Menippus nepalensis, Lee, Chi-Feng, Bezdĕk, Jan & Suenaga, Haruki, 2012

Lee, Chi-Feng, Bezdĕk, Jan & Suenaga, Haruki, 2012, Revision of Menippus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae) of Taiwan and Menippus dimidiaticornis species group with a new generic synonymy, Zootaxa 3427, pp. 1-16 : 11-12

Menippus nepalensis , new species

( Fig. 16 )

Male. Length 9.5 mm. Color: yellowish-brown; antennomeres III–XI apically darkened, apex of tibia, and tarsi darkened. Sculpture: head, pronotum and elytra with small, extremely dense punctures. Antenna short, reaching mid-point of body, all antennomeres elongate, relative length of antennomeres II–XI about 1.0: 1.6: 2.0: 1.9: 1.8: 1.8: 1.6: 1.7: 1.6: 2.0. Pronotum widest at apical 1/3, gradually narrowed towards base; pronotal disc with a pair of circular depressions, with shallow depression medially, and transverse depression along hind margin laterally; hind margin slightly medially and laterally concave. Prosternal process reduced to a sharp keel between coxae, parallel-sided from base to apex; procoxal cavities almost closed, long thin hypomeral lobes almost reaching apex of posternal process. Elytra elongate, about 1.6X longer than wide, dorsally flat. Apex of last ventrite with a deep concave excision. Penis extremely wide and weakly curved in lateral view, with abruptly constricted straight tip ( Fig. 16 a), in dorsal view apex wide, slightly mucronate, extremely asymmetric; gonopore directed laterally ( Fig. 16 b). Apex of endophallic sclerite curved, with dense short teeth on apical margin ( Fig. 16 b).

Diagnosis. Menippus nepalensi s sp. nov. is similar to M. gressitti sp. nov. with the asymmetric penis and the toothed apex of the endophallic sclerite ( Figs 12 b, 16b) but differs with relatively wider penis in lateral view ( Fig. 16 a) compared to the latter ( Fig. 12 a).

Types. Holotype ♂: NEPAL, Dhawalagiri Myagdi District, Kali-Gandaki-Khola Tatopani , 1100–1400 m, 14–17.VI.1986 ( NMPC).

Distribution. Nepal (Dhawalagiri Myagdi District). Only known from the type locality.

Etymology. This new species is named after the type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 9 – 17. Male genitalia of Menippus species. a: lateral view; b: dorsal view. 9. M. asahinai; 10. M. beeneni; 11. M. dimidiaticornis; 12. M. gressitti; 13. M. hsuehleeae; 14. M. issikii; 15. M. murzini; 16. M. nepalensis; 17. M. sericea.