Ootheca eddae, Kortenhaus, Sabine & Wagner, Thomas, 2010

Kortenhaus, Sabine & Wagner, Thomas, 2010, Revision of Ootheca Chevrolat, 1837 from tropical Africa — redescriptions, descriptions of new species and identification key (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae), Zootaxa 2659, pp. 1-52 : 40-43

Ootheca eddae sp. n.

( Figs 57–61 )

Total length. 4.95–6.25 mm (mean: 5.48 mm, n = 22; Fig. 57 ).

Head. Brownish, ranging from pale yellow to reddish-brown. Antennae three basal antennomeres same colour as head, becoming dark brown from fourth antennomere to black towards apical antennomere; length ratios: second to third antennomere 0.50–0.70 (mean: 0.60); third to fourth antennomere 0.83–1.00 (mean: 0.87; Fig. 58 ). Maximal width of eye to minimal distance between eyes 0.50–0.60 (mean: 0.53).

Thorax. Pronotum: same colour as head, only one specimen out of 36 has dark head and contrasting yellowish pronotum; finely punctuated, latero-basal pronotal impression usually distinct; width: 2.05– 2.50 mm (mean: 2.29 mm); length 1.20–1.60 mm (mean: 1.36 mm); width to length ratio 1.60–1.80 (mean: 1.70). Elytra: black, only two possibly immature specimens have brown elytra; punctuation of elytra irregular, distinctly deeper and coarser than that of pronotum; length 4.00– 5.10 mm (mean: 4.41 mm); maximal width of elytra together 2.90–4.00 mm (mean: 3.38 mm); maximal width of elytra together to length of elytron 0.68–0.85 (mean: 0.77); slender. Scutellum, pro-, meso- and metathorax, and legs yellowish to reddish-brown, distal two thirds to half of tibia and tarsomeres dark brown to black. Length ratio of basi-metatarsus to metatibia 0.22–0.29 (mean: 0.24).

Abdomen. Yellow, red or brownish, corresponding with colour of thorax, i. e. underside unicolourous.

Male genitalia. Median lobe is slightly conical and slightly and evenly curved ventrally. Tectum consists of two short, slender, lateral tectorial spurs, partially covered by bulging margins of median lobe and widely separated basally. Basal part of endophallus long, undulated in lateral view, apex of endophallus free and clearly visible with a pair of sigmoidally curved spines ( Fig. 59 ).

Diagnosis. Ootheca eddae sp. n. has a bicolourous dorsum with a yellowish- to reddish-brown head and pronotum and black elytra, as several other sympatrically distributed species. It is on average more slender than the abundant and widely distributed O. mutabilis and O. bennigseni , but overlap is large and specimens can not reliably differentiated by morphometrics. The median lobe is somewhat similar to that of O. mutabilis , but more conical towards the apex, and differs in the endophallic armature and structure of the tectorial spurs ( Figs 10 , 55 ).

Distribution. Along the Rift Valley from Ethiopia towards Malawi, southern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia ( Fig. 61 ).

Etymology. Named after Sabine Kortenhaus’ daughter Edda.

Type material. Holotype: male, “N. W. Rhodesia: Mwengwa., 27°40’E.13°S., 24.VI.1913, H. C. Dollman / H. C. Dollman Coll. 1919-79 / Holotypus Ootheca eddae Kortenhaus & Wagner, 2010 / AfriGa specimen ID: 1866 specimen data documented 18.I.2010 ” ( BMNH). Type locality: Zambia, 13°00’S / 27°40’E. Paratypes: 10 ex., female, first label same as holotype ( BMNH; Fig. 60 ); Congo (Democratic Republic): 6 ex., Elisabethville, 11°40’S / 27°28’E, XI.1911, Miss. Agric. ( MRAC); 2 ex., Sandoa, 9°41’S / 22°52’E, XII.1931, F. G. Overlaet ( MRAC). Ethiopia: 1 ex., Abessinien, Neumann ( MNHU). Malawi: 1 ex., S.E. shore L. Nyasa, btwn. Ft. Maguire & Ft. Johnston, 13°39’S / 34°53’E, III.1910, S.A.Neave ( BMNH). Rwanda: 2 ex., Gabiro, 1°32’S / 30°24’E, X.1932, L. Burgeon ( MRAC). Tanzania: 1 ex., D. O. Afr., coll. Clavareau ( MRAC); 1 ex., Uhehe, 1906/1907, Dr. Dempwolff ( MNHU); 1 ex., Shinyanga, 3°33’S / 33°24’E, XII.1934, E. Burtt ( BMNH); 19 ex., Msagaa/Mshughaa near Singida, 4°49’S / 34°45’E, X. XII.1935, E. Burtt ( BMNH); 11 ex., Insel Ukerewe, 2°03’S / 33°0’E, XII.1960, Father Conrads (1 ex. MNHU, 10 ex. NMK). Uganda: 1 ex., Gulu, 2°47’N / 32°18’E, V.1925, Carpenter ( BMNH). Zambia: 1 ex., Chingola district, 12°32’S / 27°51’E, XI.1960, L. J. Magic ( BMNH).

Figures

FIGURE 55. Ootheca meridiana Grobbelaar, 2008. 55. Median lobe: dorsal (left), lateral (right).

FIGURE 60. Holotype of Ootheca eddae sp. n., a. specimen with labels, b. close-up detail of specimen.

FIGURE 61. Distribution of Ootheca eddae sp. n., O. julianae sp. n. and O. ugandae sp. n.

FIGURES 57 – 59. Ootheca eddae sp. n.; 57. Habitus, dorsal view; 58. Antennomeres 1 – 4 of two different males and two different females; 59. Median lobe: a. dorsal (left), lateral (right).

FIGURES 10 – 12. Ootheca mutabilis (Sahlberg, 1829). 10. Median lobe: dorsal (left), lateral (right) with aendophallus, b—tectum; 11. Spermathecae of three different females; 12. Colour pattern.