Chrysolina romandudkoi Mikhailov 2019, sp. n.
Creators: name: Mikhailov, Yu. E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Chrysomelidae
Chrysolina
Chrysolina romandudkoi

description: Chrysolina romandudkoi Mikhailov sp. n.
Figs 3–7, 19–21.
MATERIAL. Holotype, ♂ with labels: 1) E Nepal, Bhodjpur Distr., 1, 5 km NE Salpa pass, h= 3350 m, 27°26.7' N, 86°56.1' E, at night with torch, 21.05.2018, R. Dudko leg. 2) HOLOTYPUS, Chrysolina romandudkoi sp. n. Yu. Mikhailov design. 2018 [red] (ISEA). Paratypes: 3♂♂, 2♀♀, E Nepal, Bhodjpur Distr., 1 km E of Salpa Pass, 2800–2850 m, 27°25.6' N, 86°56.6' E, 20.05.2018, R. Dudko leg., 10♂♂, 4♀♀, 1, 5 km NE Salpa pass, h= 3350 m, 27°26.7' N, 86°56.1' E, 21.05.2018, R. Dudko leg., 2♂♂, 1♀, 2 km NE Salpa pass, h= 3750–3800 m, 27°27.3'N, 86°56.4' E, 22.05.2018, R. Dudko leg., 1♂, 1♀, 2.5 km NE of Salpa Pass, 3800–4150 m, 27°27.5' N, 86°56.4' E, 23.05.2018, R. Dudko leg., 3♂♂, 3♀♀, Solukhumbu Distr., 0.5 km NW of Salpa Pass, 3000–3100 m, 27°26.8' N, 86°55.2' E, 24.05.2018, R. Dudko leg. All the paratypes (30 specimens) with the red label: PARATYPUS, Chrysolina romandudkoi sp. n. Yu. Mikhailov design. 2018 (YMC, ISEA, ZIN). DESCRIPTION (holotype). Body uniformly bronze, antennae and tarsi black with metallic luster, claws brown. Convex, obovate, slightly constricted laterally between pronotum and elytra;shining, pronotum distinctly shagreen,elytra smooth with thin wrinkles and microscopically punctulate.
Last maxillary palpomere narrow, oval, 1.5x as long as broad and 1.2–1.3x as long as previous palpomere and 1.0– 1.1x broader than latter. Antenna inserted 1.9–2.1x closer to clypeus than to eye, with antennomeres 10 and 11 project beyond pronotal base. Antennomeres 6–11 weakly broadened. Orbital lines broadly impressed above eye, not projecting along inner border or eye.
Pronotum 1.75x as broad as long, moderately convex, broadest before the middle of its length. Anterior angles moderately produced, basal angles sharp. Anterior side of pronotum entirely marginate, with setae. Both anterior and posterior setiferous pores present. Pronotum laterally weakly swollen along entire length, lateral calli weakly or not pronounced, lateral impressions obsolete, only in basal 1/4 with punctures larger than those at disk. Punctures at pronotal disk moderately dense and fine, in addition several large punctures can be seen in posterior third. Hypomera of prothorax almost flat, weakly convex, smooth. Basal fold distinct. Intercoxal prosternal process broadened posteriorly. Anterolateral portions of prosternum flat, anteriorly marginate, with wide impression posteriorly. Metasternum entirely marginate anteriorly, with broad and convex callus between mid-coxae. Scutellum triangular, smooth, without punctures.
Elytra with very feeble humeral calli, with 9 slightly irregular rows of fine punctures and abbreviated scutellar row from 4–5 punctures. Rows except the 1 st one are slightly paired, 6 th row in the basal impression consists of large and deep punctures. Intervals flat, covered by sparse, obsolete wrinkles and very fine punctures. Epipleura inclined outside, visible along entire length in lateral view. Hind wings vestigial, narrow, slightly longer than metathorax.
Tarsi densely pubescent beneath, 3 rd segment of all tarsi moderately dilated. Tarsomere 4 without denticles beneath.
Pygidium with well pronounced impression along entire length. Last abdominal sternite evenly convex, broadly truncate and marginate apically in male and female.
Aedeagus tube-shaped, apically truncated, with lateral denticles; flagellum straight tubular, exposed (Figs 3–7). Length 6.2 mm, width 4.2 mm.
VARIABILITY of males. Rarely pronotum obsoletely shagreen and looks as smooth as elytra, punctures in elytral rows may slightly vary in size (Figs 19–20). Hypomera of prothorax sometimes with thin wrinkles along outside.
Length 6.0–7.0 mm, width 4.0–5.0 mm
Females. Antennomeres 6–11 weakly broadened, narrower than in males. Pronotum laterally weakly to moderately swollen along entire length, lateral calli weakly or not pronounced, lateral impressions obsolete or very smooth and pronounced only in basal 2/3 (Fig. 21). Last maxillary palpomere 1.6x as long as broad, 1.2x as long as previous palpomere. Tarsomeres 1–3 with entire sole, tarsomere 3 of all tarsi narrow. Dissection of the abdomen of one female gave 7 large eggs (length 1.8–2.0 mm) with thin exochorion and embryo visible through it. Length 7.2–7.8 mm, width 4.8–5.1 mm
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. Short aedeagus with broad anchor-shaped apex (Figs 3–7) immediately distinguishes the new species from all known Nepalese Chrysolina (see Figs 8 –9,10–17). Elytra with 9 regular rows of punctures (Figs 19–21) place it closer to Ch. dhaulagirica and Ch. hartmanni. But from both species having red fulvous marginal stripe on elytra and pronotal lateral calli distinct and basally divided from disc with a groove it differs in having colour entirely dark bronze and lateral calli of pronotum not or feebly separated from disc (Figs 19–21). From Ch. nagaja (Fig. 18) and Ch. daccordii having uniformly bronze body and similar habitus it differs in having regular rows of punctures on elytra.
ETYMOLOGY. The species is dedicated to my friend Roman Dudko (Novosibirsk, Russia), who collected the type series.
High mountain Chrysolina with reduced wings from Nepal Himalaya can be determined with the key below.
1 (4) Upperside dull, dark bronze. Elytra covered by dense, moderately large, entirely irregular punctures (Fig. 18).
2(3) Pronotum without lateral calli and impressions. Aedeagus with apex prolonged and anchor-shaped (Figs 8–9). Length: 6.0– 6.4 mm (male), 7.0 mm (female). Pakistan, Eastern Nepal (Solukhumbu, Sankhuwasabha, Taplejung Distr.) .............................. Ch. nagaja (Daccordi, 1982)
3(2) Lateral calli of pronotum distinctly convex, especially basally, where it is delimited with impression. Aedeagus (Figs 10–11) strongly curved in lateral view with long narrow apical projection ending with anchor-like tip. Length: 5.7–6.7 mm (male), 7.1–7.3 mm (female). Western Nepal (Mustang and Manang Distr.) ....................... Ch. daccordii (L. Medvedev et Sprecher-Uebersax, 1999)
4 (1) Upperside shining. Elytra with punctures forming 9 slightly irregular paired rows.
5 (12) Punctures in elytral rows rather small and sparse, interspaces flat, shagreened and very finely punctured.
6 (11) Pronotum with lateral calli distinct, divided from disc with a groove in basal third and strong punctures anteriorly. Basal and lateral margins of elytra red fulvous.
7(8) Elytra without humeral calli, puncture rows distinctly paired. 1st tarsomeres of fore tarsi in males strongly dilated. Body dark bronze, elytral lateral stripe occupying two outermost intervals and epipleurae red fulvous, pronotal lateral calli brown. Aedeagus (Figs 12–13) with rounded apex and straight flagellum, placed more apically. Length 7.1–8.0 mm. Mid Western Nepal (Jumla Distr.) .................................... Ch. hartmanni Medvedev, 1999
8(7) Elytra with very weak humeral calli. Elytral rows not distinctly paired. 1st tarsomeres in males moderately dilated.
9(10) Larger, elytral punctures in the rows dense. Body dark blue, both basal and lateral red fulvous margins of elytra broad. Aedeagus (Figs 14–15) with spatula shaped apex and flagellum placed more basally.Length: 5.8 mm (male), 6.0– 6.5 mm (female). Western Nepal (Myagdi Distr.).. ......... Ch. dhaulagirica dhaulagirica Medvedev, 1990
10(9) Smaller, elytral punctures in the rows sparse. Body dark bronze, basal red fulvous margins of elytra narrow. Aedeagus (Fig. 16–17) with rounded apex and flagellum placed more apically. Length: 5.2–5.5 mm (male), 6.0 mm (female). Eastern Nepal ....................................................... ............... Ch. dhaulagirica arunensis Medvedev, 1992
11 (6) Pronotum with obsolete lateral calli, only in females divided from disc with a smooth depression in basal third. Elytra uniformly bronze. Aedeagus (Figs 3–7) apically truncated, with lateral denticles and flagellum straight tubular. Length: 6.0–7.0 (male), 7.2–7.8 mm (female). Eastern Nepal (Bhojpur and Solukhumbu Distr.) .......... ................................................ Ch. romandudkoi sp. n.
12 (5) Punctures in elytral rows rather large, interspaces moderately convex (Figs 1–2). Elytra dark bronze; pronotum greenish, finely granulate, uniformly covered with fine punctures, with a pair of short oblique lateral depressions at basal margin. Females unknown. Length: 9.2–9.5 mm. Eastern Nepal ..... Ch. tangalaensis Kimoto, 2001.
Acknowledgements. I am grateful first of all to my friend Roman Dudko (ISEA, Novosibirsk, Russia), who collected the type series of the new species in Nepal, to Dr. Kirill Makarov (Moscow Pedagogical State University, Russia) for his kind assistance in taking high resolution photos of the beetles from my collection, to Dr. Ako Tachi (Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan) and Masakazu Hayashi (Hoshizaki Green foundation, Izumo, Japan) for providing me with the photos of the types preserved in Japan.
description: Published as part of Mikhailov, Yu. E., 2019, Review of the genus Chrysolina Motschulsky, 1860 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from Nepal Himalaya with description of a new species, pp. 58-63 in Russian Entomological Journal 28 (1) on pages 60-63, DOI: 10.15298/rusentj.28.1.08, http://zenodo.org/record/10978252