Bioacoustics of Laccophilus leguyaderi

Description of holotype . Habitus ( Fig. 1 ) oval, with lateral sides widely rounded, posteriorly strongly tapered to rather narrowly rounded apex; lateral outline continuous between pronotum and elytra; maximum body width at about 41% of total body length and about 27% of elytral length; dorsal surface evenly and moderately convex; in lateral view maximum height slightly posterior to first third of total length. Colouration. Dorsal surface of head rufo-testaceous. Pronotum rufo-testaceous, narrowly darkened along posterior margin. Elytron with typical alluaudi- group colour pattern as in Fig. 1 ; brown longitudinal vittae well-defined and rather strongly contrasting with testaceous background, leaving wide basal area and humeral region entirely testaceous; pale stripes between dark longitudinal vittae irregularly interrupted. Pronotal epipleura, propleura, lateral parts of prosternum, and diffusely delimited narrow area along lateral margin of metacoxal plate brown; rest of ventral surface rufo-testaceous ( Fig. 5 ). Antennae, palps, anterior and median legs testaceous; posterior legs rufotestaceous. Head . Anterior outline of clypeus widely rounded, subtruncated in middle. Surface shiny, with double reticulation; large meshes irregular and of variable sizes, more strongly impressed than small meshes; with sparse micropunctures, on vertex denser and coarser; larger punctures present along inner eye margins and in two irregular transverse rows sub-laterally on frons. Pronotum . Lateral margins evenly arcuate. Surface shiny, with double reticulation; large meshes irregular and of variable sizes, more strongly impressed than small meshes; small meshes rounded, more strongly impressed than on head; punctation inconspicuous except in anterior quarter and close to posterior angles with sparse, moderately large and coarse punctures. Elytron. Surface shiny, with double reticulation; large meshes indistinct except in scutellar region; small meshes irregularly polygonal, of rather homogeneous sizes, larger and much more strongly impressed than on pronotum; punctation inconspicuous beyond rather indistinct discal and lateral puncture rows. Ventral surface . Prosternal process lanceolate, strongly convex, with apex acutely pointed. Metacoxal lines anteriorly subparallel. Apical abdominal ventrite strongly convex, in posterior half almost tectiform; without protuberance; posterior margin unmodified, straight on each side of slightly produced, rounded apex. Entire ventral surface very shiny; on elytral epipleura, metaventrite, metacoxa and abdominal ventrites with very fine regular microstriae; on abdominal ventrites with oblique striae, more strongly impressed on ventrites I–III; surface impunctate except on antero-medial prosternal region, anterior region of metaventrite and apical abdominal ventrite with shallow punctures of moderate size. Metacoxal plate without stridulatory apparatus. Legs. Mesotibia strongly modified, very broad with dorsal outline strongly curved, ventral outline straight ( Fig. 5 ); along dorsal edge with row of very long setae; anterior surface mat, with very dense small punctures bearing short setae except in basal quarter and narrowly along apical margin (surface shiny, almost impunctate). Pro- and mesotarsomeres I–III rather strongly broadened, with four ventral transverse dense rows of adhesive setae. Protarsal claws about as long as protarsomere V; length of mesotarsal claws about 3/4 length of mesotarsomere V. Aedeagus . Median lobe in lateral view as in Fig. 9 , in ventral view as in Fig. 16 ; parameres as in Figs. 23–24 . Females. Mesotibia distinctly narrower (yet broader than usual in Laccophilus ); with row of long setae along dorsal edge less developed; anterior surface more shiny, with small punctures distinctly larger and sparser and impunctate area along apical margin wider. Pro- and mesotarsi not broadened, without ventral adhesive setae. Variability. Specimens vary slightly in habitus (length / width ratio) and dorsal colour pattern mainly with respect to intensity of the elytral brown longitudinal markings and degree of fragmentation of the pale interspaces between these dark bands, the overall elytral pattern being nevertheless highly stable. Measurements. Holotype : TL = 4.1 mm , TL without head = 3.9 mm , MW = 2.3 mm , ratio TL/MW = 1.80. Paratypes : TL = 3.95–4.5 mm (4.28±0.12), TL without head = 3.7–4.3 mm (4.06±0.11), MW = 2.2–2.5 mm (2.37±0.08), TL/MW = 1.73–1.91 (1.81±0.04).