Published May 3, 2013 | Version v1
Taxonomic treatment Open

Cangshanaltica nigra Konstantinov, Chamorro, Prathapan, Ge, and Yang 2013, sp. nov.

  • 1. Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA, ARS, c / o Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA;
  • 2. Department of Entomology, Kerala Agricultural University, Trivandrum, Kerala, India;
  • 3. Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Description

Cangshanaltica nigra Konstantinov, Chamorro, Prathapan, Ge, and Yang, sp. nov.

(Figures 1–6, 9)

Description

Body length 1.62–1.77 mm, width 1.25–1.37 mm. Colour black without metallic lustre, legs and antennae light chestnut brown, mandibles, apical antennomeres, and coxae and trochanters (especially metatrochanters) dark yellow.

Vertex smooth, with tiny punctures and without wrinkles, vertex punctures with relatively long setae. Proportions of antennomere lengths in female: 7: 4: 4: 3: 3: 3: 4: 3.5: 4: 4: 7; in male: 7: 4: 4: 4: 4.5: 3: 4.5: 3.5: 4: 4: 7. Pronotum sparsely covered with shallow, small punctures. Distance between punctures many times more than diameter of puncture. Elytron with punctures slightly smaller than those of pronotum. Interspaces uneven, slightly shagreened. Proportions of tarsomere lengths of female (starting with first): protarsomeres 3.5: 3: 4.5: 7; mesotarsomeres 4: 3: 4: 7; metatarsomeres 9: 4: 5: 7. In male, proportions as follows: protarsomeres 4: 3: 4: 7; mesotarsomeres 4: 3: 5: 7; metatarsomeres 9: 4: 5: 7.

Receptacle of spermatheca with external side concave, internal side convex (Figure 6B). Spermathecal pump much shorter than receptacle, slightly curved, apex with denticle. Posterior part of tignum (Figure 6F) short, weakly sclerotized, slightly wider than anterior part. Vaginal palpi (Figure 6C) twice as long as wide, with its entire length sclerotized and posterior sclerotizations evenly conical.

Median lobe of aedeagus (Figure 6A) in lateral view with apex bent dorsally and in ventral view gradually narrowing without well-defined denticle.

Comments

Males and females of this species are nearly indistinguishable. Characters that usually help to separate males and females in many flea beetles (e.g. width of the first protarsomere and mesotarsomere, shape of the antennae and the apex of the last abdominal ventrite) are not helpful in C. nigra.

Etymology

The specific name is derived from the Latin nigrum, referring to the black colour of the beetle.

Host plant

Hypnum sp. (Hypnaceae) (Figures 9A, B).

Type material: Holotype male. (1) China: Yunnan, env. Dali, Cangshan Mountains, 3478 m, 19 July 2011, 25 ◦ 41.100 ′ N, 100 ◦ 06.228 ′ E, moss, Konstantinov, Chamorro and Volkovitsh; (2) Holotype Cangshanaltica nigra Konstantinov, Chamorro, Prathapan, Ge, Yang, sp. nov., 2011 (IZAC). Paratypes with same labels as holotype (2 females IZAC; 1 male, 2 females USNM).

Key for identification of moss-inhabiting flea beetle genera from the eastern hemisphere

1. Antennae clavate....................... Clavicornaltica Scherer (Figure 7B) Antennae not clavate.................................................... 2

2. Anterior coxal cavity closed.............................................. 3 Anterior coxal cavity open............................................... 4

3. Fontal ridge between antennal sockets much wider than near clypeus........................................................ Minota Weise (Figure 7D)

Fontal ridge between antennal sockets much narrower than near clypeus.................................................. Phaelota Jacoby (Figure 8D)

4. Base of pronotum with transverse impression.......................................................................... Benedictus Scherer (Figure 7A) Base of pronotum without transverse impression.......................... 5

5. First abdominal ventrite with one or two longitudinal ridges between metacoxae................................................................... 6 First abdominal ventrite without longitudinal ridges between metacoxae... 7

6. Pronotal anterolateral setiferous pore placed nearly in middle of lateral margin. Antennomere seven with distal protrusion directed anteriorly. Head without suprafrontal sulci. Metatibia only slightly curved in dorsal view, with dorsal surface convex................... Cangshanaltica gen. nov. (Figure 1) Pronotal anterolateral setiferous pore placed close to anterior end of lateral margin. Antennomere seven without distal protrusion. Head with suprafrontal sulci. Metatibia strongly curved in dorsal view, with dorsal surface flat to concave............................ Ivalia Jacoby (Figure 7C)

7. Frontal ridge narrowing gradually from antennal sockets towards anterofrontal ridge. Supracallinal sulcus absent. First metatarsomere only slightly less than half-length of metatibia. Third metatarsomere entire......................... Paraminotella Döberl and Konstantinov (Figure 8C) Frontal ridge narrowing abruptly from antennal sockets towards anterofrontal ridge. Supracallinal sulcus present. First metatarsomere only much less than half length of metatibia. Third metatarsomere divided into two abruptly narrowing lobes......................................................... 8

8. Body rounded (Figure 8A). Eighth antennomere substantially smaller than seventh.................................... Mniophila Stephens (Figure 8A) Body more elongate (Figure 8B). Eighth antennomere about as large as seventh.................................... Paraminota Scherer (Figure 8B)

Notes

Published as part of Konstantinov, Alexander, Chamorro, Maria Lourdes, Prathapan, K. D., Ge, Si-Qin & Yang, Xing-Ke, 2013, Moss-inhabiting flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) with description of a new genus from Cangshan, China, pp. 2459-2477 in Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) (J. Nat. Hist.) 47 (37 - 38) on pages 2474-2476, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2012.763068, http://zenodo.org/record/5197758

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Linked records

Additional details

Biodiversity

Collection code
IZAC , IZAC, USNM
Event date
2011-07-19
Verbatim event date
2011-07-19
Scientific name authorship
Konstantinov, Chamorro, Prathapan, Ge, and Yang
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Order
Coleoptera
Family
Chrysomelidae
Genus
Cangshanaltica
Species
nigra
Taxon rank
species
Taxonomic status
sp. nov.
Type status
holotype , paratype
Taxonomic concept label
Cangshanaltica nigra Konstantinov, Chamorro, Prathapan, Ge & Yang, 2013