Lophalia nigricollis Eya, 2024

Lophalia nigricollis Eya , new species

( Fig. 99–108 View Figures 99–108 )

Description. Male: Length 16–17 mm. Form moderate sized, elongate; integument polished, head, pronotum, antennae, legs and underneath all black; each elytron with two glabrous, slightly elevated, longitudinal, yellowish vittae. Head small; vertex vaguely convex, contiguously punctate; front, short, punctures coarse, subcontiguous, mid-cranial sulcus narrow, vaguely visible, each side of front below antennal insertion with a broad obliquely transverse excavate area; postclypeus finely, irregularly punctate; genae prominent, nitid, sparsely punctate, frontogenal ridges elevated ( Fig. 104–105 View Figures 99–108 ); antennal tubercles horizontal, integument between tubercles vaguely impressed; pubescence obscure, short, dark, erect; mandibles irregularly, rugosely punctate on sides; antennae exceeding elytra by two antennomere; scape conical, finely, densely, punctate with short suberect setae above and few, longer, depressed setae underneath; antennomeres II–V finely, densely punctate, densely clothed with short, dark, depressed setae and few, suberect setae on apices, remaining antennomeres opaque, minutely, densely punctate, densely covered with minute, appressed pubescence with a few, short setae on apices and underneath; antennomeres from V vaguely carinate on outside, and inner surface; antennomere III longer than I; IV shorter than III, longer than I; V longer than IV and shorter than III; VI, VII and VIII subequal to V; IX shorter than VIII; X subequal to IX; XI longest, apical third vaguely appendiculate. Pronotum wider than long (L/W: 0.9 ×), sides broadly, shallowly rounded from base to apex; disc convex, densely, discretely, punctate, each punctures shallow with short, golden, suberect setae, integument vaguely raised longitudinally in middle with narrow, elongate, impunctate area on basal two-third, sides with punctures subcontiguous; apex very narrowly impressed, base vaguely impressed at sides; proepisternal area shallowly, irregularly punctate; prosternum transversely striate-punctate on apical half, basal half with vaguely impressed, transverse subrectangular area on each side above coxae with coarse punctures and densely clothed with erect golden setae; prosternal intercoxal process glabrate, finely, sparsely punctate; mesosternum impressed in middle, minutely, densely punctate, densely pubescent with fine, depressed setae; metasternum nitid, punctures shallow and sparse with depressed, golden setae arising from each puncture, area adjacent to mesocoxae with finer punctures densely interspersed, and densely clothed with golden pubescence; metepisterna densely pubescent with golden, appressed setae. Scutellum black, glabrous, triangular, as long as wide. Elytra 2.8 times as long as broad; each elytron with a broad, glabrous, subsutural, longitudinal, yellowish vitta which narrows apically and not attaining apex, and a narrower, submarginal longitudinal yellowish vitta beginning below humerus narrowing and reaching apical fifth, and another vague, dark costa between subsutural and submarginal vittae starting from basal tenth and reaching apical tenth; basal punctures on sutural intervals fine, shallow and discrete, becoming denser, finer and deeper apically, punctures between vittae, fine, deeper than ones on sutural intervals, becoming denser and deeper towards middle and shallower and sparser near apices; pubescence between vittae short, dark and depressed becoming denser and appressed apically with short, suberect, goldens setae on either side of subsutural vitae; apices sinuate with sutural and outer angle dentate, spines on outer angle short, not longer than one on sutural angles. Legs slender; femora slightly clavate, coarsely, densely punctate, dorsum clothed with short, depressed setae, inner surface clothed with suberect golden setae; metafemora arcuate near base, falling far short of elytral apices; tibiae coarsely, contiguously punctate, clothed with short, depressed setae; protibiae with inner surface densely clothed with short, depressed, golden pubescence; metatarsomere I, elongate, slightly longer than tarsomeres II and III combined. Abdomen nitid with broad median area finely, sparsely punctate and clothed with suberect golden setae, sides very finely, densely punctate and clothed with appressed, golden pubescent; apex of last sternite truncate.

Female: Length 18 mm. Head with punctures fine, subcontiguous, vertex with glabrous area in middle between eyes; front with punctures fine, irregular and subcontiguous, antennae exceeding elytra by an antennomere; antennomere III longer than I; IV shorter than III, subequal to I; V longer than IV and shorter than III; VI and VII subequal to V; VIII shorter than VII; IX subequal to VIII; X shorter than IX; XI subequal to V, apical one-fourth vaguely appendiculate. Pronotum with disc nitid, finely, discretely, punctate, basal half with broad, glabrous, impunctate area in middle; proepisternal area with punctures sparse, shallow; prosternum not impressed to vaguely impressed, transversely striate-punctate on apical half, basal half densely, minutely punctate, without transverse, subrectangular area above coxae as in male. Elytra 2.7 times as long as broad; each elytron with submarginal yellow vittae beginning below humerus reaching apical third; basal punctures between sutural intervals fine, separated, integument becoming rugulose apically. Metatarsi with tarsomere I subequal to tarsomeres II and III combined. Abdomen with apex of last sternite broadly rounded.

Etymology. This species is named after the black pronotum, Latin for “blacked necked” (i.e., nigricollis ), i.e., New Latin from niger “black” and collum “neck” referring to the pronotum.

Type materials. Holotype, male, MEXICO: Michoacán, 16.6 km S. Zumpimito, Hwy 37, km 98, 1150 m, 14 Oct. 1988, Mudge and Westcott ( CSCA) deposited in CSCA; allotype, female, MEXICO: Morelos, Jalastoc , 14 Sept. 1951, F. Mendoza P. ( EMEC 1327431 About EMEC ) deposited in EMEC. Four paratypes, all from MEXICO: Michoacán: 16.6 km S. Zumpimito, Hwy 37, km 98, 1150 m, 14 Oct. 1988, Mudge and Westcott (2 males, LGBC); 30.6 km N. La Mira, Hwy 37, 700 m, 12 Oct. 1988, Mudge and Westcott (1 male, LGBC); 33 km NE Arteaga, 980 m, (Hwy 37, K242), 10 Nov. 1976, E. Fischer, P. Sullivan (1 male, FWSC).

Discussion. Lophalia nigricollis new species can be differentiated from the other species by the larger overall size, black head and pronotum that lacks any metallic bluish or aenescent sheen. This species is included in Lophalia based on the overall glabrous form, small but dentate outer angle of elytral apices, and mandibles that are arcuate on sides. The genae of L. nigricollis is prominent with elevated frontogenal ridges ( Fig. 104–105 View Figures 99–108 ), and therefore, the anterior margins of lower eyes are well separated from the base of mandibles. The mesosternal intercoxal process is vaguely elevated, and not as prominent and abruptly declivous anteriorly as in other species. Other Lophalia species have head and pronotum with metallic bluish to greenish luster, outer angles of elytral apices more prominently spined, and genae that are much shorter with eyes closely set near the base of mandibles. Each elytron of L. nigricollis is tricostate with a vague, dark costa in between the two-ivory vittae, and the disc is more densely punctate, and densely pubescent with depressed dark setae. Other Lophalia species have sparsely pubescent glabrous elytra with either one or two costae on each elytron. The scutellum of L. nigricollis is triangular and is as long as wide while the other species of Lophalia have scutellum that is longer than wide. The males of L. nigricollis have pronotum that is densely punctate with punctures shallow and flattened, and the basal two-thirds of disc with a narrow, elongate, impunctate area in the middle. The pronotum of female is finely, sparsely punctate with the impunctate area in the middle of the disc that is broader than in males.