Apophylia kubani, Bezdek, 2005

Bezdek, Jan, 2005, New And Interesting Apophylia Species From South-East Asia (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 53 (1), pp. 35-45 : 40-42

Apophylia kubani , new species

( Figs. 12 and 15 )

Material examined. – Holotype - male, Laos, Louangnamtha province, NamthaAEMuang Sing , 900-1200 m, coll. V. Kubán ˇ, 5- 31 May.1997 ( NHMB).

Paratypes – 1 female, same data as holotype ( NHMB) ; 2 males, Laos, Phongsaly province, Phongsaly environs, 1500 m, 21 41.2'N 102 6.8'E, coll. P. Pacholátko, 28 May - 20 Jun.2003 ( NHMB and JBCB) ; 1 male, Laos, Phongsaly prov., Phongsaly environs, 1500 m, 21 41'N 102 6.8'E, coll. P. Pacholátko, 6-17 May.2004 ( NHMB) .

Description. – Male. Body slender, flattened, parallel, dull, pubescent. Head bicolorous; vertex, postgenae, frontal tubercles and underside black; anterior part of head and mouthparts yellow; mandibles dark brown. Antennomeres 1 to 6 yellow, antennomere 7 darkenned, antennomeres 8 to 11 black, antennomeres 1 infuscate dorsally. Pronotum, scutellum and underside black. Legs yellow, last two tarsomeres infuscate. Elytra metallic green.

Labrum transverse, covered with several long setae, anterior margin indistinctly sinuate. Anterior part of head with microsculpture, sparsely covered with very fine punctures and long pale setae. Frontal tubercles large, subtriangular, slightly elevated above vertex, lustrous. Interantennal space with deep furrow. Vertex dull, covered with large dense punctures and dense fine short pale hairs. Antennae slender, last 3 antennomeres strongly dilated ( Fig. 15 ), antennomeres 3 to 11 distinctly flattened. Antennae 0.70-0.80 times as long as body; length ratio of antennomeres 1 to 11: 18-9-10-21- 17-16-15-12-10-13-17.

Pronotum transverse, 1.80-1.90 times as broad as long, widest before the middle. Anterior margin widely shallow sinuated, lateral margins rounded, posterior margin almost straight. Anterior and posterior margins thinly bordered, lateral margins indistinctly bordered. Anterior angles widely rounded, posterior angles obtusely angulate. The stout ridge deeply interrupted in the middle is situated along anterior margin. Surface uneven, with two very large depressions laterally. Anterior margin and the stout ridge sparsely covered with very large punctures, lustrous, nearly glabrous. The rest of surface with smaller dense punctures and dense short pale hairs, dull. Setigerous pores bearing one long pale seta each are situated near each corner.

Scutellum subtriangular, with apex widely rounded, densely covered with small punctures and short pale hairs, dull. Elytra densely covered with small punctures and short dense pale hairs. Humeral calli well developed. Epipleura distinct, gradually narrowed to apex. Macropterous. Underside with microsculpture and fine punctures, covered with dense short pale hairs. Last visible sternite with large semicircular excision. Basimetatarsomere twice as long as two following metatarsomeres combined. Apices of basipro- and basimesotarsomere prolonged and directed downwards, crescent-shaped. Claws bifid. The shape of aedeagus as in Fig. 12 . Body length 4.70-6.00 mm (holotype 4.70 mm).

Female. Last visible sternite complete. Claws appendiculate. Basipro- and basimesotarsomere not prolonged. Antennae filiform, antennomeres 1 to 4 yellow, infuscate dorsally, the rest black.

Etymology. – Dedicated to Vít Kubánˇ (Brno, Czech Republic), a well known specialist in Buprestidae , who collected the part of the type series.

Remarks. – All species of A. pallipes ( Jacoby, 1892) group are externally very similar each other and can be exactly determined only based on the study of aedeagus and partly by the shape of extended apical antennomeres. The right apical process of aedeagus in A. kubani , new species, is relatively short and not directed ventrally. The shape of aedeagus and antennal segments as in Figs. 12 and 15 .

The only authentic female of this species was collected together with the holotype. Two male paratypes collected in Phongsaly province ( Laos) occured together with very similar species A. pacholatkoi , new species, and one species which will be described in the near future. The females of these three species are almost identical externally and I tentatively avoid their separation. Altogether 158 females from Phongsaly are deposited in NHMB .

Figures

Figs. 12-13. Apophylia species, aedeagus in dorsal and lateral view: 12, A. kubani, new species; 13, A. clavicornis Samoderzhenkov. Scale: 1 mm.

Figs. 14-17. Apophylia species: 14, aedeagus of A. pacholatkoi, new species, in dorsal and lateral view; male antennae: 15, A. kubani, new species; 16, A. clavicornis Samoderzhenkov; 17, A. pacholatkoi, new species. Scale: 1 mm.