Revision of New Caledonian species of Eumolpinae described by K. M. Heller (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
Author
Gómez-Zurita, Jesús
text
Zootaxa
2011
3060
31
46
journal article
46171
10.5281/zenodo.205363
7ea3875d-52b1-43b1-b6ef-848e13d988f1
1175-5326
205363
Taophila subsericea
Heller, 1916
(
Figs 8–9
,
13–15
,
24
)
Taophila subsericea
Heller, 1916
:306
.
Type
material. Province Nord:
Lectotype
(designated by
Samuelson, 2010
), 1Ƥ (
Fig. 8
): Tao,
24 June 1911
, F. Sarasin & J. Roux leg. [pale blue label], 1915/18 [pale blue label],
Taophila subsericea
typus
[red label], Staatl. Museum für Tierkunde, Dresden [white label],
Taophila subsericea
Heller
[white label].
Paralectotype
, 13 (
Fig. 9
): Tao,
24 June 1911
, F. Sarasin & J. Roux leg. [pale blue label], 1915/18 [pale blue label], Cotypus [red label], Staatl. Museum für Tierkunde, Dresden [white label].
Other material examined. Province Nord:
13: Poindimié, near the coast,
24–28 November 2001
, K.A. Johanson, T. Pape & B. Viklund leg. (IBE-JGZ); 13, 2Ƥ: Col des Roussettes,
21.41455ºS
165.47198ºE
558m
.
,
19 March 2008
, J. Gómez-Zurita & A. Cardoso leg. (IBE-JGZ); 23, 2Ƥ: L’Aoupinié (refuge),
21.14780ºS
165.32447ºE
413m
.
,
4 April 2008
, J. Gómez-Zurita, J.A. Jurado-Rivera & A. Cardoso leg. (IBE-JGZ); 13, 2Ƥ: L’Aoupinié
700–
900m
.,
17 March 1994
, M. Schöller leg. (MSC); 33, 1Ƥ: L’Aoupinié,
22 March 1994
, M. Schöller leg. (MSC); 1Ƥ: Mont Panié,
7 February 1977
, J. Balogh leg. (
HNHM
); 33: Mt. Mandjélia,
17 February 1977
, J. Balogh leg. (
HNHM
); 33: Aoupinié,
31 January 1977
, J. Balogh leg. (
HNHM
).
Province Sud:
2Ƥ: Col d’Amieu,
21.61172ºS
165.80805ºE
489m
.
,
7–8 March 2008
, J. Gómez-Zurita, J.A. Jurado-Rivera & A. Cardoso leg. (IBE-JGZ); 23: Col d’Amieu,
11 March 2008
, J. Gómez-Zurita, J.A. Jurado-Rivera & A. Cardoso leg. (IBE- JGZ); 23, 2Ƥ: Bouirou, ca. Bourail,
21.44627ºS
165.52105ºE
220m
.
,
28 March 2008
, J. Gómez-Zurita, J.A. Jurado-Rivera & A. Cardoso leg. (IBE-JGZ); 13, 1Ƥ: Village Bouirou, ca.
20km
N Bourail,
500m
.
,
27 February to 2 March 2009
, A. Kudrna Jr. leg.,
BMNH
(E) 2009–124 (NHM).
Lectotype
designation for this species was made by
Samuelson (2010)
in his recent revision of the genus
Taophila
Heller. The
lectotype
of this taxon is a female from the locality of Tao, in the northeastern coast of Grande Terre. It is accompanied by a male
paralectotype
from the same locality and collected on the same day. Several
Taophila
species in
New Caledonia
are very similar externally, and it is possible that these two specimens belong to different species. However, Samuelson's (2010) opinion, treating Heller's specimens as conspecific is fully supported here. Genitalic descriptions and drawings based on the
type
material are presented here for the first time based on the author's dissections.
Spermatheca (
Fig. 24
) broadly V-shaped, with bulb and receptacle of similar length; bulb subcylindrical with regularly rounded apex; receptacle slightly and gradually widening basally, reaching maximum width prebasally; spermathecal duct very thin, joining proximal end of spermatheca. Penis (
Figs 13–15
) bent in broad obtuse angle at basal fifth, nearly straight and gradually narrowing as seen in lateral view in central part, and strongly curved ventrally in apical fifth; bent apical area progressively enlarged laterally to 1.8x width at middle, and quickly narrowing to obtuse angled apex, armed with minute subquadrangular tooth; ostium occupying short elliptical area of apical enlargement.
Remarks.
Samuelson (2010)
noted chromatic polymorphism in females of this species. A small proportion of individuals from L’Aoupinié differed from the
lectotype
by dark colouration, with elytra showing pale orange discal areas and an oblique stripe running from humeri, as well as some small differences in elytral shape and sculpture. Among thirteen females examined here from different localities throughout the island, a singleton from Bourail conformed to the
Type
in appearance, while all others matched perfectly with the dark morph. It would be reasonable to think that these strikingly different animals belong to two species, but phylogenetic analyses based on multiple genetic markers confirm them to be conspecific (unpublished data).