Cyanopenthe leei Hsiao, Pollock & Barclay, 2015, sp. nov.

Cyanopenthe leei sp. nov.

Figs. 5–6, 11–12, 14, 16, 19, 23–25, 29, 31

Type materIal. Holotype ♀, Tengji [Tienchih], Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 31. IV. 2005, C.-F. Lee leg. (TARI).

Paratypes: 1 ♀, 14 km W of Chihshang, 900m, 23°09’ N 121°04’E, Taitung Co., Taiwan, 16. XI. 2008, L. Dembický leg., BMNH 2008-85 (BMNH); 4 ♂, 1 ♀, Li-chia-lin-tao [Lichia Logging Trail], 1500m, Pei-nan, Taitung, Taiwan, 25. VII. 2015, Y.-T. Chung, P.-H. Kuo & S.-P. Wu leg. (4 in TARI; 1 in CCCC).

DescrIptIon. ColoratIon. Antennae metallic dark blue. Head and pronotum black, with metallic dark blue luster. Elytra metallic dark blue. Scutellum black, covered with dense decumbent yellow pubescence except for dark rounded impression in middle. Prosternum, meso-, metaventrite, abdominal ventrites I to IV metallic dark blue, abdominal ventrite V metallic dark blue, with metallic dark green luster. Femora and tibiae metallic dark blue, tarsi black. The body densely covered with black erect pubescence.

Male (Fig. 5). Eyes lateral, large, ratio of eye diameter to interocular space 1.0:1.8. Antennomere I cylindrical, II short, III strongly elongate and somewhat clavate, IV–VI clavate, VII somewhat broadened into a pectinate club, about as long as the length of projection, VIII–XI strongly broadened into a pectinate club, projections about 1.8X longer than antennomeres VIII–X, apices of projections rounded; length ratio of antennomeres as follows: 18:10:38:22:19.5:17.5:17:19:16.5:19.5:33 (Fig. 11). Maxillary palpomere II long-triangular, palpomere IV obliquely rounded apically, sides somewhat parallel. Disc of head somewhat convex; surface shining, densely and finely punctate.

Pronotum about 2.3X wider than long, 1.6X as wide as head. Sides of pronotum distinctly marginate; anterior margin shallowly sinuate; posterior margin sinuate; lateral margins rounded and narrowed in anterior two-thirds toward head, widest at posterior angles, linearly diverging in posterior one-third. Anterior angles rounded; posterior angles rectangular and obtuse (Fig. 14). Disc flattened, with pair of large impressions extending from base to about midlength; surface shining, sparsely and finely punctate, interspaces considerably wider than puncture diameter. Scutellum large, transverse, with rounded apex, 1.2X wider than long; surface densely and finely punctate.

Elytra broadly oval, widened posteriorly, about 1.3X as wide as pronotum at humeri, about 1.5X as long as wide. Disc somewhat flattened, more or less convex; surface shining. Rows of punctures noticeable in median part of each elytron, somewhat indistinct towards margins and suture; spaces between striae of punctures densely and finely punctate, the diameter of punctures in the spaces between striae about 2X smaller than diameter of strial punctures.

Prosternal process strongly broadened posteriorly and somewhat roundly truncated apically, slightly exceeding the posterior margin of prothoracic coxae. Prosternum, meso- and metaventrite shining, moderately and finely punctate. Abdomen broadly oval, linearly narrowed posteriorly, with rounded apex; surface shining, densely and finely punctate.

Tarsomeres simple, tarsal formula 5-5-4. Hind tibiae tarsomere I slightly shorter than the remaining tarsomeres combined; length ratio of tarsomeres as follows: 10:3.5:2.5:7.5 (measured without pretarsal claws). Pretarsal claws simple.

Aedeagus (Fig. 23–25): Ensiform, lateral margins of apical piece of tegmen subparallel to slightly divergent distally, moderately shorter than basal piece, median lobe about 1.10X as long as tegmen, struts on median lobe elongate and narrow.

Length: 8.5–9.2 mm; width: 4.2–4.5mm.

Female (Fig. 6). Similar to males. Eyes smaller than in male, ratio of eye diameter to interocular space 1.0:1.8. Antennomere VII strongly broadened into a pectinate club more distinct than that in male, projection about 1.6X longer than length of the antennomere, VIII–X about 2.1X as long as respective antennomeres; length ratio of antennomeres as follows: 18:10:38:24:22:18:18:19:18:18:46 (Fig. 12). Pronotum width about 2.3X length, about 1.8X wider than head. Elytra slightly wider than in male, posterior margin slightly more rounded than in male, about 1.3X as wide as pronotum at humeri, about 1.6X as long as wide. Abdominal ventrite V protuberant, with rounded apex (Fig. 19).

Ovipositor (Fig. 29): paraproct elongated, about 0.9X length of coxite, about 1.6X (1.4X in paratype) as long as wide, sides straight and subparallel; proctiger semicircular in dorsal view, tapered posteriorly and more or less curved ventrally.

Length: 8.0– 9.2 mm (holotype: 9.2); width: 4.0–5.0mm (holotype: 5.0)

DIagnosIs. This species is very similar to Cyanopenthe thailandica Nikitsky, 1998 and C. taiwana sp. nov. in appearance. It can be distinguished from C. thailandica by its thicker antennomeres III–V, shorter projections of antennomeres VIII–IX, broader proctiger in ventral view and more elongated paraproct. From C. taiwana, it differs in its slightly wider pronotum, less rounded margin of anterior angle of pronotum, more elongated elytra and abdomen, abdominal ventrite V slightly narrower posteriorly, lateral margins of apical piece of tegmen subparallel to slightly divergent distally, longer median lobe, the slightly shorter paraproct, and slightly more slender proctiger in ventral view.

Natural hIstory. Individuals of this species were observed at night feeding on a sporocarp of Polyporaceae on a dead log. The microhabitat was moist fungi of Polyporaceae (Fig. 31).

Notes. The ovipositor of holotype is somewhat damaged.

Etymology. The specific name is dedicated to the collector of the holotype, Dr. Chi-Feng Lee (TARI), who is an excellent taxonomist of beetles, especially Psephenidae, Helotidae and Chrysomelidae.

DIstrIbutIon. Taiwan (presumably endemic).