Cazeresia laevigata, Gómez-Zurita & Cardoso, 2025

Gómez-Zurita, Jesús & Cardoso, Anabela, 2025, Systematics and evolution of the New Caledonian endemic genus Cazeresia (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Eumolpinae), Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny 83, pp. 127-170 : 127-170

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/asp.83.e143543
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9FC2F5B4-97ED-4E25-9ECF-7F670BB36DA5
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15594262
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/D99A1911-D77F-5519-9267-636CD43AD49A
treatment provided by	Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny by Pensoft
scientific name	Cazeresia laevigata
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Cazeresia laevigata sp. nov.

Figures 1 o View Figure 1 , 7 l View Figure 7 , 8 b View Figure 8

Material.

Holotype: Male, JGZC-5111 , Mt. Ouin Rd, 0–0.5 km N of Dzumac jct , -22.0318 166.4674, 900 m, night beating, 4.xii.2010, R. Ruta and M. Wanat leg., Holotype Cazeresia laevigata sp. nov. Gómez-Zurita & Cardoso [red label] ( MNHW) GoogleMaps . — Paratypes: MNHW: 3 males (one with: JGZC-5561 ) and 2 females (one with: JGZC-5112 ), Mt. Ouin Rd, 0–0.5 km N of Dzumac jct , -22.0318 166.4674, 900 m, night beating, 4.xii.2010, R. Ruta and M. Wanat leg., Paratype Cazeresia laevigata sp. nov. Gómez-Zurita & Cardoso [red label] GoogleMaps ; 3 females (one with: JGZC-5447 ), Mt. Ouin Rd, 0.4–1.0 km N of Dzumac jct , -22.0244 166.4706, 900 m, night coll., 6.xii.2010, M. Wanat and R. Ruta leg., Paratype Cazeresia laevigata sp. nov. Gómez-Zurita & Cardoso [red label] GoogleMaps ; 1 male, JGZC-5457 , Dzumac Mts., Mt. Ouin road junction , -22.03188 166.46738, 910 m, night, 28.x.2008, M. Wanat leg., Paratype Cazeresia laevigata sp. nov. Gómez-Zurita & Cardoso [red label] GoogleMaps ; 1 male, JGZC-5190 , Dzumac Mts., Mt. Ouin road jct. , -22.03188 166.46738, 900 m, night beating, 29.x.2008, M. Wanat leg., Paratype Cazeresia laevigata sp. nov. Gómez-Zurita & Cardoso [red label] GoogleMaps ; 1 female, JGZC-5472 , Mt. Dzumac (base), km 1.5–3.0E of Ouin rd jct. , -22.0371 166.4957, 800 m, rainforest, 6.xii.2010, R. Ruta and M. Wanat leg., Paratype Cazeresia laevigata sp. nov. Gómez-Zurita & Cardoso [red label] GoogleMaps .

Other material examined.

MNHW: 1 female ( JGZC-5097 ), Koghi Mts. , humid forest, 22°11’S 166°30’E, 500–550 m, 21.i.2004, M. Wanat leg. GoogleMaps

Description.

Body elongate elliptic, moderately convex. Apex of mandibles, facial sutures, pronotum and most of hypomera dark brown; base of mandibles, antennomeres 7–10 and base of 11, scutellum, elytra, ventral surfaces, including coxae and trochanters, base of tibiae and femora brown; labrum, palpi, basal six antennomeres, apex of antennomere 11, and most of legs pale testaceous to ochre. Length: 4.8 mm; width: 2.6 mm (range of male specimens: 4.4–5.3 mm long, 2.4–2.8 mm wide).

Frons with few small puntures anteriorly and supraocular sulci prolonged medially to middle of dorsal edge of supraantennal calli; clypeus with several small punctures basally and anterior border moderately emarginate. Eyes separate on frons by 1.8 × their transverse diameter. Relative proportions of antennomeres: 1.7-1.0 - 1.4 - 1.6 - 2.1 - 1.9 - 2.3 - 2.0 - 2.0 - 2.0 - 2.5. Pronotum rather shiny with abundant shallow micropunctures. Prosternal process about 2 / 3 as wide as transverse diameter of procoxae. Elytra about 1.2 × as long as ensemble width at base, widest behind humeri; surface nearly smooth, shiny, with relatively large punctures, smaller than intervals, rather confused on disc. Basitarsomeres enlarged, as wide as third tarsomere, except on mesotarsi, shorter than second and third tarsomeres combined in mesotarsi, and as long as these in pro- and metatarsi. Median apodeme of first abdominal ventrite about half as long as ventrite, arched, narrower than mesosternal process; ventrites finely microreticulated, with sparse fine punctures and long fine, posteriorly adpressed pale yellow setae. Penis (Fig. 7 l View Figure 7 ) slender, regularly curved ventrally, with weakly concave sides in ventral view; apex markedly elongate, arched, with large triangular blunt tip at middle; gonopore relatively elongate elliptical, with distal end separated from apex of penis by distance longer than maximum width of gonopore; dorsal flap subtrapezoidal, longer than wide, covering slightly less than half of gonopore. — Females. In this species, apart from typical sexually dimorphic traits, females also have most of the anterior half of lateral declivity of elytra with uneven surface. Spermatheca (Fig. 1 o View Figure 1 ) with cornu shorter than nodulus, bent more or less at right angle relative to nodulus; nodulus bulbous basally, with short protruding insertion of spermathecal gland submedially, opposite to cornu; spermathecal duct thin, inserted laterally near base of nodulus, oriented opposite to cornu and recurved at acute angle with nodulus, and about as long or slightly longer than nodulus before gradual enlargement with one complete, elongate coil.

Diagnosis.

From other species smaller than 6.0 mm, with body proportions> 1.8, dark pronotum, glabrous brown elytra and pale testaceous legs, C. laevigata sp. nov. is recognizable based on the rather unique shape of penis, with elongate apex and large triangular blunt tip, not evidently mucronate (Fig. 7 l View Figure 7 ). The only other similar species of Cazeresia without mucronate penis are C. gracilis sp. nov. and C. wanati sp. nov., and in these species the distance between distal border of gonopore and apex of penis is also much longer than width of gonopore. The basal margin of pronotum of C. laevigata is punctured throughout, a feature shared with C. gracilis , but not so apparent in C. wanati , which could assist identifying these species. Moreover, apart from this trait, the females of C. laevigata should be more easily confused with those of C. wanati (the spermatheca of C. gracilis is highly distinctive), and perhaps another way to try to distinguish them is based on the slight undulate lateral declivities of elytra in C. laevigata .

Derivatio nominis.

This species has the sculpture of pronotum smoother than most other species in the group, appearing almost glossy. This trait is highlighted in the name of the species, with the participle (f.) of the Latin verb lēvigō (= to polish), used as adjective, thus meaning polished or smoothed.

Distribution.

The species is known from a couple of mid to high elevation localities between Nouméa and the Massif du Sud (Fig. 8 b View Figure 8 ).