Longitarsus afghanicus Lopatin

Konstantinov, Alexander S. & Lopatin, Igor K., 2000, Review Of The Longitarsus Asperifoliarum Group Of Species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 54 (2), pp. 200-220 : 201-202

Longitarsus afghanicus Lopatin , new status

Figs. 31–32

Longitarsus asperifoliarum afghanicus Lopatin 1963:366 (Type locality: NE Afghanistan, Nuristan, Bashgultal valley. Holotype in HNHM).

Distribution. Afghanistan ( Lopatin 1963).

Description. Body slightly convex. Length 1.74 mm, width 0.88 mm. Color dark brown with dark bronze reflection. Base of antennomere 1 and antennomeres 6–11 light brown, antennomeres 2–5 yellow. Metafemora dark brown with bronze reflection. Pro­ and mesofemora reddish brown. Tibiae yellow. Vertex strongly covered with transverse wrinkles, with well­developed supraorbital puncture above orbital sulcus surrounded by few deep punctures. Antennal callus poorly developed, not higher than vertex, delineated from vertex by shallow, extremely fine groove. Surface of antennal callus moderately shiny, lacking sculpture. Midfrontal and suprafrontal sulci absent. Frontal ridge high, convex in lateral view, narrow, much wider dorsally (forming sharp edge in front of anterofrontal ridge). Anterofrontal ridge thick, much thicker than but as high as frontal ridge, attached to end of frontal ridge. Second antennomere slightly longer than third, as long as fourth. Pronotum length/width ratio 1.26– 1.27, slightly wider basally. Lateral side convex, without denticle in front of middle, maximum width nearly in middle. Anterolateral callosity well developed, slightly lower anteriorly. Lateral margin narrowly explanated, explanations wider apically. Posterolateral callosity poorly developed, low, wide. Punctures round, deep, well defined, 2.0–2.5 times as large as interspaces 1. Interspaces slightly shagreened. Scutellum widely rounded on top. Elytron usually with well­developed humeral callus, maximum width behind middle. Apex broadly rounded with well developed angle. Punctures as large as pronotal, their diameter 2.0–2.5 times greater than distance between them. Interspaces shiny, without sculpture. Male metatibia curved in dorsal view. First metatarsomere of male 1.14 times longer than rest of tarsomeres together. Second metatarsomere of male as long as fourth and 1.57 times longer than third. Metatibial spur smaller than third metatarsomere. Tarsal claw thin, lacking denticle. Median lobe of aedeagus constricted in middle with deep, wide, parallel sided ventral groove. Bottom of groove membranous, with several well developed longitudinal wrinkles. Apex ogival with acute denticle ( Fig. 31 ).

Female unavailable for study.

Comments. This species was described as a subspecies of L. asperifoliarum . The best characters to separate it from L. asperifoliarum are the sculpture of the vertex (vertex is covered with wrinkles in the former and coarsely shagreened in the latter), the shape of the frontal ridge (much narrower in the former), the color of the legs and antennae (first antennomere with a darker base in the former), and the shape of the median lobe of the aedeagus ( Figs. 31–32 ). It is apparent that these are species­level characters.

Type Material. Holotype?: NE AFGHANISTAN, Nuristan, Bashgultal Valley , 1100 m, 6.04.1953, J. Klapperich ( HNHM) . Paratype: the same data as holotype (1? ILPC) .

Figures

Figs. 31–42. Median lobe of aedeagus. 31, 32) Longitarsus afghanicus Lopatin; 33– 39) L. asperifoliarum Weise; 40–42) L. hissaricus Lopatin.