Chrysolina melchiori, Tang & Zhang & Guo & Luo & Jiang & Pan, 2023

Tang, Jin, Zhang, Gongaote, Guo, Junqi, Luo, Lingxuan, Jiang, Jiamei & Pan, Hongbo, 2023, Three Amazing New Species Of The Genus Chrysolina (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Chrysomelinae) From China, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 69 (3), pp. 199-211 : 205-207

Chrysolina melchiori sp. n.

http://zoobank.org/ 248B4A44-1C1D-4EF6-83AA-DD1C5EF60C90 ( Figs 1C, F ; 2B ; 3B, F , 5 )

Material examined: Holotype: China, Yunnan Province, Laojunshan , watershed Yushi & Chongjiang rivers, 26°39’22” N / 99°41’03” E, H= 4020 m, 22.VI.2014, I. Belousov, I. Kabak leg.: male ( ZIN); with red holotype label . Paratypes: the same label as holotype: 1 female ( ZIN), 2 males (PRC); China, Yunnan Province, Laojunshan , lake, sources river near Xishi- yan, 26°39’15” N / 99°41’60” E, H= 3935 m, 23.VI.2014, I. Belousov, I. Kabak leg.: 1 male ( ABC); with red paratype labels .

Description. Male (holotype). Body oval, 1.5× as long as wide, convex. Dorsal side black with weak violet reflection, with narrow anterior, lateral and basal borders of pronotum and lateral border of elytra dark blue. Antennae blue with antennomeres 1 and 2 rufous below apically. Maxillary palpi, underside, and legs dark blue. Head and pronotum dull, strongly reticulate and obsoletely micropunctulate (punctures about 0.015 mm wide); elytra smooth with strongly reticulated large funnels bearing puncture at the bottom.

Last maxillary palpomere barrel-shaped, broader apically than basally, 1.2× as long as wide, 1.3× longer and 1.1× wider than penultimate one.

Antennal insertion 3.0× closer to clypeus than to eye.

Pronotum broadest before base, with lateral sides rounded, much more convergent anteriorly than posteriorly. Lateral callus hardly convex, almost absent, not separated from disc, lateral impression absent. Pronotum covered by dense, fine punctures (about 0.02 mm wide). Pronotum marginated and ciliate anteriorly. Setiferous pores at anterior angles absent.

Prothoracic hypomeron weakly convex, laterally with weak impression covered with obsolete wrinkles, without lateral border. Basal fold of prothoracic hypomeron absent.

Metasternum marginated anteriorly.

Elytron without humeral callus. Elytral punctures entirely irregular. Punctures fine (0.03 mm wide), numerous, each placed at the bottom of large strongly reticulated funnel (0.2–0.3 mm wide). Due to the presence of dense funnels and slightly convex intervals, elytral surface appears slightly wrinkled. Distinct sutural stria developed at apical slope. Elytral epipleuron inclined outside, visible along entire length in lateral view, with setae at apex.

Hind wings absent.

Tarsomeres 1–3 with entire sole, distinctly broadened, especially fore- and mid-tarsomeres 1 and 3 and hind-tarsomere 1. Claw tarsomere without denticles beneath.

Pygidium with longitudinal impression in basal ½ and convex, without impression in apical 1/2.

Last abdominal sternite evenly convex, broadly truncate apically.

Aedeagus strongly arcuate, flattened, with apical margin truncate and slightly emarginate. Flagellum simple, narrow, whip-shaped, exposed.

Body length 7.9 mm.

Variability. Paratypes: male 8.2 mm, female 9.3 mm long; female with tarsomeres 1–3 narrow, with entire sole, with last maxillary palpomere 1.4× as long as wide, as long as penultimate one, 1.1× broader than latter.

Differential diagnosis. Relief of elytral surface (strongly reticulated irregular funnels bearing a puncture at the bottom, separated by smooth intervals) makes this species unique in the genus Chrysolina . Without taking it into account, a combination of the following features is nearly unique in the genus Chrysolina : dorsum entirely black with metallic reflection, last maxillary palpomere 1.2–1.4× as long as wide, pronotal lateral callus hardly convex, pronotal lateral impression and large punctures absent, setiferous pore at pronotal anterior angles absent, prothoracic basal fold absent, prothoracic hypomeron without deep lateral impression and without lateral border, elytral puncturation entirely irregular, hind wings absent, tarsomeres 1–3 with entire sole in both sexes, broadened in male, pygidium without impression in apical part, male last abdominal sternite simple.

Only representatives of the subgenus Ch. ( Medvedevlevna ) Özdikmen, 2008, inhabiting Sichuan and Gansu Provinces, share most of these characters, except for the following: elytral punctures some larger and much denser, without funnels. Besides that, Ch. ( Medvedevlevna ) members have aedeagus much larger (about 4 mm long and 0.5× as long as total body length, while the new species has aedeagus 1.7 mm long and 0.2× as long as total body length) and bearing large spoon-shaped apical lobe ( BIEŃKOWSKI 2019). Due to these differences, I do not include the new species in the subgenus Ch. ( Medvedevlevna ).

Landscape in type locality: upper forest with patches of meadows and screes (I. I. Kabak, personal communication).

Etymology. The new species is named in honor of biblical Magian Melchior, is due to the fact that the article was being prepared before Christmas and New Year.

Figures

Fig. 1. Chrysolina species. A–C = male aedeagus, dorsal and lateral view: A = Ch. caspari sp. n., holotype; B = Ch. balthazari sp. n., holotype; C = Ch. melchiori sp. n., holotype. D = Ch. caspari sp. n., holotype, male, maxillary palpus. E–G = left side of pronotum, view from behind: E = Ch. caspari sp. n., holotype; F = Ch. melchiori sp. n., holotype; G = Ch. balthazari sp. n., holotype. H–K = Ch. pieli: H = female, total dorsal view; I = female, total lateral view; J = male aedeagus, dorsal and lateral view; K = female, maxillary palpus. After CHEN (1936): H, I, others original

Fig. 2. Chrysolina species, total dorsal view. A = Ch. caspari sp. n., holotype; B = Ch. melchiori sp. n., holotype; C = Ch. balthazari sp. n., holotype; D = Ch. jinxiaoae, paratype, male

Fig. 3. Chrysolina species. A–C = head and pronotum, dorsal view: A = Ch. caspari sp. n., holotype; B = Ch. melchiori sp. n., holotype; C = Ch. balthazari sp. n., holotype; D–F = male aedeagus, dorsal and lateral view: D = Ch. caspari sp. n., holotype; E = Ch. balthazari sp. n.,

Fig. 5. Chrysolina melchiori sp. n., holotype, relief of elytron