Monolepta hitam, Hazmi & Wagner, 2022

Monolepta hitam sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5BC28167-B9D7-4C97-9B9A-E24B7153D593

Figs 26 View Fig , 48–49 View Fig View Fig

Type material. Hototype: ♂, “ Indonesia, Sulawesi Utara, Dumoga-Bone N. P. , July 1985 / R. Ent. Soc. London Project Wallace B. M. 195-10 / Tray 60 / Fog 13 230 m, 11.VII.85, BMNH Plot A” (BMNH; Fig. 48 View Fig ). Type locality: 0°32′ N / 123°58′ E. GoogleMaps – Paratypes: Indonesia. 9 ex., Sulawesi Tengah, Nr. Morowali , Ranu River Area , 27.I.–20.IV.1980, S. L. Sutton & C. J. Rees; M. J. D. Brendell, B. M. 1980-281 ( BMNH); GoogleMaps 24 ex., same data as holotype, II.–XII.1985 ( BMNH); GoogleMaps 6 ex., Dumoga Bone N. P. Toraut , 233 m, Sulawesi Utara, 21.V.1985, multistr. Evergreen forest, Rothamstead strap ( RMNH); GoogleMaps 2 ex., Edwards subcamp, 664 m, at light, 2.–5.V.1985, multistr. Evergreen forest , Rothamstead strap ( RMNH). GoogleMaps

Etymology. The name refers to the elytral colouration; hitam means “black” in Malay language.

Description

Total length. 4.60–6.00 mm (mean 5.16 mm; n = 10).

Head. Very finely punctuated, reddish-brown to dark-brown, labrum and mandible of same colour. Antenna long and slender, extending to the middle of the elytra, yellowish, seventh, eighth and terminal antennomere are partly dark-brown to blackish ( Figs 48b View Fig , 49A View Fig ). Second and third antennomere approximately of the same length; ratio length of second to third antennomere 0.78–1.00 (mean 0.95); ratio length of third to fourth antennomere 0.33–0.44 (mean 0.38; Fig. 49B View Fig ).

Thorax. Pronotum finely punctuated, reddish-brown to dark-brown as head. Pronotal width 1.35–1.60 mm (mean 1.48 mm), ratio length to width 0.63–0.66 (mean 0.64). Scutellum brownish, meso- and metathorax black. Elytron entirely blackish or in some specimens with narrow brownish-red apical margin ( Figs 48b View Fig , 49A View Fig ). Elytral length 3.65–4.45 mm (mean 3.98 mm), maximal width of both elytra together 2.50–3.00 mm (mean 2.65 mm), ratio of maximal width of both elytra together to length of elytron 0.64–0.68 (mean 0.67). Legs entirely reddish-brown.

Abdomen. Reddish-brown.

Male genitalia. Median lobe parallel-sided basally and becomes significantly narrow towards apex, tectum also apically narrowed. Median spiculae long and slender, few very long, lateral spiculae club-shaped, ventral spiculae club-shaped with spurs at apex ( Fig. 49C View Fig ).

Female genitalia. Spermatheca with spherical nodulus, comparatively large. Cornu long and curved ( Fig. 49D View Fig ). Bursa sclerites of similar size, slender, finely serrate ( Fig. 49E View Fig ).

Diagnosis. Monolepta hitam sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from other Sundaland species of Monolepta by colouration of the elytra. This is the only species that has almost entirely black elytra, in some specimens, brown reddish at apical margin. Somewhat similar is the equally sized Monolepta rufipennis (total length 4.75– 6.35 mm; M. hitam sp. nov. 4.60–6.00 mm) with black head and pronotum and reddish elytra ( Figs 36A View Fig ). The black seventh and eight antennomere ( Figs 48b View Fig , 49A View Fig ) is also a peculiar character of this new species.

Distribution. Only recorded from two sites on Sulawesi ( Fig. 26 View Fig ).