Metallactus kollari ( Perty, 1832 )

Sassi, Davide, 2018, Revision of the Metallactus kollari species-group with a new diagnosis of the genus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cryptocephalinae), Zootaxa 4413 (1), pp. 57-110 : 67-68

Metallactus kollari ( Perty, 1832)

( Figs 3 ; 28 )

Cryptocephalus Kollari Perty, 1832: 104 .

Metallactus kollari Suffrian, 1866: 360 ; Clavareau, 1913: 93; Blackwelder, 1946: 641.

Type material. Four syntypes are housed in the collection of ZSM, all of them are females. The type designations have been made as follows. LECTOTYPE: ♀, // [blank rounded blue label] // “Brasilia M. Kollari Perty” [white label, handwritten] // “ Metallactus kollari Perty, 1832 LECTOTYPUS D. Sassi des.” [red label, printed] //. The lectotype was chosen among the type series' specimens because it matches the original description in the best way (“... macula postica communi nigris”). PARALECTOTYPES: 1♀, // [empty rounded blue label] // “Type 2-3” [white label, printed] // “ Holotypus Cryptocephalus Kollari Perty det Dr G. Scherer 1981” [white label, partly handwritten] //; 1♀, //[empty rounded blue label] //; 1♀, // “2. Brasil C. Kollari Pty” [white label, handwritten] // “ Paratypus Zool Statssammlg. München” [red label, printed] //. All the paralectotypes are labelled as //” Metallactus kollari Perty, 1832 PARALECTOTYPUS D. Sassi des.” [red label, printed] //.

Type locality. Sebastianopolis do Sul (São Paulo, Brazil) .

Further material examined. BRAZIL: Jatahy, Etat de Goyaz [Jataí, Goiás] ( NHMP, 4 ex.); Brasilien, Jatahy (1, MNHUB) ; Jatahy, Etat de Goyaz, Ch Pujol 1898 F. Monrós Collection 1959 (1, USNMNH) ; Jatahy, Etat de Goyaz , Ch Pujol 1898 (1, MHNH) ; Mineiro Goyaz, Bresil (1, NHMP) ; Banananeiras, Goyaz , 10.938 (2, USNMNH) ; Brazil, Minas Uberaba, Minas Geraes , coll. LeMoult (2, FSCA) ; Ypanema, Brasilien , Natterer (1, NMW) “ Brazil ” (4, USNMNH, NMV) . PARAGUAY: Estancia Garay Cué , Conception (1, DSPC) ; Asuncion (1, MSNG) ; Région d'Asuncion Gosset 1900 (1, MHNH) ; Villarrica , I 1936, ex. Coll. Monrós (1, USNMNH) ; Villarrica , 26.11.45, leg. Schade (1, Monaco); San Bernardino, K Friebrig coll. (1, USNMNH) .

Distribution. Brazil, Paraguay. New to Paraguay.

Diagnosis. A Metallactus of large size, easily diagnosable because of the shape of the endophallus. Endophallus is particularly remarkable and unique within the species-group above all for the shape of sclerite III. Great size of sclerite I is also quite unusual. The black pattern on pronotum is also distinctive, being the posterior margin completely darkened in almost all the examined specimens, with the exception of the lateral angles which are yellow. Only M. spilotus has pronotal posterior margin extensively black, but it differs in the completely different elytral pattern and in the pronotal shape, which is elliptical and more transverse. In all the other related species pronotal posterior margin is yellow or almost completely yellow. For the size and general habitus, it is close to Metallactus albipes , from which it differs in the dorsal color pattern and in the strongly lengthened and thinned apex of the sclerite III, springing up in an unusual way from ostium. A thick, silvery setosity covering most of ventrites is also a distinctive trait, shared with M. longicornis only.

Description of male. BL = 6.0– 6.4 mm, BW = 3.8–4.0 mm, PL = 2.0 mm, PW = 3.2–3.6 mm. Interocular distance 13.3–14.2 % of BL.

Head black, with a yellow rounded spot between eyes. In some specimens spot between eyes more developed, subquadrate, with a branch extending on either side to the canthus of eye. Labrum yellowish or blackish with lighter outline. Surface with short and sparse setosity, in particular close to canthus of eyes and vertex, covered by moderately impressed punctures, more scattered on vertex. Frons with a fairly impressed longitudinal groove. Ocular lines apparent, well impressed and punctuated. First five antennomeres yellowish, the subsequent darkened, rather dull and more diffusedly setose.

Pronotum black, with lateral margins, external part of anterior margin and a median anterior squared spot yellow. In some dark coloured specimens margins are entirely black, but the squared spot is almost always perceivable even if reduced. Pronotal surface moderately convex, lateral margins slim, not entirely visible at the same time from above, regularly convergent towards anterior region. Posterior margin slightly raised on sides, bordering a faint, barely perceptible impression on each side of pronotal surface. Surface moderately shiny, covered by diffuse shallow and irregular punctation. Disc less densely punctate.

Scutellum black, dull, distinctly raised with truncate apex. Surface minutely punctated and covered by whitish setae.

Elytra yellow with three transverse black stripes not reaching the lateral margin. First stripe wavy on its anterior margin and longitudinally expanded on lateral end. Third stripe short, obliquely arranged. In paler specimens black stripes become smaller and disconnected to completely obliterated. In darker specimens stripes are longitudinally confluent giving rise to an almost entirely black pattern. Parallel-sided, base and middle equally wide, regularly convex, with slight impressions on both sides of scutellum and internally to humeral calli. Surface moderately shiny, punctures small and fine, partly arranged in almost regular rows disappearing in elytral apex, in anterior half fairly denser and more impressed than towards the back. Surface of intervals smooth.

Pygidium totally black, densely setose on proximal third, with surface of distal half almost bare, moderately shiny and covered by scattered irregularly arranged punctures.

Inferior parts entirely blackish, covered by dense silvery setae. Prosternal process broad with surface covered by long and whitish setae, longitudinally sulcate. Apex of prosternal process triangular with sides clearly concave and a blunt, slightly raised denticle on the top. In some specimens prosternal process narrower, less clearly impressed in middle, less triangular towards apex and lacking a true apical denticle. Legs black, covered by thick silvery setae.

Fifth abdominal ventrite with shallow bare subrectangular and lustrous depression and posterior margin fairly notched. Median lobe of aedeagus ( Fig. 3 c-e) subcylindrical, with apex slightly bent ventrally on the tip, with no hint of lateral thickenings. Hairy dents large, triangular, barely delimited, in ventral view extended to about half length of aedeagal surface. Setae on hairy dents rather long, fine, dense and fairly curly. Aedeagal ventral surface smooth. The long and slender apex of sclerite III conspicuously protruding through ostium.

Endophallus ( Figs 3 f–g) with sclerite I highly developed, large, fully and strongly pigmented, with robust denticle and elongated, large, laminar and well-pigmented dorsal spicule. Sclerite II relatively thin, short and barely arcuate. Sclerite III highly simplified, even in the basal part, with a characteristic long, narrow arch. Branches of sclerite IV evenly thickened and sinuate, covered by tiny oblique wrinkles and a slightly asymmetrical obtuse apex.

Female. Habitus in Figs 3 a–b (LT). BL = 6.7–7.7 mm, BW = 4.0– 4.6 mm, PL = 2.0– 2.3 mm, PW = 3.6–4.2 mm. Interocular distance 15.7–16.3 % of BL.

Fifth abdominal ventrite in females with very deep bowl-shaped pit profoundly sunken under fourth and third visible ventrites. Spermatheca ( Fig. 3h ) U-shaped, barely pigmented. Apical and basal branches of spermatheca subequal in length. Basal part not swollen, with insertions of gland and duct rather squat and placed dorsally. Duct long, rather robust, slender and coiled, coils rather loose and somewhat irregularly arranged. Insertion on bursa copulatrix not enlarged but shortly sclerotized and pigmented. Rectal apparatus ( Fig. 3 k–m) with dorsal sclerites not projected laterally beyond rectus, narrow, tapered towards median line. Apodemes quite large, hyaline, bent upwards and leaning against rectum, thus barely visible from above. Ventral sclerite large, ribbon-like, not tapered on sides, less pigmented in middle, with large, rounded, crenulate apodemes wider than rectum.

Figures

FIGURES 3–4. M. kollari (3), M. albipes (4). 3a–b: habitus; 3c–e: median lobe of aedeagus in ventral (c), dorsal (d) and lateral (e) view [1.4 mm]; 3f: sclerites II–III–IV of endophallus [1.2 mm]; 3g: sclerite I and dorsal spicule of endophallus [0.8 mm]; 3h: spermatheca [0.9 mm]; 3k–m: rectal apparatus in dorsal (k) and ventral (m) view [1.3 mm]. 4a–b/a1: habitus; 4c–e: median lobe of aedeagus in ventral (c), dorsal (d) and lateral (e) view [1.1 mm]; 4f: sclerites II–III–IV of endophallus [0.8 mm]; 4f1: same of 4f in ventral view; 4g: sclerite I and dorsal spicule of endophallus [0.3 mm]; 4h: spermatheca [1.2 mm]; 4k–m: rectal apparatus in dorsal (k) and ventral (m) view [1.3 mm]. 3a–b: lectotype; 4a–b: lectotype. 4a1 paralectotype of M. nigrofasciatus n. syn. hd: hairy dent: scI–IV: sclerites I–IV of endophallus; ds: dorsal spicule; lt: lateral thickenings. Square brackets: length of scale segment.

FIGURES 20–28. Distribution maps for Metallactus kollari species-group. M. affinis (20); M. albifrons (21); M. albipes (22); M. bellatrix (23); M. bezoar (24); M. corruptus (25); M. dodecastictus (26); M. guarani (27); M. kollari (28). Grey squares: localities reported in a generic way.