Gallerucida flaviventris (Baly)

Lee, Chi-Feng, 2017, The genus Gallerucida Motschulsky in Taiwan (Insecta, Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae), ZooKeys 723, pp. 121-151 : 129-133

Gallerucida flaviventris (Baly) Figs 4 A–C, 5

Eustetha flaviventris Baly, 1861: 296.

Galerucida [sic!] ( Eusthetha ) flaviventris : Weise 1924: 142 (catalogue).

Galerucida [sic!] flaviventris : Ogloblin 1936: 365 (redescription).

Gallerucida flaviventris : Gressitt and Kimoto 1963: 723 (China: Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang); Kimoto 1969: 68 (Taiwan); Wilcox 1971: 203 (catalogue); Kimoto 1989: 260 (Taiwan); Kimoto 1991: 17 (Taiwan); Kimoto and Chu 1996: 91 (catalogue); Kimoto and Takizawa 1997: 392 (catalogue); Beenen 2010: 459 (catalogue); Yang et al. 2015: 172 (catalogue); Lee et al. 2016: 96 (biology).

Sphenoraia chujoi Lee, 2014: 143. syn. n.

Type material.

Eustetha flaviventris . Lectotype ♀ (BMNH), here designated, labeled: "Type [p, w, circular label with red border] // Baly Coll. [p, w] // Eustetha / flaviventris / Baly / N. China [h, g]". Number of paralectotypes is uncertain.

Sphenoraia chujoi . Holotype ♂ (TARI): “Sôzan [h] [= Yangmingshan, 陽明山] / FORMOSA [p] / 25.X.1936 [h] / COL. M. CHUJO[p, w] // Holotypus / Sphenoraia chujoi / Lee, sp. nov. / det. C.-F. Lee, 2014 [p, r]". Paratypes: 3♀♀ (TARI): “Sôzan [h] / FORMOSA [p] / 25.X.1936 [h] / COL. M. CHUJO[p, w] // Paratypus / Sphenoraia chujoi / Lee, sp. nov. / det. C.-F. Lee, 2014 [p, pink label]"

Diagnosis.

Gallerucida flaviventris adults are similar to those of G. shirozui Chûjô and G. thoracica Jacoby in possessing metallic elytra, but are easily recognized by their metallic pronota (yellow brown pronota with black spots in other species).

Redescription.

See description of Sphenoraia chujoi Lee (2014).

Variation.

Specimens from China are uniformly metallic blue (Fig. 4C) but those from Taiwan are metallic green, bronze, or purple (Figs 4A, B, 5E, F).

Host plants.

Polygonaceae : Polygonatum odoratum Docuce var. pluriflorum Ohwi ( Yu et al. 1996); Vitaceae : Cayratia sp. ( Yu et al. 1996); Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Sieb. & Zucc.) Planch. ( Lee et al. 2016).

Biology.

Gallerucida flaviventris populations are presumably univoltine. The following life cycle information is based on our (TCRT) observations ( Lee et al. 2016). Females began to deposit an average of 80 eggs in single egg mass (Fig. 5A) during late March. Eggs hatched in 11 days. The larvae (Fig. 5B) fed on leaves and the larval duration was 14 days. Mature larvae (Fig. 5C) burrowed into soil and built underground chambers for pupation. Duration of the pupal stage (Fig. 5D) was 15-18 days. Newly emerged adults appeared during spring and were active (Fig. 5 E– 5F) during summer and autumn.

Remarks.

When Lee (2014) described Sphenoraia chujoi , the character of the metasternum was overlooked. This species is certainly attributed to Gallerucida flaviventris .

Other material examined.

CHINA. Anhui: 1♂ (CAS), Tung-Lu, 30.III.1926, leg. D. E. Wright; Fujian: 3♂♂ (TARI), Jiuxianshan [九仙山], 22.VI.2014; 1♂, 2♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 14.VI.2015; Guanxi: 1♂ (TARI), Dayaoshan [大瑤山], 16.IV.2016; Hong Kong: 1♀ (BMNH); Sichuan: 1♂ (CAS), Chang-Tau-Ching, 18.VII.1948, leg. Gressitt & Djou; Zhejiang: 1♂ (BPBM), Hangchow [= Hangzhou, 杭州], 2.VII.1924, leg. J. F. Illingworth; 2♂♂ (1♂: BPBM; 1♂: KMNH), same but with "3.IV.1924; TAIWAN. Taipei: 1♂, 2♀♀ (TARI), Lengshuikeng [冷水坑], 4-5.VII.2009, leg. J.-C. Chen; 1♀ (TARI), Mientienshan [面天山], 22.X.2011, leg. M.-H. Tsou; 31 exs., (TARI), Neishuanghsi [內雙溪], reared from eggs, 12-17.V.2010, leg. M.-H. Tsou; 3♂♂, 2♀♀ (TARI), Tatunhsi trail [大屯溪古道], 28.V.2013, leg. H. Lee; 1♀ (TARI), Tatunshan [大屯山], 26.V.2010, leg. S.-F. Yu; 1♂ (TARI), Tienhsiyuan [=天溪園], 8.V.2015, leg. H. Lee; 1♂ (TARI), Yangmingshan [陽明山], 6.X.2008, leg. J.-C. Chen; Taitung: 1♂, 3♀♀ (EUMJ), Luye (鹿野), 8.IV.2012, leg. Yamasako; Taoyuan: 1♂ (TARI), Hsuanhuan [萱源], 13.V.2010, leg. S.-F. Yu.

Distribution.

China, Taiwan.