Neobarombiella frontalis, Bolz & Wagner, 2012

Bolz, Helmut & Wagner, Thomas, 2012, 3463, Zootaxa 3463, pp. 1-112 : 87-88

Neobarombiella frontalis sp. n.

( Figs 153–156)

Etymology. Named as such because of the characteristic black spot on the vertex. Total length. 4.65–5.15 mm (mean: 4.86 mm) (n=12).

Head. Yellow, vertex with medial, almost rectangular, black spot; labrum yellow, labial and maxillary palpi black. Antenna slender, brownish-yellow at base, becoming darker towards the apex; length of second to third antennomere 0.58–0.69 (mean: 0.64), and length of third to fourth antennomere 0.67–0.74 (mean: 0.69) ( Fig. 155). Eyes small and widely separated ( Fig. 153), width of eye to interocular distance 0.38–0.46 (mean: 0.43).

Thorax. Pronotum yellow; strongly trapezoidal and short ( Fig. 153; pronotal width 1.70–1.90 mm (mean: 1.77 mm), pronotal length 0.77–0.85 mm (mean: 0.80 mm), and pronotal length to width 0.44–0.51 (mean: 0.46). Elytron yellow, sutural and outer elytral margins narrowly bordered in black, and black spot on humerus; sparsely punctuated; elytral length 3.70–4.10 mm (mean: 3.82 mm), width of both elytra 2.80–3.10 mm (mean: 2.98 mm), and broad with maximal width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.75–0.82 (mean: 0.78) ( Fig. 153). Meso- and metathorax yellow, legs brownish-yellow or entirely yellow; length of basi-metatarsus to metatibia 0.45–0.50 (mean: 0.47).

Abdomen. Entirely yellow.

Male genitalia. Median lobe long and slender, almost parallel sided in ventral view; apical section with two small sclerotized ridges and deep incision ( Fig. 154a); dorso-ventrally compressed in lateral view with poorly sclerotized apex ( Fig. 154c); endophallic brush covered by tectum and median lobe.

Diagnosis. Neobarombiella frontalis sp. n. is easily distinguishable from most other species by the almost rectangular black spot on the vertex, and the sutural and outer elytral margins which are narrowly bordered in black. N. nigrosuturalis sp. n. also has the black sutural and elytral margins, but lacks the characteristic black spot on the vertex. Neobarombiella senegalensis and N. flavilabris , have highly variable colouring, but lack a characteristic black spot on the vertex ( Figs 7, 92, 153). They can also be distinguished by the structure of the median lobe; short and broad, sclerotized apex narrowing distinctly in lateral view with a pair of ridges in N. senegalensis ( Fig. 93); short, distinctly down-curved apically, lacking any sclerotized ridges in N. flavilabris ( Fig. 8), while the median lobe of N. frontalis sp. n. is long, slender and almost parallel-sided, and has a pair of sclerotized ridges at the apex ( Fig.154). Although its colouring and distribution range are similar, N. susannae sp. n. is easily distinguishable by its large convex and closer set eyes, width of eye to interocular distance 0.46–0.52 (0.38–0.46 in N. frontalis sp. n.)( Figs 153, 181).

Distribution. Recorded from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Type material. Holotype, male: “Congo Belge, P.N.G., Miss. H. De Saeger, Aka, 15-V-1952, H. De Saeger. 3463 / Holotype, Neobarombiella frontalis, Bolz & Wagner 2010 / AfriGa, specimen ID:, 1881, specimen data, documented, 10.III.2011 ” ( IRSN; Fig. 156). Type locality: Democratic Republic of the Congo, P. N. Garamba, Aka, 3°50'N / 28°57'E .— Paratypes: Democratic Republic of the Congo. 18 ex., P. N. Garamba, Aka, 3°50'N / 28°57'E, V .1952, H. de Saeger ( IRSN) ; 1 ex., Kitutu, 2°00'S / 29°10E, IV.1958, N. Leleup ( MRAC) .