Pseudomeira himerensis, 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 : 39-40

Pseudomeira himerensis sp. n.

( Figs. 6, 7 , 32, 33 , 54 , 66 , 81 , 95 )

Diagnosis: Small (3.10–3.90 mm), elongate-subcylindrical. Epistoma inconspicuous, clypeus almost flat and weakly impressed in middle; frons wide. Elytra with rounded humeri, clothed with dense golden-brown scales here and there paler, and almost flattened short spatulate pale setae. Apex of aedeagus sharp ( Fig. 54 ).

Type series: Holotype male ( BEL) with the following labels: [transparent label with genitalia in DHMF], "3" [white, printed], "Sicilia, Palermo, Termini Imerese, 15.III.08 " [white, printed], "al vaglio lettiera Olea e. sativa " [white, printed], "legg. Bellò & Chemello, Baviera & Rando" [white, printed], "coll. Cesare Bellò" [green, printed]; " Pseudomeira himerensis sp. n., Holotype, det. Bellò 2010 " [red, partly printed]. Paratypes: 1 male and 12 females, "Sicilia, Palermo, Termini Imerese, vaglio lettiera Olea e. sativa , 25-IV-06, leg. Bellò" ( BEL, PIE); 1 female, ibidem, leg. Pierotti ( PIE); 27 females, ibidem, 15.III.08, leg. Bellò ( BEL); 2 males and 30 females, ibidem, 10/ 13-III- 0 9, legg. Baviera & Bellò ( BAV, BEL); 13 females, "I, Sicilia, Pa, Termini Imerese, vaglio Olea e. sativa , 21-IV- 2010, leg. Bellò" ( BEL). Types are 88 (4 males and 84 females), genitalia of 19 (4 males and 15 females) were studied and molecular analyses were made of 3 females.

Holotype male: Length: 3.10 mm. Rather elongate, elytra clearly longer than wide, subparallel sided. Dorsal vestiture of imbricate, golden brown scales and almost flattened short pale spatulate setae; paler small markings on disc of both elytra and pronotum.

Rostrum subquadrate, subparallel sided. Epistoma and plate inconspicuous; pterygia evident; clypeus slightly convex, with longitudinal depression not continuing on frons; frons almost twice as wide as clypeus between antennae. Eyes small, moderately convex. Antennal scape more robust than funicle, curved at basal third and progressively thickening towards apex; first six 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 almost as long as wide (length: 0.78 mm, width: 0.80 mm), sides sinuate, disc with punctures usually hidden by scales.

Elytra rather elongate (length: 2.40 mm, width: 1.65 mm), subcylindrical, disc almost flat, humeri short, round and slightly prominent. Striae inconspicuous, catenulate, interstriae feebly convex.

Legs short and robust; femora clubbed, edentate; tibiae straight, external margin of apex of protibiae blunt, internal margin devoid of spines but with apical mucro; protarsi short and robust, third joint shortly bilobed, onychium curved, claws short and fused at base.

Apex of aedeagus sharp ( Fig. 66 ).

Paratypes: Holotype and male paratypes are shorter than female paratypes. Spiculum ventrale: see Fig. 81 , spermatheca: Fig. 95 . Length: mm 3.10–3.90.

Distribution: Known only from the type locality.

Etymology: From the name of the ancient Greek town of ‘Himera’, near the present-day Termini Imerese.

Ecology: Adults have been sifted from the leaf-litter of an olive grove on a moist clay soil. They have been found from late winter to early spring, and were not present when the soil became dry. The new species has been collected together with an unidentified species of Dolichomeira Solari, 1955 , members of which usually appear in winter.

Reproduction: Possibly amphigonic. It is noteworthy that only 4 males out of 88 specimens have been found. Further research is needed to rule out if we are faced with two species: one amphigonic and one 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 53 – 64. Aedeagus of Pseudomeira ssp.

FIGURES 65 – 76. Apex aedeagus of Pseudomeira ssp.

FIGURES 77 – 90. Spiculum ventrale of Pseudomeira ssp.

FIGURES 91 – 104. Spermatheca of Pseudomeira ssp.