Batophila choui sp. nov.

Figs 5, 6, 7

Batophila acutangula: Kimoto 1971: 269 (part).

Type specimens examined (n = 558).

Holotype ♂ (TARI). Taiwan • Nantou: Meifeng (梅峰), 7–9. V. 1981, leg. K. S. Lin & S. C. Lin. Paratypes • Hualien: 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (TARI), Tayuling (大禹嶺), 9–16. VI. 1980, leg. K. S. Lin & B. H. Chen; • Nantou: 11 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀ (TARI), Meifeng (梅峰), 10. V. 1979, leg. K. C. Chou; • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 18. VII. 1979, leg. K. C. Chou; • 6 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 2–4. VI. 1980, leg. L. Y. Chou & C. C. Chen; • 6 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 8. VI. 1980, leg. K. S. Lin & B. H. Chen; • 3 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 26. VIII. 1980, leg. K. S. Lin & C. H. Wang; • 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (TARI), same locality, 5–9. X. 1980, leg. C. C. Chen & C. C. Chien; • 25 ♂♂, 18 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 7–9. V. 1981, leg. K. S. Lin & S. C. Lin; • 49 ♂♂, 25 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 24–26. VI. 1981, leg. K. S. Lin & W. S. Tang; • 6 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 28–29. VIII. 1981, leg. L. Y. Chou & S. C. Lin; • 6 ♂♂, 1 ♀ (TARI), same locality, 22. V. 1982, leg. L. Y. Chou; • 33 ♂♂, 22 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 15. VII. 1982, S. C. Lin & C. N. Lin; • 9 ♂♂, 13 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 31. VIII. – 2. IX. 1982, leg. L. Y. Chou & K. C. Chou; • 45 ♂♂, 25 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 4–7. X. 1982, leg. K. C. Chou; 1 ♀ (TARI), same locality, 19–21. IV. 1983, leg. K. C. Chou & S. P. Huang; • 5 ♂♂, 1 ♀ (TARI), same locality, 30. VII. 1983, leg. L. Y. Chou; • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 8–11. V. 1984, leg. K. C. Chou & C. C. Pan; • 1 ♂ (TARI), same locality, 23. VII. 1984, leg. K. S. Lin; • 1 ♀ (NMNS), same locality, 9. I. – 6. II. 2007, leg. C. S. Lin & W. T. Yang, Malaise trap; • 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 20. IV. 2025, leg. C. - F. Lee; • 17 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀ (TARI), Sungkang (松崗), 15–17. VIII. 1984, leg. K. C. Chou; • 10 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 13–15. IX. 1984, leg. K. S. Lin & S. C. Lin; • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ (KMNH), same locality, 2. VIII. 1990, leg. S. Kimoto, of which one male and one female identified as B. acutangula by Kimoto in 1990; • 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (TARI), same locality, 20. IV. 2011, leg. C. - F. Lee; • 4 ♂, 2 ♀ (KMNH), Sungkang (松崗) – Tsifen (sic!) (翠峰), 29. VI. 1965, leg. S. Kimoto, identified as B. acutangula by Kimoto (1971); • 1 ♀ (NHMUK), (near Sungkang, 松崗) sheep farm, 24°03.121'N, 121°09.643'E, 1916 m, 7. VIII. 2008, leg. M. V. L. Barclay & Mendel; • 4 ♂♂, 1 ♀ (TARI), Tsuifeng (翠峰), 21. VI. 1979, leg. K. S. Lin & B. H. Chen; • 4 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 3. VI. 1980, leg. L. Y. Chou & C. C. Chen; • 45 ♂♂, 28 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 25–27. VI. 1981, leg. K. S. Lin & W. S. Tang; • 10 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 1–3. VIII. 1981, leg. T. Lin & W. S. Tang; • 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (TARI), same locality, 27. VIII. 1981, leg. L. Y. Chou & S. C. Lin; • 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (TARI), same locality, 23. V. 1982, leg. L. Y. Chou; • 4 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 1–3. IX. 1982, leg. L. Y. Chou & K. C. Chou; • 3 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 20. IV. 1983, leg. K. C. Chou & S. P. Huang; • 1 ♂ (TARI), same locality, IV. 1984, Malaise trap, leg. K. S. Lin & K. C. Chou; • 1 ♂ (TARI), same but with “ V. 1984 "; • 5 ♂♂ (TARI), same locality, 5. VIII. 1984, leg. K. S. Lin; • 3 ♂♂ (TARI), same locality, 15–16. VIII. 1984, leg. K. C. Chou; • 1 ♂, 5 ♀ (TARI), same locality, 12–14. IX. 1984, leg. K. S. Lin & S. C. Lin; • 1 ♀ (TARI), Yu-shih (幼獅), 4. VIII. 1981, leg. T. Lin & W. S. Tang; • Taichung: 1 ♂ (TARI), Anmashan (鞍馬山), 6–7. VII. 1979, leg. L. Y. Chou; • 1 ♀ (TARI), same but with “ 6–9. VII. 1979 "; • 1 ♀ (NMNS), same locality, 1. V. 1990, leg. C. C. Chiang; • 2 ♀♀ (TARI), same locality, 21. IV. 2010, leg. C. - F. Lee; • 8 ♀♀ (TARI), Chiapaotai (佳保台) — Liming (黎明), 4. VI. 1942, leg. S. Issiki.

Diagnosis.

Adults of B. choui sp. nov., B. chungi sp. nov., and B. tsoui sp. nov. are recognized by their strongly apically narrowed elytra, and divergent elytral apex. They differ by the presence of convex elytra and elytral apices not visible in dorsal view in both sexes (Fig. 5 C, E) [flattened elytra in males but convex elytra in females of B. chungi sp. nov. and B. tsoui sp. nov. (Fig. 21 C, E)], and parallel-sided aedeagus (Fig. 6 C) [widened apex of aedeagus in B. chungi sp. nov. (Fig. 8 C) and B. tsoui sp. nov. (Fig. 22 C)].

Description.

Male. Length 1.99–2.18 mm, width 0.83–0.90 mm. General color metallic dark bronze (Fig. 5 A – C); legs yellowish but femora of hind legs darkened. Antenna (Fig. 6 A) filiform and antennomeres VIII – X wide, ratio of length of antennomeres I – XI to length of antennomere I 1.0: 0.6: 0.6: 0.6: 0.8: 0.7: 0.7: 0.7: 0.7: 0.7: 0.9; ratio of length to width of antennomeres I – XI 2.8: 2.3: 2.6: 2.9: 3.4: 2.6: 2.8: 2.6: 2.1: 2.1: 2.3. Pronotum 1.13–1.14 × wider than long; lateral margins slightly rounded, anterolateral angles separated from lateral margins by weak emargination, slightly and basally narrowed, distance between anterolateral angles 1.11–1.17 × wider than basal margin. Elytra 1.52–1.54 × longer than wide; lateral margins rounded, widest at basal 1 / 5, apically and strongly narrowed, apex truncate but diverge; dorsoventrally convex, apex not visible in dorsal view; disc with longitudinal lines of extremely coarse punctures and with distinct longitudinal grooves along punctures, punctures and grooves apically abbreviated from apical 1 / 3. Tarsomeres I of front and middle legs slightly swollen. Aedeagus (Fig. 6 C, D) elongate, 6.0 × longer than wide; parallel-sided, apex widely rounded; dorsal opening starting from apical 1 / 10–1 / 3, tectum composed of three lobes, median lobe more basal relative to lateral lobes, apical margin truncate, mostly membranous; slightly curved in lateral view, apex moderately curved; ventral surface with membranous area wider than dorsal opening, starting from apical 1 / 12–1 / 2.

Female (Fig. 5 D – F). Length 2.20–2.38 mm, width 0.96–1.02 mm. Antennae similar to males, ratio of length of antennomeres I – XI to length of antennomere I (Fig. 6 B) 1.0: 0.6: 0.6: 0.6: 0.8: 0.7: 0.7: 0.7: 0.7: 0.7: 0.9; ratio of length to width of antennomeres I – XI 2.5: 2.1: 2.7: 3.0: 3.5: 2.7: 2.4: 2.1: 2.0: 1.9: 2.5. Elytra 1.53–1.62 × longer than wide; lateral margins rounded, widest at basal 1 / 5, apically and strongly narrowed, apex truncate but diverge; dorsoventrally convex, apex curved strongly downward in lateral view; disc with longitudinal lines of extremely coarse punctures and with distinct longitudinal grooves along punctures, punctures and grooves apically abbreviated from apical 1 / 3. Gonocoxae (Fig. 6 F) slender, connected at basal 1 / 5; each gonocoxa with seven long setae and one tiny seta from apical 1 / 5 to apex, subapically slightly curved. Ventrite VIII (Fig. 6 E) weakly sclerotized apically, with several short setae at apical area, and some tiny setae at apical margin, spiculum extremely elongate. Spermathecal receptaculum (Fig. 6 G) strongly swollen, with transverse wrinkles at basal 1 / 2; pump wide and curved, with transverse wrinkles at apical 2 / 3; sclerotized spermathecal canal moderately long before base of spermathecal gland.

Food plants.

Rosaceae: Rubus corchorifolius L. f.

Etymology.

This new species is named after late Dr. Liang-Yih Chou (周樑鎰), who worked as Researcher at the TARI, conducted insect diversity projects during 1979–1984 and collected most of type series of this new species.

Distribution.

This species is widespread in mountainous areas of central Taiwan (Fig. 7).