Liroetis coeruleipennis Weise, 1889

Bezděk, Jan, 2021, Redefinition of Liroetis, with descriptions of two new species and an annotated list of species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 61 (2), pp. 529-614 : 537-542

Liroetis coeruleipennis Weise, 1889

( Figs 9–13 , 28 , 33, 38 )

Liroëtis coeruleipennis Weise, 1889: 609 (original description).

Liroëtis coeruleipennis : Wൾංඌൾ (1924):128 (catalogue); OǤඅඈൻඅංඇ (1936): 211 (description), 405 (key).

Liroetis coeruleipennis : Gඋൾඌඌංඍඍ & Kංආඈඍඈ (1963): 532 (key); Kංආඈඍඈ (1965): 374 (faunistics); Kංආඈඍඈ & Hංඎඋൺ (1971): 16 (faunistics); Wංඅർඈඑ (1973): 476 (catalogue); Kංආඈඍඈ (1985): 8 (catalogue); Kංආඈඍඈ (1993): 95 (faunistics); Kංආඈඍඈ & Tൺĸංඓൺඐൺ (1994): 310 (noted); HൺඒൺඌIJං (2002): 115 (faunistics); Bൾൾඇൾඇ (2010): 478 (catalogue); TൺĸൺIJൺඌIJං (2012): 313 (faunistics).

Type locality. ‘Hagi, in Japan’.

Type material. Not examined.

Additional material examined. JAPAN: Oංඍൺ: Kamizue-cho, Shirakusa, 5.v.2013, 3 JJ 1 ♀, H. Suenaga leg. ( JBCB). Oĸൺඒൺආൺ: Chuka-mura, Maniwa-gun, 7.vii.1954, 1 ♀, M. Chûjô leg. ( NMPC).

Diagnosis. Colouration. Body, antennae and legs black, elytra metallic dark violet. Pronotum usually black, rarely brown or reddish-brown. Tibiae, tarsi and ventral side of body can be brownish.

Body length. JJ: 6.5–7.7 mm, ♀: 7.5 mm (J ♀: 7.0– 8.5 mm based on the original description).

Male ( Figs 9–12 ). Antennae 0.63 times as long as body. Pronotum moderately convex, 1.61 times as wide as long, lustrous, covered with fine punctures, anterior margin with complete narrow border ( Fig. 11 ). Middle part of posterior margin of abdominal ventrite IV obliquely impressed, with short V-shaped incision in middle. Last abdominal ventrite with longitudinal impression narrowed in middle part ( Fig. 12 ). Metatibial spur very short.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 28 ). Median lobe of aedeagus 3.81 times as long as wide; widest in basal half, slightly convergent in apical half, apex wide and moderately rounded, tip with subtriangular incision. Lateral view: median lobe of aedeagus straight in middle part; lateral elevation small, triangular, placed in apical sixth of aedeagus length. Dorsal process 6.10 times as long as wide, 0.86 times as long as median lobe of aedeagus; narrow, subparallel, slightly wider subapically. Lateral view: dorsal process very wide in apical half, with U-shaped apical incision forming two branches, dorsal branch shorter and wider, ventral branch narrow, longer, with apex turned up.

Female. Metatibial spur absent. Last abdominal ventrite with large semicircular excision. Sternite VIII oval, slightly convergent posteriorly, posterior margin with V-shaped median incision, surface with wide U-shaped impression along incision; tignum not developed ( Fig. 38 ). Spermatheca with subsphaerical nodulus, cornu widely C-shaped ( Fig. 33 ). Differential diagnosis. Liroetis coeruleipennis is very similar to L. nigricollis . Both species can be distinguished by body colouration which is violet blue in L. coeruleipennis and black with indistinct metallic tint in L. nigricollis . Dorsal process of aedeagus in lateral view has shallower incision between both branches in L. coeruleipennis and deeper incision in L. nigricollis ( Figs 28, 31 ). In lateral view, aedeagus of L. coeruleipennis is similar to that of L. coeruleus . Ventral branch of dorsal process of aedeagus is longer than dorsal branch in L. coeruleipennis but equal in length in L. coeruleus ( Figs 27–28 ).

Distribution. Japan (Wൾංඌൾ 1889, OǤඅඈൻඅංඇ 1936, Kංආඈ- ඍඈ 1965, Kංආඈඍඈ & Hංඎඋൺ 1971, Kංආඈඍඈ 1993, HൺඒൺඌIJං 2002, TൺĸൺIJൺඌIJං 2012, present paper).

Comments. Depository of type material is unkown to me, no reliable specimens found in MFNB and ZIN.

Figures

Figs 9–13. Liroetis coeruleipennis Weise, 1889. 9–12 – Male (7.5 mm). 9 – dorsal view; 10 – lateral view; 11 – head and pronotum; 12 – apex of abdomen. 13 – Female (7.6 mm), dorsal view.

Figs 26–31. Aedeagus of Liroetis, dorsal and lateral views. 26 – L. aeneipennis Weise, 1889; 27 – L. coeruleus (Jiang, 1990); 28 – L. coeruleipennis Weise, 1889; 29 – L. ephippiatus (Laboissière, 1930); 30 – L. leechi Jacoby, 1890; 31 – L. nigricollis (Jiang, 1990). Fig. 27 reproduced from JංൺඇǤ (1990). Scale 0.5 mm.

Figs 32–41. Spermatheca (Figs 32–36) and sternite VII (Figs 37–41) of Liroetis. 32, 37 – L. aeneipennis Weise, 1889; 33, 38 – L. coeruleipennis Weise, 1889; 34, 39 – L. ephippiatus (Laboissière, 1930); 35, 40 – L. leechi Jacoby, 1890; 36, 41 – L. nigricollis (Jiang, 1990). Scales 0.25 mm for Figs 32–36, 0.5 mm for Figs 37–41.