Neobarombiella sculptipennis ( Laboissière, 1939 ) Bolz & Wagner, 2012

Bolz, Helmut & Wagner, Thomas, 2012, 3463, Zootaxa 3463, pp. 1-112 : 69-71

Neobarombiella sculptipennis ( Laboissière, 1939) comb. n.

( Figs 109, 112–114)

Barombiella sculptipennis Laboissière, 1939: 160 .

Barombiella striata Laboissière, 1939: 160 syn. n.

Total length. 2.55–3.70 mm (mean: 2.98 mm) (n=12).

Head. Metallic blue-ish to greenish-brown, labrum brown, labial and maxillary palpi yellowish-brown. Antenna slender, yellow to yellowish-brown, becoming darker towards apex ( Fig. 112); length of second to third antennomere 0.75–0.83 (mean: 0.79), and length of third to fourth antennomere 0.75–0.78 (mean: 0.76; Fig. 114). Eyes rather small ( Fig. 112), and width of eye to interocular distance 0.44–0.47 (mean: 0.45).

Thorax. Pronotum brownish-black with blue-ish-metallic satin sheen; strongly trapezoidal; very coarsely and irregularly punctuated; pronotal width 0.80–1.24 mm (mean: 0.99 mm), pronotal length 0.42–0.58 mm (mean: 0.48 mm), and pronotal length to width 0.47–0.51 (mean: 0.48). Elytron black with bluey-metallic satin sheen and punctate-striate; each elytron with about 18 longitudinal striae, most consisting of very coarse punctures, but three to five lines closest to lateral margin more finely punctured; punctures posteriad of humerus irregular; elytral length 1.85–2.90 mm (mean: 2.23 mm), elytral width 1.40–2.00 mm (mean: 1.60 mm), and maximal width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.69–0.75 (mean: 0.72) ( Fig. 112). Meso- and metathorax black or brownish-black, legs entirely brown or brownish-black, length of basi-metatarsus to metatibia 0.51–0.61 (mean: 0.56).

Abdomen. Entirely brownish-black.

Male genitalia. Median lobe long and slender, nearly parallel-sided in ventral view ( Fig. 113); apical section stout, lacking apical incision, but with single pair of ventrally situated, V-shaped, sclerotized structures forming slight extrusion in lateral view; endophallic brush covered by tectum and median lobe, and lacking longer spines or spiculae.

Diagnosis. Neobarombiella sculptipennis is one of the smallest species in this taxon and well characterised by the coarse linear punctuations on each elytron and its entirely metallic dorsum. Only N. multistriata has similar linear punctuations combined with a dark metallic green or blue dorsum. These two species can easily be differentiated by body shape, since N. sculptipennis is much broader, pronotal length to width 0.47–0.51 (0.51–0.59 in N. multistriata ); maximal width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.69–0.75 (0.58–0.64 in N. multistriata ) ( Figs 112, 125). Although rather similar, N. congoensis sp. n. lacks deep linear elytral punctuation ( Figs 112, 133) and is entirely black, lacking dark greenish or bluey metallic colouring.

Distribution. Recorded from coastal areas of western Democratic Republic of the Congo and near its southeastern and southern borders, and Gabon ( Fig. 109).

Type material examined. Barombiella sculptipennis . Lectotype, male: “Kap Plate, II–1913 / Type / Le Moult vend, via Reinbek, Eing. Nr. 1. 1957 / Barombiella , sculptipennis, m, V. Laboissière – Dét. / AfriGa, specimen ID, 1243, specimen data, documented, 21.x.2005 / Lectotypus, Th. Wagner desig. 2008, Barombiella , sculptipennis“ ( ZMUH; Fig. 115). Laboissière gave a very short description of this species. There are two specimens available with handwritten locality labels in pale black ink. Laboissière wrote that he doubted that they originated from “Kape plate”, and it is highly unlikely that this locality refers to the “table mountains”. He also mentioned specimens of the same species from East Africa, about which he had communicated with J. Achard. It is amazing that he described this very characteristic and peculiar species in the same year from Central Democratic Republic of the Congo under a different name, probably caused by the mislabelling of some specimens. A lectotype is here designated .— Paralectotype: one specimen with the same label data as the lectotype is a paralectotype ( ZMUH) .

Barombiella striata . Lectotype, male: “Musée du Congo, Congo da Lemba, I.1913, R. Mayné / R. Dét., D, 3641 / Type, B. striata / Holotypus / Barombiella , striata m., V. Laboissière dét. 1939 Type / AfriGa, specimen ID, 1246, specimen data, documented, 6.IV.2006 ” ( MRAC; Fig. 116). The description is based on three specimens from Congo da Lemba, and one that is “incomplete” from Ebanga. No details are recorded concerning their type status, and thus a lectotype is here designated . — Paralectotypes: 24 specimens with the same label data as the lectotype (1 ex., BMNH, 1 ex., IRSN, 22 ex. MRAC) .

Other material examined. Democratic Republic of the Congo. 3 ex., Elizabethville , 11°41'S / 27°29'E, XII .1927, Dr. H. S. Evans ( BMNH) .— Gabon: 1 ex., Tchimbele , Woleu-Ntem, 0°37'N / 10°24'E, I.1990, J. J. Wieringa ( BMNH) .