Monolepta longiuscula Chapuis, 1879

Wagner, Thomas, 2020, Revision of Monolepta Chevrolat, 1836 species from North-East Africa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), Bonn zoological Bulletin 69 (2), pp. 225-247 : 226-227

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.20363/BZB-2020.69.2.225
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B7F64F10-0047-4E2B-86FF-AC61F1B55D26
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/115A87A2-FFF4-FFCE-FCA9-25CAFB76FA67
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Monolepta longiuscula Chapuis, 1879
status

Treatment

( Figs 1–2 View Fig View Fig )

Monolepta longiuscula Chapuis, 1879: 23 .

Type material. Holotypus. Female, “Abyss., Raffray / Regione boschiva da Goundet ad Adoua, 1000–2000m, 1873 / 5/8 “ ( MCGD). There is no information on specimen numbers in the original description, and I treat the only available specimen as holotype .

Further material studied. 9 specimens, 5 findings. Eritrea . 2 ex., Asmara , 15.00N / 38.56E ( IRSN, MNHB) GoogleMaps ; 3 ex., Adi-Caie , 14.50N / 39.21E, IX.1902, A. Andreini (MZUF) . – Ethiopia GoogleMaps . 2 ex., Abyss. , Raffray, coll. G. Allard ( MNHN) ; 2 ex., Adigrat , 14.16N / 39.27E, V GoogleMaps .1963, Linnavuori ( MZHF) .

Redescription. Total length. 4.00– 4.80 mm (mean: 4.60 mm; n = 6).

Head. Yellowish-red to red, vertex contrasting black, labrum red, labial and maxillary palpi yellow. Antennae entirely yellow to reddish-yellow, last two to three antennomeres more brownish, not contrasting black ( Fig. 1A View Fig ). Antennomeres slender, second and third in males signifi- cantly broader ( Fig. 2A View Fig ), second and third antennomeres usually of same length, length of antennomeres two to three 1.00–1.14 (mean: 1.07), length of antennomeres three to four 0.32–0.42 (mean: 0.37).

Thorax. Prothorax entirely yellowish-red ( Fig. 1A View Fig ), pronotum small and broad, pronotal width 1.10–1.40 mm (mean: 1.26 mm), pronotal length to width 0.60–0.64 (mean: 0.63), very finely punctured, shining. Elytral col- oration predominantly yellow, elytral base, humerus, first third of outer margin including epipleura, and about one third of suture black, with slight subapical enlargement of the black sutural patch ( Fig. 1A View Fig ). Elytra very slender, elytral length 3.00– 4.10 mm (mean: 3.60 mm), width of both elytra 1.90–2.50 mm (mean: 2.23 mm), with width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.62–0.70 (mean: 0.66). Scutellum red or black. Meso- and metathorax yellowish, legs yellow to reddish-yellow.

Abdomen. Black, strong contrasting to the yellowish underside of thorax ( Fig. 1A View Fig ).

Male genitalia. Median lobe slender, conical, signifi- cantly narrowed in the apical quarter, with broad and flat apex ( Fig. 1D View Fig ), straight and sometimes with fine setae ( Fig. 1 View Fig Da). Tectum broad, pointed at apex ( Fig. 1 View Fig Db), ventral groove slender, nearly parallel sided ( Fig. 1 View Fig Dc). Lateral endophallic spiculae short, small and characteristically twisted, median spiculae thin and slender, ventral spiculae large with one hook ( Fig. 1 View Fig Db, Dc).

Female genitalia. Spermatheca with small spherical nodulus, slender middle part and long cornu ( Fig. 1E View Fig ). Dorsal part of bursa sclerites slender, sub-triangular ( Fig. 1F View Fig ), ventral part slender triangular, outer margin finely undulate ( Fig. 1G View Fig ).

Diagnosis. In size and body shape most similar to M. vincta and M. ephippiata . Monolepta vincta with reduced transverse elytral band does not occur in North-East Africa, while the most dominant coloration type is with particular broad band ( Fig. 15 View Fig Ac, Ag), median lobe at apex more broad and flat in M. longiuscula , dorsal endophallic spiculae of other type ( Figs 1D View Fig , 15D View Fig ). Monolepta ephippiata with somewhat similar dorsal coloration ( Fig. 13 View Fig Ab), but than at least with median elytral spot, median lobe very different with narrow and point- ed apical part and very different endophallic armature ( Figs 1D View Fig , 13D View Fig ).

Distribution and ecology. An obviuously very rare species collected in the surroundings of Asmara in Eritrea and few adjacent locations of Ethiopia, partly without detailed location data ( Fig. 2 View Fig ).