Apraea luciae, Clark & Lillrose & Belo Neto, 2013

Clark, Shawn M., Lillrose, Tiffany & Belo Neto, Luiz A., 2013, Leaf Beetles of the Cayman Islands (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Insecta Mundi 2013 (279), pp. 1-41 : 18-19

Apraea luciae , new species

( Figures 10, 34, 43)

Diagnosis. The hind femora of this species are greatly enlarged, the large eyes are narrowly separated dorsally by a distance about equal to the width of the basal antennomere, and the rather coarse pronotal punctures are similar in size and density to those of the elytra. This combination of characters is not found in any other species of Chrysomelidae known from the Cayman Islands. Compared with A. priscilae (the only other species of the genus known from the Cayman Islands), the body is larger (4.3-5.2 mm, as opposed to 3.4-3.7 mm long), the color is dark brown instead of yellowish brown with dark elytral markings, the pronotal punctation is much denser and coarser, and the elytral punctation is coarser and arranged in rows only laterally and distally. Beyond the Cayman Islands, the large size, narrowly separated eyes, dark brown color, and confusedly punctate yet hardly costate elytra distinguish A. luciae from all other described species in the genus.

Description of male. Body oval, dorsally glabrous; color dark brown; dorsal punctures deep, largely confused, with some of those on elytra tending to form poorly defined rows. Length 4.3 mm; width across humeri 2.3 mm.

Head with eyes large, dorsally separated by slightly less than width of antennomere 1, separated by a distance about 0.1 times maximum width of head; color dark brown; longitudinal, distinctly elevated ridge present between eyes; frontal tubercles small, triangular; frontal ridge flat, narrow between antennae, broadly, triangularly expanded beyond antennae, with expanded area glabrous except distally; clypeal area shining, reflexed beyond level of frons, armed with transverse row of setae. Antennae pale brown, slender, extending to near middle of elytra, composed of eleven antennomeres; antennomere 1 elongate, curved, largely glabrous; antennomere 2 short, slightly longer than wide, largely glabrous; antennomeres 3-11 densely setose, subequal in length to each other, though antennomere 3 shorter and antennomere 11 longer than others. Labrum brown, slightly paler than frons, with four setae arranged in transverse row, with apical margin slightly bisinuate, therefore vaguely trilobed; mandibles piceous; maxillary and labial palpi pale yellow-brown.

Pronotum 2.1 times as wide as long, 1.8 times as wide as head across eyes, nearly as wide as elytra at humeri; anterior margin with fine bead; lateral margins arcuate, each with well-defined carina; posterior margin bisinuate, with well-defined but fine bead; discal punctures coarse; interspaces appearing polished but upon close inspection vaguely alutaceous; color dark brown. Scutellum subtriangular, dark brown, in some specimens darker in lateral and posterior areas.

Elytra together 1.4 times as long as width at humeri, 3.5 times as long as pronotum. Punctation of each elytron largely confused but tending to form rows, especially in lateral and distal areas; punctures deeply impressed to apex; humeral area largely impunctate. Interpunctural areas appearing polished, but upon close inspection minutely punctulate and very slightly alutaceous. Color dark brown.

Ventral areas dark brown, similar in color to dorsum. Prothorax with hypomeron shining, glabrous; prosternum anterior to coxae short, about as long as width of antennomere 3; prosternal process between coxae about as wide as length of antennomere 3; procoxal cavities widely open behind. Ventral areas of mesothorax largely glabrous. Ventral areas of metathorax largely setose. Ventral areas of abdomen, pubescent, alutaceous; mesal area of last abdominal ventrite shallowly flattened, with dark brown fine mesal line, with apex of segment trilobed. Legs alutaceous, covered with setae, dark brown with tarsi paler; front and middle basitarsi distinctly broader than those of female; tarsal claws appendiculate. Aedeagus as in Figure 34.

Description of female. Form and appearance similar to male, but with differences as follow. Pronotum twice as wide as long, 1.8 times as wide as head across eyes, 0.9 times as wide as elytra across humeri. Elytra together about 1.5 times as long as wide at humeri, 3.6 times as long as pronotum. Front and middle basitarsi distinctly narrower than those of male. Tip of abdomen rounded or slightly angulate, not trilobed; last abdominal ventrite not flattened and without dark mesal line. Spermatheca as in Figure 43. Length 5.2 mm; width at humeri 2.6 mm.

Material examined. Holotype: “CAYMAN: Little Cayman. 3 km. SE Spot Bay, bl trap, 26 May 2009, Thomas, Turnbow & Ball” (male, FSCA) . Paratypes: Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, Hemmington Rd. , 8-VI-2008, M. C. Thomas, R. H. Turnbow, B. K. Dozier, blacklight trap (1 male, FSCA) ; Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, Hemmington Road at Songbird Drive , 24-V-2009, Thomas, Turnbow & Ball, blacklight trap (2 males, FSCA) ; Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, Major Donald Dr., 0.6 km E jct. Ashton Reid Dr. , 5-VI-2008, R. Turnbow (1 male, RHTC) ; Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, Major Donald Dr., 0.6 km E jct. Ashton Reid Dr. , 6-VI-2008, M. C. Thomas, R. H. Turnbow, B. K. Dozier, blacklight trap (2 females, FSCA) ; Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, Major Donald Dr., 0.6 km E jct. Ashton Reid Dr. , 7-VI-2008, R. Turnbow (1 female, RHTC) ; Cayman Islands, Little Cayman, North Coast Road , 0.1 km west Olivine Kirk Dr., 26-V-2009, Thomas, Turnbow & Ball, blacklight trap (4 males, 7 females, FSCA) ; Cayman Islands, Little Cayman, North Coast Rd., 0.1km W jct. Olivine Kirk Rd. , 27-V-2009, Thomas, Turnbow & Ball, bl trap (1 male, 1 female, BYUC; 3 males, 5 females, FSCA) ; Cayman Islands, Little Cayman , 0.3 km SE Spot Bay, 26-V-2009, Thomas, Turnbow & Ball, bl. trap (2 males, 1 female, BYUC; 8 males, 6 females, FSCA) .

Plant associations. Unknown.

Etymology. The species epithet of this taxon honors the mother of the third author.

Comments. This genus is endemic to the West Indies. No doubt, many species are yet to be described.