Pseudomeira ficuzzensis, Bellò, Cesare & Baviera, Cosimo, 2011

Bellò, Cesare & Baviera, Cosimo, 2011, On the Sicilian species of Pseudomeira Stierlin (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Zootaxa 3100, pp. 35-68 : 39

Pseudomeira ficuzzensis sp. n.

( Figs. 5 , 31 , 80 , 94 )

Diagnosis: Small (3.30–3.80 mm), elongate-subcylindrical; frons wide; epistoma slightly impressed, clypeus almost flat and shortly longitudinally impressed in middle; elytra with humeri rounded, clothed by dense brown scales here and there paler, and suberect setae with slightly widening apex; spermatheca as figured on Fig. 94 .

Type series: Holotype female ( BEL) with following labels: "Ƥ" [white, printed], [transparent label with genitalia in DHMF], "I, Sic., Palermo, Sicani, Bosco Ficuzza loc. Crocefisso m.900, 16.IV.2010 " [white, printed], "vaglio sotto quercus legg. Baviera, Bellò & Chemello" [white, printed], "coll. Cesare Bellò" [green, printed]; " PABF 2.1" [white, printed], " Pseudomeira ficuzzensis sp. n., Holotype, det. Bellò 2010 " [red, partly printed]. Paratypes: 3 females, "Sicilia, Palermo, Ficuzza, loc. Crocefisso, N 37°51.945” E 013°23.223”, 910 m, 20.IV.06, sotto Quercus sp., leg. Bellò" ( BEL, PIE); 1Ƥ, ibidem, 29.VI.07, leg.Bellò ( BEL); 20 females, "Corleone (Palermo) Ficuzza, 13.V.2007, leg. Pierotti" ( PIE); 1 females, "I., Sic., PA, Sicani, bosco Ficuzza, loc.Crocefisso, 900 m, vaglio sotto Quercus , 16 IV 2010, leg. Baviera, Bellò & Chemello" ( BAV). Molecular analyses were made of 2 of the 26 paratypes at hand.

Other material: A single female labeled "PA, Ficuzza, Alpe Cucco, m 1000, v.[ag]lio lettiera Quercus , 10/ 13– III –’09, legg. Baviera & Bellò" ( BEL) and three females labeled "S. PA, Sicani, Ficuzza, Alpe Cucco “B”, 950 m, Quercus & Hedera, N 37°51.818” E 013°25.033”, 25.IX.2010, leg. Baviera" ( BEL), provisionally considered as belonging to this species.

Holotype female: Length: 3.80 mm. Body elongate, elytra longer than wide, with subparallel sides. Dorsal vestiture of imbricate dark brown scales and suberect setae with slightly widening apex; paler small markings on disc of both elytra and pronotum.

Rostrum subquadrate, barely narrowing towards apex. Epistoma slightly depressed, plate without bulging edges; pterygia evident; clypeus enlarged apically, with longitudinal depression not continuing on frons; frons almost twice as wide as clypeus between antennae. Eyes convex. Antennae short and robust; scape more robust than funicle with curved base and progressively thickening towards apex; first five funicular segments with clubbed setae; first segment shorter than combined length of following two, second slightly longer than third, segments 4–7 pearl-shaped; club short, fusiform and with first segment widely conical.

Pronotum slightly transverse (length: 0.80 mm, width: 0.90 mm), sides sinuate, disc with punctures usually hidden by scales.

Elytra rather elongate (length: 2.40 mm, width: 1.65 mm), sub-cylindrical, disc almost flat, humeri short, round and slightly prominent. Striae inconspicuous, catenulate, interstriae feebly convex. Legs reddish; femora only slightly clubbed, edentate; tibiae straight, external margin of apex of protibiae blunt, internal apical margin devoid of spines but with apical mucro; protarsi short and robust, third joint shortly bilobed, onychium curved, claws fused at base.

Spiculum ventrale: Fig. 80 ; spermatheca: Fig. 94 .

Paratypes. Holotype and paratypes differs only in size dimensions. Length: 3.30–3.80 mm. All paratypes are females.

Distribution: Known only from the type locality.

Etymology: From the ‘Bosco della Ficuzza’, at the foot of the mountain ‘Rocca Busambra’.

Ecology: Adults have been sifted from compacted leaf-litter in late spring. They are not evident during the hot dry summer, and probably overwinter deeper in the soil.

Reproduction: Apparently parthenogenetic.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Habitus of Pseudomeira ssp. (scale bar: 1 mm).

FIGURES 27 – 35. Lateral view of Pseudomeira ssp. (scale bar: 1 mm).

FIGURES 77 – 90. Spiculum ventrale of Pseudomeira ssp.

FIGURES 91 – 104. Spermatheca of Pseudomeira ssp.