Pseudomeira obscurella Pierotti & Bellò, 1994

(Figs. 24, 50, 90, 104)

Pseudomeira obscurella Pierotti & Bellò, 1994: 107; Pierotti & Bellò, 1998: 106; Colonnelli, 2003: 48; Osella et al., 2005; Abbazzi & Maggini, 2009: 62.

Type locality: Apulia, Gargano, Cagnano Varano.

Diagnosis: Small (2.0– 2.8 mm), rather globose. Epistoma impressed, clypeus flat and longitudinally impressed in middle. Elytra convex on anterior part, clothed with grey scales and short rather robust, suberect setae.

Description: See Pierotti & Bellò (1994).

Distribution: Central and southern Apennines and Sicily.

Material from Sicily: We examined a total of 67 specimens, including the holotype in PIE. Genitalia of 4 were studied, and molecular data were obtained for 11.

Localities in Sicily: Messina: Peloritani: Calamarà (SOL), Campo Italia (BEL), Castanea (SOL), Colla (SOL, RAG), Cudduttà (VIT), Dinnamare (BAV, BEL), Portella Armacera (BAV, BEL), Portella Croce Cumia (BAV, BEL), Portella S. Rizzo (BAV), Malabotta (BAV, BEL, OSE, PIE), Scala (RAG), Tono (BAV, BEL); Nebrodi: M. Soro (STU); Catania: Maniace (BEL), M. Etna (OSE), M. Maletto (BAV, OSE, PIE), Piano Provenzana (BAV, BEL), Linguaglossa (GER, STU), Randazzo (BEL); Siracusa: Sortino (STU); Palermo: Alcara Li Fusi (BEL), Castellana Sicula (STU), Castelbuono (STU), Petralia Soprana (GER), Polizzi Generosa (BEL), Rocca Palumba (BEL).

Ecology: This is primarily a montane species, with adults in spring, collected in Sicily sifting leaf-litter taken under Fagus sp., Olea sp., Quercus sp., Castanea sp., Erica sp., Viola aetnensis P., or with pitfall traps. One of us (Baviera) also collected some adults sweeping low vegetation.

Reproduction: Parthenogenetic.

Notes: Our ongoing molecular studies may perhaps reveal that this parthenogenetic species with an unusual wide range is a complex of sibling ones. These are the first records for Sicily.