Pseudotheopea gressitti, Lee & Bezděk, 2020

Lee, Chi-Feng & Bezdek, Jan, 2020, Revision of the Theopea genus group (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae), part III: Descriptions of two new genera and nine new species, ZooKeys 912, pp. 65-124 : 65

Pseudotheopea gressitti sp. nov. Figs 12A-C ; 13A, B ; 14

Types.

Holotype ♂ (USNM), PHILIPPINES, Mindanao: Zamboanga, 1927, leg. Baker. Paratypes. 3♀♀ (USNM), same data as holotype.

Description.

Length 5.0-5.7 mm, width 1.8-2.0 mm. Body color (Fig. 12A-C ) dark brown; elytra metallic purple, vertex and pronotum with metallic purple reflection, prosternite, mesoventrite, and legs yellowish brown, but tibiae and tarsi darker. Frontoclypeus (Fig. 13A, B ) with semi-circular excavation between eyes in males, concavity 0.5 × as wide as interspace between eyes, with erect process at center and one pair small processes at baso-lateral angles. Antennae filiform in males (Fig. 14A ), with apico-lateral process on antennomere I, length ratios of antennomeres I-XI 1.0: 0.2: 0.7: 0.8: 0.7: 0.7: 0.7: 0.7: 0.7: 0.6: 0.7, length to width ratios of antennomeres I-XI 4.8: 1.6: 4.6: 5.2: 4.9: 4.5: 4.8: 4.9: 4.8: 4.8: 4.5; without apico-lateral process of antennomere I in females (Fig. 14B ), relatively shorter than males, length ratios of antennomeres I-VIII (IX-XI lost) 1.0: 0.2: 0.6: 0.7: 0.8: 0.7: 0.7: 0.7, length to width ratios of antennomeres I-XI 4.0: 1.3: 3.7: 4.5: 5.1: 4.7: 4.8: 4.9. Elytra elongate, parallel-sided, 1.9-2.0 × longer than wide; disc with dense, coarse punctures, arranged into longitudinal rows, with one distinct longitudinal ridge between two longitudinal rows of punctures. Tarsomeres I of front legs swollen in males; subparallel in females. Aedeagus (Fig. 14C-E ) slender, 8.1 × longer than wide; apex with shallow notch; tectum elongate, from apical 1/7 to basal 1/3; straight from apex to apical 2/5 in lateral view, angular at apical 2/5; ventral surface membranous from apex to basal 2/5, triangular sclerites small; internal sac with elongate endophallic sclerite, 0.8 × as long as aedeagus, composed of two sclerites, apical piece (0.9 ×) a little shorter than basal piece. Gonocoxae (Fig. 14G ) elongate, both gonocoxae fused from basal 1/4 to apical 2/5; apices convergent and narrowly rounded, each gonocoxa with eight setae along lateral margin from apex to apical 1/6, four much longer than others; lateral processes reduced. Ventrite VIII (Fig. 14F ) elongate and well sclerotized; disc with several long setae at sides and near apical margin, and with dense, short setae along apical margin; spiculum extremely slender. Receptacle of spermatheca (Fig. 14H ) strongly swollen; pump slender and strongly curved; proximal spermathecal duct deeply inserted into receptacle, narrow and short.

Diagnosis.

Pseudotheopea gressitti sp. nov. is similar to P. costata (Allard) in possessing a semi-circular concavity between the eyes in males that includes one erect process at center and one pair of small processes at the baso-lateral angles of the concavity (Fig. 13A, B ). However, P. gressitti sp. nov. can be recognized by the small body sizes (5.0-5.7 mm long, 7.0-7.2 mm in P. costata ), metallic purple dorsum (Fig. 12A, C ) (reddish brown dorsum in P. costata ), and a lateral apical process of antennomere I in males (Fig. 14A ) (without the lateral process on apex of antennomere I in those of P. costata ). Males of P. gressitti sp. nov. are similar to those of P. costata and P. boreri sp. nov. based on a median elongate sclerite of the internal sac (Figs 10C, D ; 14C, D ). Males of P. gressitti sp. nov. are similar to those of P. costata , based on the broad aedeagi in lateral view (Fig. 14D ) (dorso-ventrally flattened in lateral view in those of P. boreri sp. nov. (Fig. 10D )). But males differ from those of P. costata in possessing smaller triangular sclerites and membranous areas on the ventral surface of the aedeagus extending into basal 1/3 (Fig. 10E ) (larger triangular sclerites and membranous areas on the ventral surface of aedeagus only reaching basal 1/2 in P. costata ).

Etymology.

This new species is dedicated to late Dr. J. Linsley Gressitt for his great contribution to the taxonomy of oriental Cerambycidae and Chrysomelidae .

Distribution.

Philippines: Mindanao.

Figures

Figure 10. Diagnostic characters of Pseudotheopea boreri sp. nov. A Antenna, male B Antenna, female C Aedeagus, dorsal view D Aedeagus, lateral view E Aedeagus, ventral view F Abdominal ventrite VIII G Gonocoxae H Spermatheca.

Figure 12. Habitus of Pseudotheopea gressitti sp. nov. and P. similis. A P. gressitti sp. nov., male, dorsal view B Same, ventral view C P. gressitti sp. nov., female, dorsal view D P. similis, male, dorsal view E P. similis, female, dorsal view F Same, ventral view.

Figure 13. Heads of males of Pseudotheopea gressitti sp. nov. and P. leehsuehae sp. nov. A P. gressitti sp. nov., dorsofrontal view B Same, front view C P. leehsuehae sp. nov., dorsofrontal view D Same, front view.

Figure 14. Diagnostic characters of Pseudotheopea gressitti sp. nov. A Antenna, male B Antenna, female C Aedeagus, dorsal view D Aedeagus, lateral view E Aedeagus, ventral view F Abdominal ventrite VIII G Gonocoxae H Spermatheca.