Menudos toronegro Linzmeier & Konstantinov, 2020

Linzmeier, Adelita M. & Konstantinov, Alexander S., 2020, Moss inhabiting flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) of the West Indies II: Menudos, a new genus from Puerto Rico and description of methods to collect moss inhabiting flea beetles, Zootaxa 4786 (1), pp. 1-22 : 12-18

Menudos toronegro Linzmeier & Konstantinov , new species

( Figs. 27–44 )

Description. Body length 1.89–2.33 mm, width 1.05–1.32 mm. Head and pronotum blackish. Elytra at base as dark as pronotum, lighter toward apex, apex orange. Front and middle legs, and hind tibiae whitish. Antennomeres 1 and 2, 5 and 6, and 10 and 11 whitish. Antennomeres 3 and 4, 7–9 brown. Venter dark brown, except last visible segment lighter. Pronotal pubescence yellowish laterally, darker in middle. Scutellum densely covered with silvery setae. Golden yellow elytral pubescence arranged with five abruptly bent transverse bands (first—basal, band reaches suture). Fifth band connect to golden yellow pubescence of elytral apex with wide longitudinal band along suture. In males bands narrower than in females. Hind femur with light and dark setae forming a pattern in which light setae make two wide perpendicular strips in middle and apex of femur. Supraorbital pore indistinct among other setiferous pores on vertex. Antennal calli slightly raised above surrounding surfaces, with few punctures. Supracallinal sulcus absent, however, there is a very shallow impression in its place. Similar impression in place of suprafrontal sulcus. Frontal and anterofrontal ridges slightly raised, with punctures. Extension of anterofrontal ridge towards labrum indistinct. Proportions of antennomere lengths in male: 15:7:10:7:7:7:9:8:9:10:11. Pronotum rectangular, 1.4 times wider than long. Punctures sparser on pronotal protuberances as between them. Elytral interspaces moderately convex, less so in between puncture rows 3 and 4. Elytral punctures on row 2 placed at distance from each other consistently throughout entire length of row. Punctures in rows 3 and 4 slightly confused. Epipleura nearly reaching elytral apex. Ventral thoracic surface covered with coarse punctures. Proportions of mesotarsomeres 8:5:9:14. Median lobe of aedeagus simple, dorsoventrally flattened; ventrally with slight longitudinal impression near apex, slightly curved sides, converging gradually towards apex; in ventral view apex forms barely distinct denticle, in lateral view slightly curved more so below middle with apex abruptly curved ventrally. Spermatheca abruptly curved, strongly and evenly sclerotized. Tignum generally straight with anterior end slightly narrower than posterior, rest of its surface moderately sclerotized. Vaginal palpi slender, fused anteriorly along one third of its length.

Diagnosis. Menudos toronegro can be easily differentiated from other species of Menudos by the following features: antennomeres 1 and 2, 5 and 6, and 10 and 11 whitish; antennomeres 3 and 4, 7–9 brown; golden yellow elytral pubescence arranged with 5 abruptly bent transverse bands (first—basal, band reaches suture); median lobe of aedeagus ventrally with lateral margins converging gradually towards apex, which forms barely distinct denticle.

Habitat. Menudos toronegro was collected on Toro Negro. Moss bearing tree was located about 10 meters away from side of the road that leads to the towers ( Fig. 56 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition based on the type locality.

Type material. Holotype male, with labels as follows: 1) Puerto Rico: Toro Negro , 1.IX.2014 / N18.09.47 W66.31.20/ h- 917m, WP-472 moss/ leg. A. Konstantinov; 2 ) Holotype Menudos toronegro des. A. M. Linzmeier & A. Konstantinov, 2020 ( USNM) . Paratypes, with the same labels as holotype, 2 males, 1 female ( USNM) .

Figures

FIGURE 56. Moss bearing tree, habitat of Menudos toronegro.

FIGURES 27–29. Menudos toronegro Linzmeier & Konstantinov, new species, holotype. 27, habitus, male, dorsal view. 28, habitus, male, lateral view. 29, frontal view, male.

FIGURES 30–38. Menudos toronegro Linzmeier & Konstantinov, new species. 30, antenna. 31, mesotergite. 32, meso- and metasternites. 33, metatergite. 34, hind leg. 35, hind tarsi. 36, middle leg. 37, metendosternite. 38, elytron.

FIGURES 39–44. Menudos toronegro Linzmeier and Konstantinov, new species. 39, abdomen, female, ventral view. 40, abdomen, male, ventral view. 41, median lobe of aedeagus, holotype (ventral, dorsal, and lateral views). 42, spermatheca. 43, tignum. 44, vaginal palpi.