Xenispa fouquei, Sekerka, 2017

Sekerka, Lukáš, 2017, Taxonomic changes within Imatidiini and Hybosispini (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 57 (2), pp. 351-380 : 371-372

Xenispa fouquei sp. nov.

( Fig. 18 )

Type locality. Venezuela, State of Mérida, Mérida-La Estación La Montaña, approx. 8°34.433′N, 71°6.879′W, 2500 m a.s.l.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♂, glued, ‘VENEZUELA Es [t]ado Mérida | 2500m above La Montaña | S. above Mérida | on bamboo 6 Aug 1977 | Adams / Bernard [w, p, cb] || Adams / Bernard | BMNH {E} | 1978-281 [w, p, cb]’ ( BMNH) . PARATYPES: VENEZUELA: 3 ♂♂ 6 ♀♀, same data as holotype ( BMNH, 1 ♂ 1 ♀ LSPC, 1 ♂ NMPC). 2 spec., ‘VENEZUELA | Merida, Carbonera | 2000m 19.iv.1989 [w, p, s]’ ( DSCC, LSPC) ; 1 spec., ‘ Venezuela, Mérida | Carbonera , 2300 m | 17.VI.1993, leg. C. Bordón [w, p, cb]’ ( MDVC) ; 2 spec., ‘ Venezuela – Tachira | La Grita, 2400 m | 16.III.1983, leg. Bordon [w, p, cb]’ ( LSPC) ; 2 spec., ‘PREGONERO, m. | 2500. Edo. Táchira [w, p, cb] || VENEZ. Bordón | leg. 2 XI 1978 [w, p, cb]’ ( MDVC) ; 1 spec., ‘carret. Trujillo- | Boconé, 2500 m. [w, p, cb] || Edo. Trujillo.VENEZ | Bordón 17 XI 1981 [w, p, cb]’ ( LSPC) .

Description. Body broadly oval. Length: 5.8–7.2 mm.

Head, pronotum, pro- and mesothorax yellow. Scutellum, metathorax and abdomen black. Antennomere I brown, remaining black. Fore and middle legs yellow including trochanters and coxae and infuscate on knees. Hind legs infuscate brown-black, tarsi, trochanters and coxae pale brown. Elytra dark metallic blue.

Frons and vertex smooth, shiny, and impunctate. Vertex with moderately deep oval basal impression. Eyes large, gena clearly visible, smooth. Interantennal carina present, short and low. Mouthparts directing forwards but not visible from above. Antennae long, thin, with two basal sparsely pubescent antennomeres, remainder densely pubescent. Length ratio of antennomeres: 100: 103: 208: 164: 155: 145: 139: 143: 132: 117: 200. Antennomere III as long as I and II combined, from IV antennomeres gradually shorter toward apex of antenna except XI, which is twice as long as I. Antennomere I globose, remaining antennomeres elongate, distinctly longer than broad. Tip of antennomere XI subacuminate. Antennomeres unmodified.

Pronotum sub-trapezoidal, 1.75× as wide as long (measured at base), with rounded sides. Basal margin bisinuate, basal corners acute. Anterior margin deeply emarginate above head. Anterior corners projecting anterad, wide and broadly rounded. Anterior margin gradually bent towards corners forming obtuse angle. Tubercles with setigerous pores situated in the angle. Lateral margins moderately explanate, not distinctly bordered from disc. Outer edge moderately swollen, moderately canaliculate and slightly serrate in basal 1/2. Disc smooth, finely and very sparsely micro-punctate. Lateral slopes regular, not impressed, each with circa 15 coarse and sparsely arranged punctures.

Scutellum subpentagonal, smooth, shiny, and microsculptured.

Elytra drop-shaped, widening apically. Base wider than base of pronotum, bisinuate, smooth, humeral angles broadly rounded. Humeral calli convex and impunctate. Punctation regularly arranged in ten rows. Scutellar row present, long, composed of circa 15 punctures and stretching from base to postscutellar hump. Overall, punctation of elytra moderately coarse. Punctures in rows densely and more or less regularly arranged. Inner rows less impressed, more densely punctate with smaller and less regular punctures, interspaces mostly narrower than puncture diameter. Outer rows gradually more impressed towards explanate margin, punctures larger and more sparsely arranged, interspaces 1–2× as wide as puncture diameter. Ultimate and penultimate rows of punctures visible in whole length and without distinct vacancies. Intervals circa 5–6× as wide as puncture diameter, inner ones slightly narrower. All intervals micro-reticulate and sparsely micropunctate (at magnification 90×). Intervals appear more or less elevated due to impressed rows of punctures. Explanate margin broad, approximately as wide as 1/4 of disc, appears slightly rugose due to irregular surface, shiny and impunctate. Outer margin moderately swollen, distinctly canaliculate and dentate from humeral angles to apex. Each denticle with short seta on tip. Apices conjointly rounded, slightly emarginate in females.

Prosternal collar smooth and shiny. Prosternal process broad, strongly expanded apically and impressed along whole length. Epipleura smooth, micro-reticulate and sparsely pubescent. Thoracic ventrites micro-reticulate, sparsely punctate and pubescent. Mesepisterna micro-reticulate, densely punctate and pubescent. Abdominal ventrites micro-reticulate, moderately densely punctate and pubescent with long semiadherent setae. Ventrites I and II centrally fused.

Sexual dimorphism indistinct. Ventrite V emarginate in males and truncate in females.

Legs normal, last tarsomere elongate, projecting beyond sole of penultimate. Claws simple, divergent.

Comparative diagnosis. The new species is morphologically similar only to X. pulchella Baly, 1859 , the type species of the genus. They both share similar shape of pronotum and body but can be distinguished by characters summarized in the Table 2. Venezuelan species of Xenispa can be distinguished using key on page 374.

Etymology. The species is dedicated in loving memory to René Fouquè (1980–2016), friend and enthusiastic entomologist, who was world specialist on the tenebrionid tribe Stenosini .

Biology. According to the label data the BMNH specimens were collected on bamboo; what is most likely correct as species of Xenispa are mainly associated with various Neotropical bambusoid Poaceae .

Remarks. According to the label data the BMNH specimens were collected about fifty meters in elevation above La Montaña, which is the middle station of the cable tram connecting Barinitas and La Aguada. The coordinates are approximate and do not represent the actual spot where the specimens were collected. They were taken using GoogleEarth on the cable tram transect at 2500 m a.s.l. just to illustrate habitat.

Distribution. Venezuela: Mérida.

Figures

Figs 15–22. 15 – Cephaloleia cyanea Staines, 1996 (holotype, 4.0 mm); 16 – Xenispa gilvipes (Uhmann, 1930) (holotype, 4.4 mm); 17 – Xenispa pulchella Baly, 1859 (holotype, 7.7 mm); 18 – Xenispa fouquei sp. nov. (♂ paratype from the type locality, 6.9 mm); 19 – Xenispa argentina (Monrós & Viana, 1947) (holotype, 5.1 mm); 20 – Hybosispa delectabilis (Staines, 1996) (holotype, 3.9 mm); 21 – Hybosispa sulciceps (Baly, 1885) (syntype, BMNH, 3.1 mm); 22 – Hybosispa truncatipennis (Baly, 1869) (holotype, 6.75 mm).