Danacea

Liberti, Gianfranco, 2009, Improved Strategies for Branching on General Disjunctions, Zootaxa 2318, pp. 339-385 : 348

Key to species of subgenus Danacea

1. Discal hairs all parallel and directed forwards (group 1). Elytron sometimes ornate. Length 3.0– 4.4 mm. Very common throughout the whole island .................................................................................................................... imperialis

- Discal hairs with a different pattern. Elytron never ornate ........................................................................................... 2

2. 6 th and 8 th antennal segments about as large as 5 th, 7 th and 9 th segments: antenna appearing as gradually and slightly broadening from base to apex ....................................................................................................................................... 3

- 6 th and 8 th antennal segments smaller than 5 th, 7 th and 9 th segments: antennae appearing as longer, thinner and suddenly broadening; last three antennal segments (9 th, 10 th and 11 th) forming a weak club ...................see Allodanacaea

3. Nearly all discal hairs directed forwards, but in a rather small area close to anterior edge of pronotum (i.e. close to head) where hairs are directed backwards (group 2) .................................................................................................... 4

- Discal hair pattern with a crosswise confluence line resulting from anterior hairs directed backwards and posterior ones directed forwards (group 4); some D. ( Allodanacaea ) species show this same pronotal character, but the antenna has a different structure (see couplet 2 above). Length 3.4–4.7 mm ......................................................... mitis

4. Body surface rather shiny. Head large with small eye and long temple. Hind trochanter of male with a small tooth. Femora darker than tibiae. Anterior area of pronotum with a narrow backwards oriented patch of hairs, both in male and female. Length 3.5–4.5 mm ......................................................................................................................... corsica

- Body surface dull. Head of normal size with rather large eye and short temple. Hind trochanter of male without a tooth. Femora and tibiae of same yellowish or reddish colour. Anterior area of pronotum, with backwards oriented hairs, wider and less well defined, mainly in female .................................................................................................... 5

5. Elytral apex, in lateral view, sloping down rather steeply ( Fig. 3 ). Length 2.7–4.0 mm. Common in Sardinia but absent in the Iglesias area ......................................................................................................................... sardoa sardoa

- Elytral apex, in lateral view, sloping down more gently and extended in an incipient concavity ( Fig. 4 ). Length 3.3–4.0 mm. Replaces ssp. sardoa in the Iglesias and Monte Linas area, where it is common ..................................... ................................................................................................................................................................ sardoa declivis

Figures

FIGURES 1–11. Danacea spp. from Sardinia, scale bar: 0.5 mm. 1–2. Median lobe in lateral view. 1. Danacea (D.) sardoa sardoa Kiesenwetter (San Leonardo de Siete Fuentes). 2. Danacea (D.) sardoa declivis Liberti (Gonnosfanadiga). 3–4. Elytral apex in lateral view. 3. Danacea (D.) sardoa sardoa (Dorgali). 4. Danacea (D.) sardoa declivis (Gonnosfanadiga). 5–11. Median lobe in lateral view. 5. Danacea (Allodanacaea) oreas Liberti (Gonnosfanadiga). 6. Danacea (A.) milleri Schilsky (Paduledda). 7. Danacea (A.) gorditana Liberti (paratype, Capo del Falcone). 8. Danacea (A.) sulcitana Liberti (Olia Speciosa). 9. Danacea (A.) nympha Liberti (Capo Caccia). 10. Danacea (A.) picicornis picicornis (Küster) (Monti Marganai). 11. Danacea (A.) picicornis supramontana Liberti (Dorgali).