Monolepta orientalis Jacoby, 1889

Hazmi, Izfa Riza & Wagner, Thomas, 2022, Revision of Monolepta Chevrolat, 1836 from the Sundaland area (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), Bonn zoological Bulletin 71 (2), pp. 139-176 : 152-153

Monolepta orientalis Jacoby, 1889

Figs 19–21

Monolepta orientalis Jacoby, 1889: 227 .

= Monolepta konbirensis Duvivier, 1891: 47 (syn. by Maulik 1936: 407).

Type material. Monolepta orientalis . Syntypes: “ India / Monolepta orientalis Jac. / 1 st Jacoby Coll. / Type 18437” ( MCZH; Fig. 19 ); “Bhamo, Birmania, Fea VIII. / orientalis Jac. / Monolpet aorientalis Jac.” ( MCGD) .

Monolepta konbirensis : Type material is not available to us, Maulik (1936) mentioned three specimens in coll. Duvivier in BMNH. We adopt Maulik′ s (1936) state- ment that it is a junior synonym of Monolepta orientalis Jacoby, 1889 .

Further material examined. – Bangladesh. 2 ex., Bengal ( BMNH) ; 18 ex., Bengal, Mandar , 23º41′ N / 90º21′ E, VII .1891, P. Cardon ( IRSN) . – India. 1 ex., India ( IRSN) ; 1 ex., Kanara ( BMNH) ; 2 ex., Khasia Hills , 25º34′ N / 91º39′ E ( BMNH) ; 1 ex., Bom- bay, 18º54′ N / 73º05′ E ( BMNH) ; 1 ex., Nandidrug, S. India, T . V . C ( BMNH); 2 ex., South India , Pondicherry State, 10º55′ N / 79º50′ E, Karikal ( MNHU) ; 1 ex., South Mysore , 12°16′ N / 76°38′ E, H. E. Andrewes ( BMNH) ; 19 ex., Nilgiri Hills , 11º25′ N / 76º30′ E, G. F. Hampson, H. E. Andrewesi, A. K. Weld Downing ( BMNH) ; 4 ex., Travancore , Wallardi, Collection J. Achard ( BMNH) ; 1 ex., Nilgiri Hills , 11º25′ N / 76º30′ E, A. K. Weld Dow- ning ( BMNH) ; 5 ex., Belgaum , 15º51′ N / 74º30′ E, 1891 ( BMNH) ; 1 ex., Deolali , 19º28′ N / 74º37′ E, 1.I.1922, Maj. J. E. M. Boyd ( BMNH) ; 28 ex., South India , S. Co- org-Ammatti, 3100 ft., 12º25′ N / 75º44′ E, II.–XI.1952, P. S. Nathan ( IRSN) ; 1 ex., Anamalai Hills, Cinchona 3500 ft., V .1967, P.S.N. ( MNHU) ; 2 ex., South India, Karnataka State, Chikmagalur , 13º18′ N / 75º46′ E, V .1982, 4000 ft., T . R . S. Nathan ( CJB) ; 1 ex., North Indien, 600 m Uttar Pradesh, Shiwalik Kette , 13 km SW Dehra Dun, 27º34′ N / 80º05′ E, 20. VIII .1985, J. Schulze ( MNHU) ; 1 ex., India, Kerala, 27 km S. Calicut, Univ. Calicut Botanical Garden , 11º15′ N / 75º46′ E, 6.X.1985, N. F. Johnson, D. C. Darling ( CJB) ; 1 ex., N. India , Chandigar, 30º43′ N / 76º46′ E, VIII .1986, K. Werner ( MNHU) ; 1 ex., Pune , 18º31′ N / 73º51′ E, II.–IX.1997, H. V . Ghate ( BMNH) . – Indonesia. 1 ex., Batavia, Tanjong Priok , 6º07′ S / 106º52′ E, 90-80 ( BMNH) . – Malaysia. 1 ex., Malay Penin. ( BMNH) ; 1 ex., Island of Penang, 5º15′ N / 100º29′ E, Baker ( NHRS) ; 1 ex., Malay Penin., West Coast , Langkawi Is., 6º21′ N / 99º47′ E, 28.IV.1928 ( BMNH) ; 1 ex., Kedah, Pulau Langkawi, Teluk Datai , 6º23′ N / 99º42′ E, 20. V .1992, Ismail et al. ( UKM) ; 2 ex., Perlis, Taman Negeri Wang Klian , 6º40′ N / 100º11′ E, 29.IX.–4.X.1999, Zaidi et al. ( UKM) . – Myanmar. 1 ex., N. Toungoo, L. Burma , 18º56′ N / 96º25′ E, XII .26, H. G. C. ( BMNH). – Nepal. 3 ex., Chitwan Nat. Pk. , 700′, 27º29′ N / 84º24′ E, 3.–6. VI .1983, Sauraha, at MV light ( BMNH). – Sri Lanka. 3 ex., Konbi ( MNHU) ; 7 ex., Band., Horn ( MNHU) ; 3 ex., Ceylon, 30388 ( MNHU) ; 1 ex., Weligama , 5º58′ N / 80º26′ E, 1899, W. Horn ( MNHU) ; 10 ex., Kandy , 7º18′ N / 80º36′ E, VI .–IX.1907/1916, G. E. Bryant ( BMNH) ; 2 ex., Fraserpet, Coorg., VII .1930, F. R. I. Sandal, Insect Survey ( BMNH) ; 4 ex., Ayur, North Salem , VII .– II.1930 /31, F. R . I. Sandal, Insect Survey ( BMNH) .

Redescription

Total length. 4.10–5.80 mm (mean 4.68 mm, n = 10).

Head. Very finely punctuated, entirely brownish-yel- low. Labrum and mandible black. Antenna slender, extending almost to the middle of elytra, entirely yellow, terminal antennomere usually blackish ( Fig. 20A ). Second and third antennomere approximately of the same length; ratio length of second to third antennomere 0.85– 1.00 (mean 0.97); ratio length of third to fourth antennomere 0.30–0.44 (mean 0.37; Fig. 20B ).

Thorax. Pronotum finely punctuated, entirely yellow, rarely yellowish-brown. Pronotal width 1.20–1.80 mm (mean 1.52 mm), ratio length to width 0.55–0.59 (mean 0.58). Scutellum brownish. Meso- and metathorax reddish to brownish. Elytron reddish-brown with a broad yellowish transverse band beyond the middle, bounded above and below by a narrow black band, and another narrow black band at base. In few specimens, elytron black with one transverse brown-reddish band at the basal half. Elytral length 2.90–4.50 mm (mean 3.68 mm), maximal width of both elytra together 2.10–3.50 mm (mean 2.73 mm), ratio of maximal width of both elytra together to length of elytron 0.70–0.78 (mean 0.74). Legs yellow to yellowish-brown, middle and hindfemur dark brown, often also hind-taris darker.

Abdomen. Brownish-red.

Male genitalia. Median lobe broad, becomes significantly narrowed towards apex. Few strong, slightly curved median spiculae, lateral spiculae broad, slightly s-shaped curved ( Fig. 20 Ca), ventral spiculae short and strong ( Fig. 20 Cb).

Female genitalia. Spermatheca with small nodulus, long, slender and curved cornu ( Fig. 20D ). Dorsal bursa sclerites with spines, ventral one only slightly longer than dorsal spiculae, only with undulate margin ( Fig. 20E ).

Diagnosis. Monolepta orientalis can be easily distinguished by the specific colouration pattern on the elytra ( Figs 19b , 20A ) it is, together with size, and some external measurements, somewhat similar to M. flavofasciata ( Figs 22a , 23A ). In doubtful cases, species delimitation can be easily done by the significant differences in geni- tal patterns of both sexes ( Figs 20C–E , 23C–E ).

Distribution. Widely distributed in the north-western part of the Oriental Region, in particular in India ( Fig. 21 ).

Figures

Fig. 19. Type material of Monolepta orientalis Jacoby, 1889, syntype (MCZH).

Fig. 20. Monolepta orientalis Jacoby, 1889. A. Colour pattern. B. Basal antennomeres. C. Median lobe, a. dorsal, b. lateral, c. ventral, without endophallic structures. D. Spermathecae. E. Bursa-sclerites, a. dorsal, b. ventral.

Fig. 21. Distribution of Monolepta orientalis Jacoby, 1889 and M. flavofasciata Jacoby, 1889.

Fig. 22. Material of Monolepta flavofasciata Jacoby, 1889, no type, but collected nearby type locality at same time (MCZH).

Fig. 23. Monolepta flavofasciata Jacoby, 1889. A. Colour pattern. B. Basal antennomeres. C. Median lobe, a. dorsal, b. lateral, c. ventral, without endophallic structures. D. Spermathecae. E. Bursa-sclerites, a. dorsal, b. ventral.