Neobarombiella nigrita ( Jacoby, 1894 ) Bolz & Wagner, 2012

Bolz, Helmut & Wagner, Thomas, 2012, 3463, Zootaxa 3463, pp. 1-112 : 21-23

Neobarombiella nigrita ( Jacoby, 1894) comb nov.

( Figs 24–29)

Monolepta nigrita Jacoby, 1894: 530 .

Candezea morio Jacoby, 1906: 44 syn. n.

Total length. 3.35–4.55 mm (mean: 3.97 mm) (n=36).

Head. Frons and vertex from reddish- to dark brown, labrum, labial and maxillary palpi brown. Antenna very slender, yellowish-brown to brown, darker from fourth antennomere to apex ( Fig. 24). Length of second to third antennomere 0.63–0.71 (mean: 0.65), length of third to fourth antennomere 0.67–0.80 (mean: 0.71; Fig. 26). Eyes small and widely separated ( Fig. 24), width of eye to interocular distance 0.43–0.57 (mean: 0.49; Fig. 24).

Thorax. Pronotum reddish-brown in 66% of specimens studied, darker brown to black in remainder, and coarsely but not densely punctuated. Pronotal width 1.24–1.66 mm (mean: 1.48 mm), pronotal length 0.58–0.96 mm (mean: 0.83 mm), pronotal length to width 0.53–0.59 (mean: 0.56). Elytron black in 75% of specimens studied, rest dark brown, slightly more coarsely and much more densely punctuated than pronotum, and truncate apically; elytral length 2.70–3.40 mm (mean: 3.10 mm), elytral width 2.00– 2.80 mm (mean: 2.39 mm), and maximal width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.72–0.82 (mean: 0.77; Fig. 24). Meso- and metathorax brown or yellowish-brown, legs yellowish- to reddish-brown, length of basi-metatarsus to metatibia 0.48–0.55 (mean: 0.51).

Abdomen. Yellowish-brown or entirely brown.

Male genitalia. Median lobe slender and parallel-sided ( Fig. 25); rounded apically with small V-shaped incision, and one pair of elongate sclerotized ridges on underside, sclerotized apex down-curved in lateral view; basal orifice ovoid, endophallic brush slender and covered by median lobe and tectum, lacking characteristic sclerites.

Diagnosis. The most important diagnostic characters for N. nigrita are the broadly truncate elytra ( Fig. 24) and the coarsely and irregularly punctuated pronotum. The species occurs sympatrically with N. nigrita , but is much smaller (total length 2.40–3.30 mm, N. nigrita 3.35–4.55 mm). Small specimens of these species can be distinguished by the length of the second compared to the third antennomere (0.63–0.71 in N. nigrita , 0.70–0.83 in N. punctata ; Figs 24, 26, 77, 79). The median lobe of N. punctata has four points at the apex whilst the median lobe of N. nigrita only has two ( Figs 25, 78). Neobarombiella punctatolineata has similar colouring, and is also distinctly convexly rounded, however the partly striate elytral punctuation is less distinct, the elytra are far more slender and the eyes are larger (maximal width of both elytra to length of elytron in N. punctatolineata 0.59–0.71, N. nigrita 0.72–0.82; width of eye to interocular distance N. punctatolineata 0.56–0.71, N. nigrita 0.43–0.57; Figs 25, 48). The southern African N. pakhassana is much smaller and not as distinctly convexly rounded as N. nigrita .

Distribution. Recorded from the Guineo-Congolian forest area from the Ivory Coast in the west through the Congo Basin towards the Albertine Rift in the east ( Fig. 27).

Type material examined. Monolepta nigrita . Lectotype, female: “Kuilu, Fr. Congo, Mocquerys , 1892. / Monolepta , nigrita, Type Jac./ Type., 18394” ( MCZ). This specimen was not examined by us, but can be clearly identified by photographs available in the MCZ Online Database ( MCZ type database 2010) Fig. 29). A lectotype is here designated.

Candezea morio . Lectotype, male: “Mt. Gamo, South Ogowe, Junod / Candezea , morio Jac. / Collection, Clavareau / Jacoby Coll., 1909-28a. / Type / AfriGa, specimen ID:, 1227, specimen data, documented, 15.II.2005 ” (last cited label not included with figure; BMNH). Jacoby mentioned two specimens in his description without designating a holotype. There is also no indication on the specimen labels. As there are three specimens available from the type locality, a lectotype is here designated ( Fig. 28). Type locality, Gabon, Mt. Gamo, 1°00'S / 11°45'E .— Paralectotypes: the other two specimens with the same label data as lectotype are paralectotypes ( BMNH, MRAC) .

Other material examined. Cameroon. 11 ex., Nkoletangan , 3°30'N / 8°42'E, XI.1907 – V .1908, G. Tessmann ( MNHU) .— Democratic Republic of the Congo. 1 ex., Dibaya, Tumbolinga , IX.1930, G. F. de Witte ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Equateur, Boende , 0°40'S / 19°22'E, IV.1926, R . P. Hulstaert ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Bumba , 6°30'S / 22°34'E, XII .1939– I.1940, H. de Saeger ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., P. N. Garamba, Dedegwa , 4°25'N / 29°48'E, V .1952, H. de Saeger ( IRSN) ; 1 ex., Equateur , Flandria, III .1932, R. P. Hulstaert ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Haut-Uele, Mauda , 3°59'N / 27°41'E, III .1925, Dr. H. Schouteden ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Equateur, Bokuma , 2°26'S / 27°57'E, VII .1952, R. P. Lootens ( MRAC) ; 2 ex., Haut-Uele, Dika , 4°22'N / 27°40'E, III .1925, Dr. H. Schouteden ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Haut-Uele, Mauda , 4°05'N / 27°41'E, III .1925, Dr. H. Schouteden ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Kasai, Ngombe , 6°40'S / 20°57'E, XI.1921 ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Lulua, Kabemba , 7°52'S / 29°46'E, XI.1937, Vanderstichele ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Ongoka, Stanleyville , 0°30'N / 25°12'E, IV.–IX.1952, J. Pantos ( MRAC) ; 5 ex., Sud Ogowé, N'Gomo , 5°31'S / 16°04'E, Junod ( MRAC) ; 34 ex., Tshuapa, Etata , 0°14'S / 20°42'E, VII .–X.1969, J. Hauwaerts ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Ubangi, Nouvelle Anvers , 1°36'N / 19°07'E, XII .1952, P. Basilewsky ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Barmania, VII .1931, R. P. Hulstaert ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Mauda , 4°05'N / 27°41'E, III .1925, Dr. H. Schouteden ( MRAC) ; 2 ex., Mayumbe , 4°30'S / 12°30'E, 1917, R . Mayné ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Singa Kondo , 5°35'S / 13°00'E, VI .1925, A. Collart ( MRAC) .— Equatorial Guinea. 3 ex., Mongo , 1°30'N / 10°00'E, 1946–1948, J. Palau ( MRAC) .— Gabon. 1 ex., Riv. Awagné ( MNHN) .— Ghana. 1 ex., Takoradi , 4°53'N / 1°45'W, Besnard ( MRAC) ; 1 ex. Aburi , 5°03'N / 1°47'W, 1912–1913, W. H. Patterson ( BMNH) ; 5 ex., Accra , 5°33’N / 0°15’W, 1920, W. H. Patterson, from Hibiscus ( BMNH) ; 1 ex., Axim , 4°52'N / 2°14'W, XI.1968, Besnard ( MRAC) .— Ivory Coast. 1 ex., Adiopodoume , 5°20'N / 4°07'W, V .1957, P. Dessart ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Bassam , 5°14'N / 3°45'W, 1897 ( ZMUH) ; 4 ex., Bingerville , 5°21'N / 3°53'W, IX.1961 – I.1964, J. Decelle ( MRAC) .— Nigeria. 1 ex., Erin Odo, 7°35'N / 4°53'E, 1971 ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., IX.1935 ( BMNH) .