♀ , same locality, 6-9.IX.1983, leg. L.Y. Chou & K.C. Chou ( TARI); 1♀ , Ilan county, Ssuchi , 07.VII.2009, leg. H.-J. Chen ( TARI); 1♀ , Ilan county, Ssuyuan , 31.VII.2009, leg. H.-J. Chen ( TARI); 17♂♂, 11♀♀ , Ilan county, Taipingshan , 26-28.VII.1983, leg. L.Y. Chou ( TARI); 2♀♀ , same locality, 19.VI.2008, leg. S.-F. Yu ( TARI); 1♂ , Ilan county, Tsuifenghu , 30.V.2009, leg. H.-J. Chen ( TARI); 1♂ , Nantou county, Meifeng , 20-22.VI.1979, leg. K.S. Lin & B.H. Chen ( TARI); 1♀ , same locality, 25-27.VIII.1980, leg. K.S. Lin & C.H. Wang ( TARI); 8♀♀ , but with “ 26.VIII.1980 ” ( TARI); 15♀♀ , same locality, 5-9.X.1980, leg. C.C. Chen & C.C. Chien ( TARI); 9♂♂, 16♀♀ , same locality, 28-29.VIII.1981, leg. L.Y. Chou & S.C. Lin ( TARI); 1♂, 8♀♀ , same locality, 7.XI.1981, leg. S.C. Lin, & W.S. Tang ( TARI); 1♀ , same locality, 15.VII.1982, leg. S.C. Lin & C.N. Lin ( TARI); 2♂♂, 4♀♀ , same locality, 31.VIII-2.IX.1982, leg. L.Y. Chou & K.C. Chou ( TARI); 1♂, 11♀♀ , same locality, 4-7.X.1982, leg. K.C. Chou ( TARI); 1♀ , same locality, 30.VII.1983, leg. L.Y. Chou ( TARI); 1♂, 1♀ , Nantou county, Sungkang , 6.VIII.1984, leg. K.S. Lin ( TARI); 3♂♂, 4♀♀ , same locality, 15-17.VIII.1984, leg. K.C. Chou ( TARI); 4♂♂, 8♀♀ , same locality, 13-15.IX.1984, leg. K.S. Lin & S.C. Lin ( TARI); 112♂♂, 17♀♀ , Nantou county, Tsuifeng , 1-3.VIII.1981, leg. T. Lin & W.S. Tang ( TARI); 5♂♂, 5♀♀ , same locality, 27.VIII.1981, leg. L.Y. Chou & S.C. Lin ( TARI); 1♂, 3♀♀ , same locality, 8.XI.1981, leg. S.C. Lin & W.S. Tang ( TARI); 11♂♂, 6♀♀ , same locality, 1-3.IX.1982, leg. L.Y. Chou & K.C. Chou ( TARI); 1♀ , same locality, 6.X.1982, leg. K.C. Chou ( TARI); 6♂♂ , same locality, 5.VIII.1984, leg. K.S. Lin ( TARI); 6♂♂, 5♀♀ , same locality, 15-16.VIII.1984, leg. K.C. Chou ( TARI); 34♂♂, 25♀♀ , same locality 12-14.IX.1984, leg. K.S. Lin & S.C. Lin ( TARI); 2♀♀ , Nantou county, Tungpu , 25-29.IX.1980, leg. L.Y. Chou & T. Lin ( TARI); ♂ , same locality, 18-23.XI.1981, leg. T. Lin & W.S. Tang ( TARI); 2♂♂, 1♀ , same locality, 20-24.VI.1983, leg. K.C. Chou & C.Y. Wong ( TARI); 1♀ , Nantou county, Wushe , 30.VIII-2.IX.1982, leg. L.Y. Chou & K.C. Chou ( TARI); 1♀ , Taichung county, Wuling , 01.VII.2008, leg. M.-H. Tsao ( TARI); 8♂♂ , Taitung county, Motien , 24.VI.2010, leg. M.-H. Tsou ( TARI) .

Etymology. This new species is named after Mr. Mei-Hua Tsou who collected part of the type series.

Host plant. Leaves of A. formosana .

Note. New leaves of the host plant start to grow in the spring. Adults of this new species appear almost at the same time (from May to November) ( Fig. 21 ).

Remarks. The key to species of Monolepta of mainland China is based primarily on color pattern (Gressitt and Kimoto 1963). Monolepta mandibularis is similar to Monolepta mordelloides Chen , but differs by the dark brown legs. Monolepta meihuai is similar to Monolepta pallidula (Baly) with the yellowish brown color but differs by the darkened apex of abdominal ventrite V and the black thoracic sterna. Monolepta ongi Lee and Staineswas recently described from Taiwan (Lee and Staines 2010) and keys to couplet 18 in Kimoto and Takizawa (1997). Couplet 18 should be amended as follows and a new couplet 29 needs to be added:

18(17) Male elytra deeply concave little behind scutellum; female elytron with a shallow depression a little behind scutellum........ ....................................... M. bicavipennis

- Elytron flat behind scutellum..............29

29(18) Dark brown with elytra yellowish brown ..................................... M. mandibularis

- Yellowish-brown except for pro-, meso-, and metasterna, and apex of abdomen black ..................................... M. meihuai

Figures

Figs. 16–18. Spiculae of endophallus of Monolepta spp. 16) M. mandibularis; 17) M. gracilipes; 18) M. meihuai.

Figs. 1–6. Dorsal and ventral habiti of Monolepta spp. 1) M. mandibularis, dorsal view; 2) M. mandibularis, ventral view; 3) M. meihuai, dorsal view; 4) M. meihuai, ventral view; 5–6) M. meihuai, color variations.

Figs. 7–15. Monolepta mandibularis. 7) Median lobe, dorsal view; 8) Median lobe, lateral view; 9) Median lobe, ventral view; 10) Male antennomeres I-IV; 11) Male antenna; 12) Female antenna; 13) Ventral bursa-sclerites; 14) Spermatheca; 15) Dorsal bursa-sclerites. Figs. 7–9 drawn to same scale; Figs. 11 and 12 drawn to same scale.

Figs. 22–23. Distribution maps. 22) Monolepta mandibularis; 23) Monolepta meihuai.

Figs. 19–21. Field observations. 19–20) Monolepta mandibularis; 21) Monolepta meihuai.