Meira diottii, Pierotti & Fink, 2013

Pierotti, Helio & Fink, Thomas, 2013, New and interesting Peritelini of the Western Mediterranean fauna. XX. A novel Meira (Jacquelin du Val, 1852) species from the Ligurian Alps, Zootaxa 3716 (4), pp. 595-598 : 595-598

Meira diottii n. sp.

Type specimens: Holotype ♂: Colle di Capraùna ( CN), sent. Madonna della Guardia, m 1490, 27.IX.2010, leg. Pierotti (cHP) . Paratypes: 23 ex., ibidem, 27.IX.2010, leg. Pierotti (cGO 1 ex., cMHNG 1 ex., cHP 21 ex.); 6 ex. , ibidem, 5.XI.09, leg Diotti (cLD); 5 ex., ibidem, 5.XI.09, leg. Monzini (cLD 4 ex., cHP 1 ex.); 35 ex. , ibidem, 27.X.010, leg. Diotti (cLD 30 ex., cHP 5 ex.); 6 ex, ibidem, m 1500, 27.X. 10, leg. Monzini (cLD); 3 exx., Pend. M. Dubasso m 1300 (Alto Cuneo), 20.IX.1994, leg. Gardini & Giusto (cHP) . Other specimens examined: Verezzi ( SV), M. Caprazoppa, 20.5.90, leg. Pierotti (cHP), leg. Bellò (cCB); ibidem, 11.XI.1973, leg. Bartoli (cHP); ibidem, m 220, 14.XI.1998, leg. Giusto & Farinella (cHP); Borgio Verezzi ( SV), 2.I.1994, leg. Bosi (cHP); Toirano dint. (Savona), 28.IV.1994, leg. Giusto (cHP); Bèvera ( IM), località Verese, 29.X.05, leg. Diotti (cLD, cHP) .

Diagnosis. Meira species , habitus short oval, with pterygia hardly prominent, antennae very robust, pronotum hardly transverse, elytra with setae slightly elongate raised or semi-erect.

Description. Species of intermediate size as compared with other Meira (2.6-3.4 mm), and overall shape short and ovate ( Plate 1 , fig. 1). Dorsal vestiture of unicolored dark scales with no metallic shine, rather or hardly imbricate, and rather elongate setae, appressed or reclined on the pronotum ( Plate 1 , fig. 2), raised or semi-erect on elytra ( Plate 1 , fig. 3).

Rostrum transverse; epistomal keel not present; pterygia hardly prominent; clypeus rather gibbous, sometimes curved at right angle on a longitudinal axis and gradually elevated on the frons.

Frons highly transverse, at times with a short longitudinal groove in the middle. Eyes oval, sub-convex. Antennae robust, with funicle articles 3-7 highly transverse, particularly so in females; club slightly wider than funicle, with first article widely cup-shaped.

Pronotum transverse, sometimes hardly so, not or only slightly wider at base than at anterior margin, rounded on its sides, with maximum width just beyond half length, disc with densely spaced deep simple punctures.

Elytra short, usually hardly rounded on sides, with striae with close spacing of punctures and interstriae narrow, flat to only slightly convex.

Legs robust; protibiae almost straight, strongly widened at apex on the external margin; metatibiae with open apical corbels.

Penis in lateral view strongly curved towards apex ( Plate 2 , fig. 4, fig. 8a), in dorsal view gradually narrowing towards apex, then subtriangular or scutiform ( Plate 2 , fig. 5, fig. 8a), with many sensilla on sides and apex ( Plate 2 , figs. 8a, 8b); internal sac carrying, together with the genital armature typical of the genus ( Plate 2 , fig. 6), a pair of additional armatures ( Plate 2 , fig. 7).

Spiculum ventrale sinuous at apex with manubrium elongated. Coxites of the ovipositor narrow but not elongated in the pre-apical region, sometimes converging at apex at the internal margin ( Plate 3, fig. 9). Spermatheca with cornus and ramus well developed ( Plate 3, fig. 10).

Derivation of specific name. Dedicated to our friend and colleague Luciano Diotti.

Remarks. The species was collected sieving soil with Lavandula angustifolia Miller , at about 1500m altitude, in bush along the eastward path from the pass and leading to Madonna della Guardia.

Electron scanning microscopy (Quanta 200, FEI) revealed the presence of sensilla on the penis ( Plate 2 , figs. 8a, 8b), earlier observed in various species of Carabidae , Chrysomelidae , Megalopodidae , Orsodacnidae , but, to the best of our knowledge, only recently documented for the first time in a weevil ( Cleistolophus , sp. Entiminae ) by Düngelhoef and Schmitt (2010). The authors suggest that the sensilla might provide the male with information on the position and shape of the female opening during copulation.

Comparative notes. Meira diottii differs from Meira stierlini Sainte-Claire Deville, 1906 , by its short elytra, its less gibbous clypeus, its unicolored scales and highly elongate form, and from Meira baudii Stierlin 1892 (topotypical specimens from Rome) by its very robust antennae, and from every other Meira , by the supplementary genital armature of the internal sac.

This new species shows affinities particularly with a set of specimens from Tuscany considered at this time to be belonging to Meira baudii Stierlin , and with the topotypic specimens of that species (around Rome) and those of Meira stierlini Sainte-Claire Deville (Nice region, La Turbie).

The specimens from the Ligurian coast exhibit elytral scales with lighter and irregular spotting, shorter and less raised setae, and supplementary armature of the internal sac of the penis rather different from the topotypical specimens.

Figures

PLATE 1. Meira diottii sp. n.: 1. Habitus; 2. surface of the pronotum (SEM); 3. detail of elytral surface (SEM).

PLATE 2. Meira diottii sp. n.: 4. Penis, lateral view; 5. Apex of the penis, dorsal view; 6. genital armature of the internal sac, typical of the genus; 7. Supplementary genital armature of the internal sac; 8a, 8b. sensilla of the penis (SEM).