Blepharidina (Afroblepharida) socotrana, Biondi & Iannella, 2019

Biondi, Maurizio & Iannella, Mattia, 2019, Unravelling the taxonomic assessment of an interesting new species from Socotra Island: Blepharidina socotrana sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 59 (2), pp. 499-505 : 502-503

Blepharidina (Afroblepharida) socotrana sp. nov.

( Figs 1–2 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island / Dixam plateau, 15.-22.vi.2012 / Wadi Dirhor, open woodland / with Boswellia ameero trees / 12°28.0’N 54°00.5’E, 340 m, // Socotra Expedition 2012 / J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, / P. Kment, I. Malenovský, / J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.’ ( NMPC).

Description of male holotype. Body elliptical-elongate, moderately convex ( Fig. 1 ). Measurements: LB = 5.50 mm; WP = 2.20 mm; WE = 3.00 mm. Head pale brown, with some darker areas; pronotum pale yellow, with unclearly bordered brown patches on punctate areas; elytra pale yellow, with irregular brown areas on striae; scutellum brown; antennae and legs pale yellow; hind femora weakly darkened. Head with smooth surface; vertex distinctly micropunctate laterally; frontal grooves sinuate, deeply impressed from antennal socket to interocular space; frontal tubercles absent; interocular space slightly raised, distinctly narrower than transverse ocular width; antennae as long as half body length (LAN = 2.75 mm; LAN/LB = 0.50); LA: 100: 56: 81: 69: 91: 56: 88: 56: 56: 69: 88. Pronotum trapezoidal, transverse (LP = 1.05 mm; WP/LP = 2.20), weakly rounded laterally; pronotal surface smooth, with lines and groups of differently sized punctures, and with short lateral longitudinal striae reaching basal margin; both apical and basal margins distinctly thinner medially than laterally; lateral margins very finely bordered. Scutellum subtriangular. Elytra moderately elongate (LE = 4.05 mm; WE/LE = 0.74; LE/LP = 3.86), slightly rounded laterally, apically jointly rounded; punctation clearly impressed on smooth surface, arranged in nine regular rows plus short scutellar row; interstriae flat. Legs with first pro- and mesotarsomere distinctly dilated; tarsal claws simple. Ventral parts yellow; last abdominal ventrite without distinctive preapical impressions. Median lobe of aedeagus ( Fig. 2 ) (LAED = 2.05 mm; LE/LAED = 1.98) fusiform in ventral view, distally subtriangular with rounded apex; ventral surface weakly wrinkled laterally on apical third; dorsal ligula apparently formed by one median and two lateral, more elongate, lobes; large, sclerotized and subrectangular median lobe raising from dorsal surface, laterally bent, with apical median tooth; in lateral view, aedeagus regularly curved from phallobase to apex.

Differential diagnosis. Blepharidina socotrana sp. nov. occupies a rather isolated position within the genus, even though closer to the species of Afroblepharida , especially to B. (A.) scripta ( Figs 3–4 ), as also suggested by the herein performed cladistic analysis. The new species shares the following characters with B. scripta : deeply impressed frontal grooves; trapezoidal pronotum with entirely visible lateral margins in dorsal view; pronotal posterior angles weakly obtuse; pronotal base with a latero-longitudinal striae. However, B. socotrana sp. nov. is easilydistinguishable from B. scripta in having: elytral striae arranged in regular single rows (irregular double rows or striae in B. scripta ); bare head (distinctly hairy in B. scripta ); pale colour of antennae and legs (darker in B. scripta ). In B. socotrana sp. nov. the median lobe of aedeagus is: fusiform in ventral view (thickset in B. scripta ); slender and regularly curved in lateral view (almost straight in B. scripta ); with a large,

Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae, volume 59, number 2, 2019 503

sclerotized and subrectangular median lobe raising from dorsal surface, laterally bent and with an apical median tooth (absent in B. scripta ); dorsal ligula formed by one median and two lateral elongate lobes (short median and lateral lobes in B. scripta ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is a female adjective in the genitive case referring to Socotra Island, where the new species was collected.

Habitat. The only known specimen was collected in an open woodland with Boswellia ameero trees, at 340 m a.s.l.

Distribution. Yemen ( Socotra). Possibly Northern-Eastern Afrotropical (NEA) chorotype ( BIONDI & D’ALESSANDRO 2006).

Figures

Figs 1–2. Blepharidina (Afroblepharida) socotrana sp. nov.1 – habitus; 2 – median lobe of aedeagus in ventral, dorsal, and lateral view (from left to right).

Figs 3–4. Blepharidina (Afroblepharida) scripta (Weise, 1904). 1 – habitus; 2 – median lobe of aedeagus in ventral, dorsal, and lateral view (from left to right).