A new AfrotropicalNeobarombiella species from Socotra Island (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae)
Author
Bolz, Helmut
Author
Wagner, Thomas
text
Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae
2014
2014-12-30
54
277
281
journal article
4650
10.5281/zenodo.5312264
ce02379f-64c1-4abb-84bb-6b828367ee98
0374-1036
5312264
4E9193CD-2497-41D1-9A68-1E2D23B207B5I
Neobarombiella socotrana
sp. nov.
(
Figs 1–5
)
Type
locality.
Yemen
,
Socotra Island
, Dixam plateau, Tudhen,
12°33.7′N
,
53°59.9′E
.
Type material examined.
HOLOTYPE
: J, ‘
YEMEN
,
SOCOTRA ISLAND
, Dixam plateau, TUDHEN, shrubland with
Commiphora planifrons
, 18.+
22.vi.2012
,
12°32.7′N
,
53°59.9′E
, 1135m’ / ‘
SOCOTRA
expedition 2012, J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.’ / ‘
HOLOTYPE
,
Neobarombiella socotrana, Bolz & Wagner 2013
’ / ‘AfriGa, specimen ID, 1901, specimen data documented,
9.1.2014
’ (
NMPC
).
PARATYPES
: 1 J
2 ♀♀
, same data as
holotype
(
2 ♀♀
in
NMPC
, 1 J in
ZFMK
).
Description.
Body length: 3.4–4.0 mm (mean:
3.7 mm
,
holotype
3.5 mm
) (n = 4).
Colouration.
Labrum, labial and maxillary palpi brown or brownish-yellow; antennomeres I–VI (VII) yellow, becoming darker towards apex, following antennomeres brown and also darker towards apex. Head except for brown frontal tubercles, pronotum and elytron metallic green. Legs brownish-yellow or yellow; meso-, metathorax and abdomen entirely dark brown (
Fig. 5
).
Sculpture and structures.
Head.
Antennomeres short, length ratio of second to third antennomere 0.78–0.86 (mean: 0.84), and length ratio of third to fourth antennomere 0.74–0.82 (mean: 0.78) (
Figs 1, 3
). Eyes disk-like and widely separated (
Fig. 1
), ratio of maximum eye width to interocular distance 0.44–0.45 (mean: 0.45).
Thorax.
Pronotum coarsely and deeply punctated; trapezoidal; pronotal width
1.2–1.4 mm
(mean:
1.25 mm
), pronotal length
0.7–0.8 mm
(mean:
0.73 mm
), and pronotal length to width ratio 0.57–0.59 (mean: 0.58). Elytron coarsely and deeply punctated; elytral length
2.6–2.9 mm
(mean:
2.73 mm
), elytral width
1.7–2.1 mm
(mean:
1.84 mm
), and ratio of maximal width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.65–0.71 (mean: 0.67) (
Fig. 1
). Metatibia less than double the length of basi-metatarsus; length ratio of basi-metatarsus to metatibia 0.40–0.42 (mean: 0.42) (
Fig. 4
).
Abdomen.
Male genitalia with short, slender, and parallel-sided median lobe; broad apically in dorsal view, and slightly down-curved in lateral view, with small sclerotised ventral projections alongside apical incision in ventral view (
Fig. 2a
); endophallic brush not protruding, basal orifice rectangular in ventral view; and dull.
Variability.
The
two females
differ from males in colouration: they have head and pronotum completely pale brown (
Fig. 7
). As many
Neobarombiella
species
are extremely variable in colour (cf.
BOLZ & WAGNER 2012
), and because only
four specimens
of the new species are known, we cannot affirm the colour differences to the sexual dimorphism.
Differential diagnosis.
Neobarombiella socotrana
sp. nov.
is characterized by deep, irregular punctation of the elytra; elongate trapezoidal pronotum; the length ratio of the second and third antennomeres, each about two-thirds of the following antennomere (
Fig. 4
), and the distinct shape of the median lobe (
Fig. 2
).
Figs 1–4.
Neobarombiella socotrana
sp. nov.
1 – habitus, schematic view; 2 – aedeagus (a – ventral view, b – dorsal view, c – lateral view); 3 – legs (a – prothoracic, b – mesothoracic, c – metathoracic); 4 – antennomeres I–IV of three different males (a, b, c) and one female (d). Scale bar = 1 mm.
Figs 5–7.
Neobarombiella socotrana
sp. nov.
5 – habitus of male holotype (3.5 mm); 6 – holotype labels; 7 – habitus of female paratype (3.8 mm).
Tab. 1. Distinctive body measurement ratios of representative
Neobarombiella
species.
N. socotrana
|
N.nigrita
|
N. nigro-
|
N. punctata
|
N. punctato-
|
sp. nov.
|
(Jacoby, 1894) |
caerulea
|
(Laboissière, |
lineata
|
(Jacoby, 1897) |
1920) |
(Jacoby, 1899) |
Total length (mm) |
3.4–4.0 |
3.4–4.6 |
3.1–4.9 |
2.4–3.3 |
3.4–4.8 |
Ratio of maximal |
width of both elytra |
0.65–0.71 |
0.72–0.82 |
0.62–0.72 |
0.68–0.78 |
0.59–0.71 |
to length of elytron |
Length ratio of |
pronotal length to |
0.57–0.59 |
0.53–0.59 |
0.45–0.53 |
0.48–0.55 |
0.45–0.54 |
width |
Length ratio of |
second to third |
0.78–0.86 |
0.63–0.71 |
0.50–0.65 |
0.70–0.83 |
0.56–0.71 |
antennomere |
Ratio of maximum |
eye width to intero- |
0.44–0.45 |
0.43–0.57 |
0.30–0.42 |
0.47–0.62 |
0.56–0.71 |
cular distance |
Nevertheless, there are some rather similar species of
Neobarombiella
from continental sub-Saharan Africa, namely
N. nigrocaerulea
(Jacoby, 1897)
,
N. nigrita
(Jacoby, 1894)
,
N. punctata
(Laboissière, 1920)
, and
N. punctatolineata
(Jacoby, 1899)
. Most are discernible by rather short second, and more elongate third, antennomeres (for comparison of the relevant ratios see Tab. 1); in
N. socotrana
sp. nov.
, the second antennomere is more than two-thirds of the length of the third antennomere. In
N. socotrana
sp. nov.
, the pronotum is also comparatively long, whilst being shorter in other similar
Neobarombiella
species.
Neobarombiella nigrita
has broader and more convex elytra;
N. punctata
is smaller in size; the eyes of
N. nigrocaerulea
are smaller with wider interocular distance; whereas
N. punctata
has larger eyes and smaller interocular distance. The median lobe of
N. nigrocaerulea
is more conical apically and has a broader incision when compared to the nearly parallel-sided median lobe of
N. socotrana
sp. nov.
, which has a broad apex and small medial incision.
Etymology.
Named after
Socotra Island
; adjective.
Distribution.
So far this species is only known from the
type
locality: Tudhen,
Socotra
,
Yemen
.