Theopea mouhoti Baly, 1864

Lee, Chi-Feng & Bezdek, Jan, 2020, Revision of the Theopea genus group (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae), part III: Descriptions of two new genera and nine new species, ZooKeys 912, pp. 65-124 : 65

Theopea mouhoti Baly, 1864 Figs 1G-I , 4

Theopea mouhoti Baly, 1864: 238 (Thailand); Wilcox, 1973: 631 (catalogue); Kimoto, 1989: 200 (Laos); Staines & Staines, 1999: 522 (catalogue).

Types.

Holotype ♂ (NHMUK, by monotypy), labeled: "Type [p, w, circle label with red border] // Theopea / Mouhoti / Baly / Siam [h, g] // Baly Coll. [p, w]".

Other specimens examined.

CAMBODIA. 1♂ (NHMUK), Chautd; LAOS. Attapu: 5♂♂, 2♀♀ (NHMUK), Bolaven Plateau, 15 km SE of Ban Huangkong, Nong Lom (Lake) env., 15°02'N 106°35'E, 800 m, 18-30.IV.1999, leg. E. Jendek and O. Šauša; Boli Kham Xai: 1♂, 3♀♀ (RBCN), Ban Nok env., 18°08.7'N 104°28.1'E, Route no 8, 220 m, 9-14.V.1998, leg. E. Jendek, and O. Šauša; Champasak: 4♀♀ (NHMB), Ban Nong Panouan env., 15°02'N 106°31-34'E, 770-800 m, leg. M. Geiser and D. Hauck; Khammouane: 2♂♂, 8♀♀ (NHMB), Ban Khoun Ngeun, 18°07'N 104°29'E, 200 m, 24-29.IV.2001, leg. Pacholátko; Vientiane: 1♂ (ZSM), III.-VI.1963 (identified by Kimoto (1989); THAILAND. 4♂♂ (NHMUK); Loei: 1♀ (RBCN), Phu Rua N.P., 17°30'N 101°21'E, 6-9.IV.1999, leg. M. Říha.

Redescription.

Length 6.5-8.0 mm, width 2.4-3.1 mm. Body color (Fig. 1G-I ) reddish brown; meso- and metathoracic ventrites, abdomen, and legs dark brown or blackish brown; antenna black but antennomere XI reddish brown. Antennae filiform in males, but antennomere VI-VIII moderately swollen (Fig. 4A ), length ratios of antennomeres I-XI 1.0: 0.3: 0.7: 0.9: 1.0: 1.0: 1.0: 1.0: 0.9: 0.8: 1.1, length to width ratios of antennomeres I-XI 3.3: 1.5: 2.8: 3.1: 3.1: 2.8: 2.6: 2.6: 3.0: 3.0: 4.5; filiform in females (Fig. 4B ), length ratios of antennomeres I-XI 1.0: 0.3: 0.7: 0.9: 0.9: 0.9: 0.9: 0.9: 0.8: 0.8: 1.0, length to width ratios of antennomeres I-XI 3.2: 1.5: 2.8: 3.7: 3.6: 3.6: 3.6: 3.5: 3.8: 3.9: 4.6. Elytra elongate, parallel-sided, 1.8-2.0 × longer than wide; disc with dense, coarse punctures, arranged into longitudinal rows, with one distinct longitudinal ridge between two longitudinal rows of punctures. Tarsomeres I of front legs swollen in males; subparallel in females. Aedeagus (Fig. 4C-E ) slender, 8.4 × longer than wide; sides widest at middle, gradually narrowed towards basal 1/4, moderately and apically narrowed, apex with shallow notch; tectum well sclerotized, basally broadened, broader than aedeagus, with hollow area behind base of tectum; moderately curved in lateral view; ventral surface with deep notch from near apex, apically extending into basal opening, more approximate in apical 1/5; triangular sclerites small; internal sac with one median, elongate sclerite, 0.5 × as long as aedeagus, apically tapering from basal 1/3, apex acute, connected by short, broad sclerite at base; with one pair of elongate, longitudinal rows of stout setae, and one pair of short, longitudinal rows of stout setae dorsally and basally. Gonocoxae (Fig. 4H ) elongate, widest at apical 1/9, both gonocoxae combined from basal 1/7 to apical 1/7; apices narrowly rounded, each gonocoxa with eight setae along lateral margin from apex to apical 1/6; with one pair of short lateral processes at basal 2/5. Ventrite VIII (Fig. 4G ) elongate and well sclerotized; disc with several long setae at sides and near apical margin, and with dense, short setae along apical margin; spiculum extremely slender. Receptacle of spermatheca (Fig. 4I ) strongly swollen; pump slender and strongly curved; proximal spermathecal duct deeply inserted into receptacle, narrow and short.

Variations.

Males of Laos have apically tapering and truncate apex of aedeagus and its ventral surface have median notch not extending into basal opening (Fig. 4F ).

Diagnosis.

Theopea mouhoti Baly, T. bicolor Kimoto, and T. bicoloroides sp. nov. are characterized by their reddish brown elytra. Theopea mouhoti (Fig. 1G-I ) can be easily separately from Theopea bicolor and T. bicoloroides sp. nov. (Fig. 1A-F ) by the reddish brown head, prothorax, and scutellum, and distinct and convex ridges on the elytra. Further, males of T. mouhoti have median elongate internal aedeagal sclerites without transverse rows of hair-like setae (Fig. 4C, D ). This differs from those of T. bicolor and T. bicoloroides sp. nov., which possess a median elongate internal aedeagal sclerite with hair-like setae in transverse rows (Figs 2C, D ; 3C, D ).

Distribution.

Cambodia, Laos, Thailand.

Figures

Figure 1. Habitus of Theopea bicolor, T. bicoloroides sp. nov., and T. mouhoti. A T. bicolor, male, dorsal view B Same, ventral view C T. bicolor, female, dorsal view D T. bicoloroides sp. nov., male, dorsal view E Same, ventral view F T. bicoloroides sp. nov., female, dorsal view G T. mouhoti, male H Same, ventral view I T. mouhoti, female, dorsal view.

Figure 2. Diagnostic characters of Theopea bicolor. A Antenna, male B Antenna, female C Aedeagus, dorsal view D Aedeagus, lateral view E Aedeagus, ventral view F Abdominal ventrite VIII G Gonocoxae H Spermatheca.

Figure 3. Diagnostic characters of Theopea bicoloroides sp. nov. A Antenna, male B Antenna, female C Aedeagus, dorsal view D Aedeagus, lateral view E Aedeagus, ventral view F Abdominal ventrite VIII G Gonocoxae H Spermatheca.

Figure 4. Diagnostic characters of Theopea mouhoti. A Antenna, male B Antenna, female C Aedeagus, dorsal view D Same, lateral view E Same, ventral view F Aedeagus, variation, ventral view G Abdominal ventrite VIII H Gonocoxae I Spermatheca.