On the Sicilian species of Pseudomeira Stierlin (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae) Author Bellò, Cesare Author Baviera, Cosimo text Zootaxa 2011 3100 35 68 journal article 45977 10.5281/zenodo.204879 e289c8b1-0af5-4775-8b7b-2bbfac2ea24c 1175-5326 204879 Pseudomeira erinacea sp. n. ( Figs. 18 , 44 , 87 , 101 ) Peritelus ( Pseudomeira ) solarii Péricart, 1963 : 40 (pars). Pseudomeira solarii : Pierotti & Bellò, 1994 : 113 (pars). Diagnosis : Middle-sized (3.70–5.00 mm), suboval. Epistoma impressed, clypeus almost flat and longitudinally rather deeply impressed in middle; elytra clothed by earth-brown scales and rather thin almost erect setae, here and there both paler. Type series : Holotype female ( BEL ) with the following labels: "Ƥ" [white, printed], [transparent label with genitalia in DHMF ], "I, Sic.[ilia], Castiglione di Sic.[ilia], 600 m , vaglio sotto Olea sp., 26.V.09 , leg. Baviera" [white, printed], "coll. Cesare Bellò" [green, printed]; " MECG 1.2" [green, handwritten], " Pseudomeira erinacea sp. n. , Holotype , det. Bellò 2010 " [red, partly printed]. Paratypes : 3 females , I, Sic., Castiglione di Sic., m 600, vaglio sotto Olea , 26.V.09 , leg.Baviera ( BAV , BEL ); 3 females , I, Sic., Catania, Castiglione di Sicilia, 600 m , vaglio sotto Olea , 19.IV.2010 , N 37°52.27’ 6, E 015°07.5’ 8, legg. Baviera & Bellò ( BEL ); 9 females , Sicilia, ME, Nebrodi, foresta Malabotta, 23.VI.07 , sotto Quercus sp., leg. Bellò ( BEL ); 2Ƥ, idem, 23.VI.07 , leg. Bellò ( BEL ); 4 females , Sicilia, Messina, Peloritani, Bosco di Malabotta, 1300 m , vaglio Fagus , 24.IV.2006 , leg. Baviera ( BAV ; BEL ); 6 females , I, Sicilia, Messina, Floresta, S. Giacomo, vaglio lettiera di Quercus , 29 VI ’10, leg. Baviera ( BAV , BEL ), 2females , I, Sicilia, Messina, Floresta, S. Giacomo, vaglio lettiera di Quercus , 21 VII 2010 , N 37°57.19’ 1, E 014° 55.06’ 4, leg. Baviera C. ( BAV , BEL ). Types are 30 females , genitalia of 6 were studied and of them molecular preparation was made. Other material : Waiting for more detailed morphological and molecular studies, we consider the additional 105 females (genitalia of 6 of them studied) as belonging to this species. They came from the following localities: Castelvetrano, Vallone Zangara ( BEL ; PIE ); Ficuzza ( ANG , BEL , DOD , FOR , HOF , LEO , LUI , MAN , SOL , STE , VIT ); Ficuzza loc. Alpe Cucco ( BEL ); Ficuzza loc. Bosco Fanuso ( BEL ); Madonie loc. Ortaggi ( BAV , BEL ); Marineo, Bosco Cappelliero ( BEL , PIE ); Pioppo f. Oreto ( BEL , PIE ); Rocca Busambra ( BEL , PIE ); sine patria ( RAG ). Holotype female. Length: 4.85 mm . Robust, oval-shaped, elytra longer than wide. Dorsal vestiture of imbricate, earth-brown and brown scales and almost erect brown rather thin setae; paler small markings are on disc of both elytra and pronotum. Rostrum subquadrate, sides converging towards apex. Epistoma concave with bulging margins; pterygia inconspicuous; clypeus in front wider than at base, with a longitudinal depression not continuing that on frons. Eyes slightly convex. Antennal scape just slightly more robust than funicle, slightly curved and progressively thickening towards apex; first 4 funicular segments with clubbed setae; first segment as long as than the combined length of the following two, second twice as long as third, segments 4–7 pearl-shaped; club elongate, fusiform and with the first segment widely conical. Pronotum slightly transverse (length: 1.00 mm, width: 1.20 mm ), sides sinuate, disc with punctures usually hidden by the scales. Elytra oval (length: 3.00 mm, width: 2.00 mm), disc slightly convex, humeri short, round and slightly prominent. Striae inconspicuous, catenulate, interstriae feebly convex. Legs quite short and robust; femora clubbed, edentate; tibiae short, almost straight, external margin of protibiae blunt, internal one devoid of spines; protarsi short and robust, third joint shortly bilobed, onychium curved, claws short and fused at base. Spiculum ventrale: see Fig. 87 ; spermatheca: see Fig. 101 . Paratypes : Only females. Specimens of Castiglione are bigger (mm 4.20–5.00) of Malabotta ones (mm 3.70– 4.20). No significant differences were observed between the holotype and paratypes . Length: 3.70–5.00 mm. Distribution : Northern and central Sicily. Etymology : Named after the hedgehog ( Erinaceus europaeus L., 1758) in reference to the erect thin setae on the dorsal surface. Ecology : This species prefers cool shadowy places, and has been found sifting under Fagus sp., Olea sp., Rubus sp., Quercus sp., Fraxinus sp., Smilax sp. Adults occur in spring and/or autumn, according to the elevation, with diapause in summer or in winter. Pseudomeira erinacea is a parthenogenetic species collected at Castiglione di Sicily together with P. vitalei ; at Malabotta, Marineo and Ficuzza with Heteromeira neapolitana ; at Pioppo with Dolichomeira dubia Pierotti & Bellò, 1994 and at Castelvetrano with Dolichomeira sp.. Reproduction : Parthenogenetic. Notes : Only detailed morphological, ecological and molecular studies have allowed for the recognition of this cryptic species, incorrectly indicated from some localities as P. s o l a r i i by Péricart (1963) and Pierotti & Bellò (1994) .