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 petrensis
sp. n.
(
Figs. 8
,
34
,
82
,
96
)
Diagnosis
: Small (
3.25–3.95 mm
), elongate; epistoma inconspicuous, clypeus longitudinally excavate; frons wide and shallowly impressed; elytra with rounded humeri, clothed by dense imbricate earth-brown scales here and there paler, and almost recumbent short spatulate pale setae, disc quite flat.
Type
series
:
Holotype
female (
BEL
) with the following labels: [transparent label with genitalia in
DHMF
], Ƥ[white, printed], "S.[icilia], Palermo, Madonie, (b), Piano Battaglietta, m.1650,
16.VI.08
" [white, printed], "al vaglio, legg. Baviera C. & Rando A." [white, printed], "coll. Cesare Bellò" [green, printed]; "
Pseudomeira petrensis
sp. n.
,
Holotype
, det.
Bellò 2010
" [red, partly printed].
Paratypes
:
2 females
, "Sicilia (Palermo) 10 Km. NW Petralia Soprana, P.R. Madonie,
1400 m
., 37°51'45''
N 14°00'39''
E,
13.X.2002
, leg. Stüben" (STU);
1 female
, "
Italy
: Sicilia (Palermo) 10 Km. NW Petralia Soprana, P.R. Madonie,
1000 m
. 37°50'29''
N 14°00'39''
E,
13.X.2002
, leg. Stüben" (STU);
1 female
, "
Italy
: Sicilia (Palermo) 9 Km. NW Petralia Soprana, P.R. Madonie,
1400 m
., 37°51'45''
N 14°02'52''
E,
13.X.2002
, leg. Stüben" (
PIE
);
1 female
, ibidem, leg. Stüben (
BEL
);
2 females
, "Sic.[ilia], Palermo, Madonie, Piano Battaglietta, m.1650,
24.IV.08
, legg. Bellò, Chemello, Baviera & Rando" (
BAV
,
BEL
);
1 female
, "Sicilia, Palermo, Madonie, Piano Battaglietta, m 1600;
30.V.07
, leg. Bellò" (
BEL
);
4 females
, "Sicilia, Palermo, Madonie, Piano Battaglietta B,
1600 m
,
23.IX.10
,
Acer
,
N 37°51'
838'
E 13°25'
033'', leg. Baviera" (
BAV
,
BEL
).
Types
are
16 females
, genitalia of 3 were studied and molecular data was obtained from another.
Holotype
female: Length:
3.25 mm
. Rather elongate, subparallel sided. Dorsal vestiture of largely overlapping, earth-brown scales and almost recumbent short pale more or less widely spatulate setae; paler small markings on disc of both elytra and pronotum.
Rostrum transverse, subparallel sided. Epistoma and plate inconspicuous; pterygia just slightly protruding; clypeus slightly convex, with longitudinal depression not continuing on frons; frons almost twice as wide as clypeus between antennae. Eyes small, round, almost hemispherical. Antennae short and quite robust; scape just slightly more robust than funicle, curved at basal third and progressively thickening towards apex; all seven funicular segments with clubbed setae; first segment as long as combined length of following two, second twice as long as 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:
1.95 mm
, width:
1.40 mm
), disc almost flat, humeri short, round and slightly prominent. Striae inconspicuous, catenulate, interstriae feebly convex.
Legs short and robust; femora clubbed, edentate; tibiae almost straight, external margin of apex of protibiae blunt, internal margin devoid of spines but with mucro; protarsi short and robust, third joint shortly bilobed, onychium curved, claws short and fused at base.
Spiculum ventrale: see
Fig. 82
; spermatheca: see
Fig. 96
.
Paratypes
:
Holotype
and
paratypes
differs only in size dimensions. Length:
3.25–3.95 mm
. All
paratypes
are females.
Distribution
: Known only from the Sicilian Madonie mountain range above
1000 m
a.s.l. (fig 108).
Etymology
: From the town of Petralia Soprana whose name comes from the Greek πέτρα λεία (smooth stone).
Ecology
: This is a montane species collected in beech and oak woods sifting roots of
Astragalus
sp. and
Euphorbia
sp.. Adults appear in spring, with a probable life span of some months until autumn, and possibly overwintering.
Reproduction
: Apparently parthenogenetic.