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 ficuzzensis
sp. n.
(
Figs. 5
,
31
,
80
,
94
)
Diagnosis
: Small (
3.30–3.80 mm
), elongate-subcylindrical; frons wide; epistoma slightly impressed, clypeus almost flat and shortly longitudinally impressed in middle; elytra with humeri rounded, clothed by dense brown scales here and there paler, and suberect setae with slightly widening apex; spermatheca as figured on
Fig. 94
.
Type
series
:
Holotype
female (
BEL
) with following labels: "Ƥ" [white, printed], [transparent label with genitalia in
DHMF
], "I, Sic., Palermo, Sicani, Bosco Ficuzza loc. Crocefisso m.900,
16.IV.2010
" [white, printed], "vaglio sotto
quercus
legg. Baviera, Bellò & Chemello" [white, printed], "coll. Cesare Bellò" [green, printed]; "
PABF
2.1" [white, printed], "
Pseudomeira ficuzzensis
sp. n.
,
Holotype
, det.
Bellò 2010
" [red, partly printed].
Paratypes
:
3 females
, "Sicilia, Palermo, Ficuzza, loc. Crocefisso,
N 37°51.945”
E 013°23.223”
,
910 m
,
20.IV.06
, sotto
Quercus
sp., leg. Bellò" (
BEL
,
PIE
); 1Ƥ, ibidem,
29.VI.07
, leg.Bellò (
BEL
);
20 females
, "Corleone (Palermo) Ficuzza,
13.V.2007
, leg. Pierotti" (
PIE
);
1 females
, "I., Sic., PA, Sicani, bosco Ficuzza, loc.Crocefisso,
900 m
, vaglio sotto
Quercus
,
16 IV 2010
, leg. Baviera, Bellò & Chemello" (
BAV
). Molecular analyses were made of 2 of the 26
paratypes
at hand.
Other material
: A single female labeled "PA, Ficuzza, Alpe Cucco, m 1000, v.[ag]lio lettiera
Quercus
, 10/
13– III
–’09, legg. Baviera & Bellò" (
BEL
) and three females labeled "S. PA, Sicani, Ficuzza, Alpe Cucco “B”,
950 m
,
Quercus
& Hedera
,
N 37°51.818”
E 013°25.033”
,
25.IX.2010
, leg. Baviera" (
BEL
), provisionally considered as belonging to this species.
Holotype
female: Length:
3.80 mm
. Body elongate, elytra longer than wide, with subparallel sides. Dorsal vestiture of imbricate dark brown scales and suberect setae with slightly widening apex; paler small markings on disc of both elytra and pronotum.
Rostrum subquadrate, barely narrowing towards apex. Epistoma slightly depressed, plate without bulging edges; pterygia evident; clypeus enlarged apically, with longitudinal depression not continuing on frons; frons almost twice as wide as clypeus between antennae. Eyes convex. Antennae short and robust; scape more robust than funicle with curved base and progressively thickening towards apex; first five funicular segments with clubbed setae; first segment shorter than combined length of following two, second slightly longer than third, segments 4–7 pearl-shaped; club short, fusiform and with first segment widely conical.
Pronotum slightly transverse (length:
0.80 mm
, width:
0.90 mm
), sides sinuate, disc with punctures usually hidden by scales.
Elytra rather elongate (length:
2.40 mm
, width:
1.65 mm
), sub-cylindrical, disc almost flat, humeri short, round and slightly prominent. Striae inconspicuous, catenulate, interstriae feebly convex. Legs reddish; femora only slightly clubbed, edentate; tibiae straight, external margin of apex of protibiae blunt, internal apical margin devoid of spines but with apical mucro; protarsi short and robust, third joint shortly bilobed, onychium curved, claws fused at base.
Spiculum ventrale:
Fig. 80
; spermatheca:
Fig. 94
.
Paratypes
.
Holotype
and
paratypes
differs only in size dimensions. Length:
3.30–3.80 mm
. All
paratypes
are females.
Distribution
: Known only from the
type
locality.
Etymology
: From the ‘Bosco della Ficuzza’, at the foot of the mountain ‘Rocca Busambra’.
Ecology
: Adults have been sifted from compacted leaf-litter in late spring. They are not evident during the hot dry summer, and probably overwinter deeper in the soil.
Reproduction
: Apparently parthenogenetic.