Zoological Studies 48(4): 558-568 (2009) Prionispa houjayi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Oncocephalini), a Newly Recorded Genus and New Species from Taiwan, with a Description of Its Immature Stages and Notes on Its Bionomy Chi-Feng Lee1,*, Jolanta Świętojańska2, and Charles L. Staines3 1Applied Zoology Division, Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, 189 Chung-Cheng Road, Wufeng, Taichung 413, Taiwan 2Zoological Institute, University of Wrocław, Przbyszewskiego 63/77, 51-148 Wrocław, Poland. E-mail:[email protected] 3Department of Entomology, MRC 187, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA. E-mail:[email protected] (Accepted November 17, 2008) Chi-Feng Lee, Jolanta Świętojańska, and Charles L. Staines (2009) Prionispa houjayi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Oncocephalini), a newly recorded genus and new species from Taiwan, with a description of its immature stages and notes on its bionomy. Zoological Studies 48(4): 558-568. The larva, pupa, and adult of Prionispa houjayi sp. nov., a new species in the Oncocephalini are described and illustrated in detail. Some autapomorphies of the immature stages of this new species are proposed by comparing it to Chaeridiona picea Baly, C. thailandica Kimoto, and Oncocephala quadrilobata (Guérin), including the quadrate abdominal apex and prominent labial palpi in the larva, and the lateral scoli of the pronotum in the pupa. Prionispa houjayi sp. nov. larvae mine the leaves of Disporum Salisbury (Liliaceae). This is the first host record of the Liliaceae for the subfamily Cassidinae. http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/48.4/558.pdf Key words: Morphology, Larva, Pupa, Liliaceae, Disporum. Leaf beetles of Taiwan were intensively Taiwan. studied by Chûjô (1930s-1960s) and Kimoto and The genus Prionispa belongs to the tribe Takizawa (1960s-1990s). Kimoto and Takizawa Oncocephalini Weise, 1911 which can be (1997) arranged all species of Taiwanese distinguished from other tribes by the lateral chrysomelids systematically into a book, including margin of the pronotum and elytra without spines, descriptions, keys, larvae, and host plants. the elytra having a scutellar row, by the large Recently the Taiwan Chrysomelid Research Team triangular clypeus, by the base of the elytra (TCRT) was initiated to inventory all species of the being wider than the base of the pronotum, and Chrysomelidae found in Taiwan, especially species by the elytra being strongly expanded apically which were not recorded by Kimoto and Takizawa (Würmli 1975). The tribe contains 2 other genera: (1997). One book, The Chrysomelidae of Taiwan I, Oncocephala Agassiz, 1846 with 38 species published by this team (Lee and Cheng 2007) is the (Staines unpubl. data) and Chaeridiona Baly, 1869 first book of the series introducing the chrysomelids with 9 species (Staines 2007) (Seeno and Wilcox of Taiwan. In the course of investigating Taiwanese 1982). Prionispa contains 28 described species chrysomelids, a member of the TCRT, Mr. Hou- and has never been revised (Staines unpubl. data). Jay Chen found 1 population of a strange hispine Prionispa species are recorded from Bangladesh, species in Wulai, northern Taiwan. It turned out to China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, be a new species of the genus Prionispa Chapuis, Nepal, New Guinea, the Philippines, Thailand, 1875 which was never previously recorded from and Vietnam (Staines unpubl. data). The genus * To whom correspondence and reprints requests should be addressed. Tel: 886-4-23302301 ext. 631. Fax: 886-4-23302804. E-mail:[email protected] 558 Lee et al. – Prionispa houjayi, a New Species from Taiwan 559 can be distinguished from other oncocephaline using a Nikon SMZ 1500 stereomicroscope, and genera by the following combination of characters: figures were drawn using a Nikon ECLIPSE 80i the head without a protuberance and carinate microscope with phase contrast. between the antennal bases; the labial palps Uhmann (1943 1949) was the first author having 3 palpomeres; the antennae not striate, to notice that spines and tubercles on the elytra with antennomere III longer than I and II combined; of adults can be diagnostic and developed the and the pronotum not tuberculate (Würmli 1975). nomenclature system of acanthotaxy. On the Immature stages of only 5 species in elytra, labels“I-VI”indicate that the tubercle two of these genera have been described. or spine is located in the interval between that Uhmann (1956) described the larva and pupa stria and the next. Arabic numerals indicate how of O. tuberculata Pic, 1926 from Indonesia. close tubercles are to the base of the elytra. Świętojańska et al. (2006) described the larvae and Terminology of the reproductive system follows pupae of C. picea Baly, 1869 and O. quadrilobata Chaboo (2007). Descriptions of immature stages (Guérin, 1844) from India, and Świętojańska follows Świętojańska et al. (2006). Terminology of and Kovac (2007) described the larva and pupa the chaetotaxy of the head follows Borowiec and of Ch. thailandica Kimoto, 1998 from Thailand. Świętojańska (2003). Only those of Prionispa remain unknown. In the The holotype, paratypes, and immatures present study, we diagnose and propose a new (14 adults, 6 larvae, and 5 pupae) are deposited species, Prionispa houjayi sp. nov., and describe at the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, the adult and immature stages. The egg stage in Taichung, Taiwan. Paratypes (12 specimens) are the Oncocephalini was previously unknown and also deposited in the Department of Biodiversity is described here for the first time. We propose and Evolutionary Taxonomy, Zoological Institute, possible autapomorphies of the genus Prionispa. University of Wrocław, Poland; and the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA. Host plant vouchers were MATERIALS AND METHODS identified by Chih-Kai Yang and are deposited at the Herbarium, Research Center for Biodiversity, The population was first found in Apr. 2007 in Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan. Wulai Township (Taipei County, northern Taiwan), in a deciduous forest at an elevation of 120-500 m, 121'33°E 24'52°N. Field observations investigating RESULT the life history were made over 1 yr, and records were taken monthly. Liliaceae leaves infested Prionispa houjayi sp. nov. with Prionispa houjayi sp. nov. were cut and taken to the laboratory for rearing. One host plant was Materials: Holotype ♂: Taiwan: Taipei, Wulai. transferred to the laboratory to observe pupation. 9 May 2007, leg. H.C.(J.) Chen. The immatures were preserved in 70% ethyl Paratypes (25 specimens): 5 examples (exs.), alcohol, and the adults were mounted on cards. same data as for holotype; 4 exs., same locality To prepare drawings of the adult reproductive and collector, 22 June 2007; 13 exs., same locality systems, the abdomens of adults were separated and collector, 20 July 2007; 2 exs., same locality, and boiled in a 10% KOH solution, cleared in 15 June 2007, leg. C.F. Lee; 2 exs., same locality, distilled water, and then mounted on slides with 19 June 2007, leg. S.F. Yu. glycerin. Slides were examined using a Leica Adult (n = 5): Length 3.9-4.6 mm; width 2.0-2.5 M165 stereomicroscope (Japan), and figures were mm (as the maximum width of the elytra). Color drawn using a Nikon ECLIPSE 50i microscope blackish-brown (Figs. 1-3); antenna whitish-yellow (Japan). but antenomeres I and II and VII-XI dark brown; To study and illustrate the mouthparts, larvae legs whitish-yellow but tarsi darkened. were boiled in a 10% KOH solution, cleared in Head: Wedge-shaped; acutely produced distilled water, and then mounted on slides with between antennal bases; vertex deeply and Swan’s liquid (20 g distilled water, 15 g gum densely punctate; intervals between punctures with arabic, 60 g chlorhydrate, 3 g glucose, and 2 g mesh-shaped depressions. Antenna 1.2x length of glacial acetic acid) and glycerin. Heads of larvae head and pronotum combined; slightly thickened were separated from the rest of the body, and then apically; antennomere I robust, thicker than others, the mouthparts were dissected. Slides were made subequal to II in length; II shorter and thicker 560 Zoological Studies 48(4): 558-568 (2009) than III; III-VI subequal in width, each decreasing in length; VII shorter and thicker than VI; VIII-X transverse, subequal in length; XI longer than X, pointed at apex; VIII-XI setose. VI1 II1 Pronotum: Convex; 1.3x wider than long; VI1 II1 lateral margin bisinuate, rounded in middle; anterior and posterior angles with 2 teeth; disc deeply and densely punctate, intervals between punctures with a mesh-shaped depression; with 1 feeble tubercle near anterior margin at each side. Elytra (Figs. 4, 5): Lateral margin expanding III2 to apex, slightly dentate; exterior apical angle III2 rounded, laminate; apical margin slightly dentate, laminate; disc with 6 prominent tubercles: II1, II3, III2, IV4, VI1, and VI3; VI3 less prominent, VI1 projecting laterally. Venter : Prosternum deeply punctate; meso- VI3 VI3 II3 and metasternum, and 1st visible abdominal II3 sternum with punctures only present near anterior margin. Male genitalia (Figs. 6-8): Aedeagus IV4 IV4 moderately curved, apex narrowly rounded; internal sac elongate, about 0.52 times as long 4 5 Figs. 4, 5. Prionispa houjayi sp. nov., left elytron. 4. Dorsal view; 5. lateral view (with punctures omitted). 6 7 8 9 0.1 mm 1 2 3 0.1 mm Figs. 1-3. Prionispa houjayi sp. nov. 1. Dorsal view; 2. lateral Figs. 6-9.