Melitonoma dalaba Bezděk, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bezděk, Jan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Chrysomelidae
Melitonoma
Melitonoma dalaba

description: Melitonoma dalaba sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 7DFBB80C-C755-4529-94E6-EC5384C122D2
Fig. 9
Differential diagnosis
The males of Melitonoma dalaba sp. nov. are characterised by elongate protarsomeres I, 2.45 times as long as wide which are longer than in males of M. juvenca (1.75 times as long as wide) and of M. simoni (2.20 times as long as wide) (Figs 2N, 5E, 9O). The pronotum of M. dalaba sp. nov. is covered with distinct and well-visible punctation, which is, however, less intensive than in M. juvenca (Figs 2D, 9E). The pronotum of the other two species, M. simoni and M. vinculata, is completely, or almost completely impunctate, or covered with very fine punctures visible under higher magnification. The penis of M. dalaba sp. nov. is relatively wide with a distinct triangular apical process, while the penis of M. juvenca and M. vinculata are without a triangular apical process, and that of M. simoni is remarkably and regularly tapered along its apical third (Figs 3A–F, 6A–F, 8A–F, 9F–K).
Etymology
The name “dalaba ” refers to the type locality. Noun in apposition.
Type material
Holotype
REPUBLIC OF GUINEA • ♂ (Fig. 9A–B); Dalaba, Forêt de Goubel; 10°39′27″ N, 12°15′44″ W; 1413 m a.s.l.; 10–18 Sep. 2019; M. Geiser, M. Leno, S. Koivagui, W. Miles, L. Mulvaney and Sz. Safian leg.; upland forest and savannah; NHMUK, NHMUK_014527975.
Paratypes
REPUBLIC OF GUINEA • 2 ♂♂; same data as for holotype; NHMUK, NHMUK_014527959, NHMUK_014527969.
Type locality
Republic of Guinea, Dalaba, Forêt de Goubel, 10°39′27″ N, 12°15′44″ W.
Description
Male
APPEARANCE AND COLORATION. Body length: ♂♂: 6.7–7.2 mm (holotype 7.2 mm). Body elongate, subparallel, convex, almost glabrous. Head black, with dark brownish apices of mandibles. Pronotum with large black spot touching posterior margin, anterior margin of spot nearly straight, anterior, lateral and lateral parts of posterior pronotal margins orange (Fig. 9N). Scutellum black. Elytra orange with humeral black spot, two transverse black bands not touching lateral and sutural margins and black apex of elytra (holotype and one paratype); black pattern, reduced with humeral spot smaller, anterior transverse band fragmented to two small spots, posterior black band missing, and apical black margin narrower (one paratype, Fig. 9C). Ventral side of body black, except pronotal hypomeron orange. Antennomeres I–III orange (I with darkened dorsal side), IV–V black with orange bases, VI–XI black. Legs black.
HEAD (Fig. 9D). Mandibles moderately enlarged, dorsally even and glabrous, lateral sides covered with long pale setae; left mandible somewhat larger, with lateral margin straight and oblique, and apex hook-like. Labrum transverse with rounded anterior angles and shallowly emarginated anterior margin, surface semiopaque, with several punctures, pale setae cumulated on anterior angles and anterior margin, several setae also on disc. Anterior margin of clypeus with wide shallow triangular emargination. Anterior part of head slightly impressed along anterior margin, surface slightly convex and uneven, covered with small punctures and short setae. Eyes moderately large. Frons wide, 2.10 times as wide as diameter of eye, surface uneven, almost glabrous, except setae cumulated along internal margins of eyes. Frons separated from vertex by shallowly impressed rounded line. Vertex convex, glabrous, lustrous, impunctate. Antennae short, 0.23 times as long as body, antennomere I club-shaped, III very small, antennae shortly serrated from antennomere IV.
PRONOTUM (Fig. 9N). Moderately convex, transverse, 1.87 times as wide as long, widest in basal quarter. Surface (Fig. 9E) lustrous, covered with fine punctures disappearing in middle line and along lateral and anterior margins, punctures with very short microscopic setae almost invisible at a cursory glance, surface with two shallow vertical impressions along basal margin. Anterior margin almost straight, lateral margins slightly rounded, convergent anteriorly, posterior margin slightly rounded and moderately expanded in scutellar area. Anterior margin unbordered in middle part, thinly bordered laterally, lateral margin widely bordered and posterior margins thinly bordered.Anterior angles rounded, posterior angles widely rounded. Anterior setigerous pores placed on anterior margin close to anterior angle, posterior pores placed in middle of rounding. Posterior angles slightly elevated above elytral base. Scutellum subtriangular, with rounded tip, glabrous, impunctate, shallowly impressed in middle basal margin.
ELYTRA. Subparallel, widest at posterior third, 1.40 times as long as wide and 0.64 times as long as body. Surface glabrous, dull, densely covered with very fine, confused punctures and fine microslupture. Humeral calli developed. Basal margin forming sharp keel. In lateral view, lateral margin of each elytron sinuate. Epipleura lustrous, glabrous, slightly concave, very wide at base, gradually narrowed posteriorly, disappearing in ⅔ of elytral length. Macropterous.
VENTRAL SIDE OF BODY. Densely covered with setae. Abdomen more or less concave in lateral view.
LEGS. Protibiae and protarsi moderately enlarged. Protarsomere I (Fig. 9O) elongate, 2.45 times as long as wide, slightly narrower than protarsomere II, parallel in apical half, slightly convergent basally, protarsomere II 1.35 times as long as wide, length ratio of protarsomeres I–III and V equals 100-66-60- 64 (100 = 0.80 mm). Mesotarsomere I elongate, parallel, as wide as II, length ratio of mesotarsomeres I–III and V equals 100-58-50-66 (100 = 0.60 mm). Metatarsomere I elongate, parallel, with narrowed base, as wide as II, length ratio of metatarsomeres I–III and V equals 100-60-60-80 (100 = 0.50 mm). Claws simple.
PENIS (Fig. 9F–K). Penis 2.95 times as long as wide, widest at anterior quarter, middle part convergent, narrowest at basal quarter, basal part slightly wider. Apical part forming large subtriangular process. Dorsal surface in apical part with finger-shaped elevation, laterally surrounded by distinct concavities. In lateral view, penis bent in middle, apical half wider with sharp apex, basal half narrow, almost straight. In ventral view, apical part with finger-shaped elevation, in middle part narrowed to sharp keel. Internal sac (Fig. 9L–M) with three pairs of hook-like sclerites and one long and thin internal sclerite, 0.25 times as long as penis.
Female
Unknown.
Distribution
Republic of Guinea.
description: Published as part of Bezděk, Jan, 2025, Revision of the genus Melitonoma (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae). 1. History, type species and revision of the M. juvenca species group, pp. 208-237 in European Journal of Taxonomy 976 on pages 227-230, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2025.976.2791, http://zenodo.org/record/14901634