Bruchidius aurivillii ( Blanc, 1889 )

Delobel, Alex, Ru, Bruno Le, Genson, Gwenaëlle, Musyoka, Boaz K. & Kergoat, Gael J., 2015, Molecular phylogenetics, systematics and host-plant associations of the Bruchidius albosparsus (Fåhraeus) species group (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Bruchinae) with the description of four new species, Zootaxa 3931 (4), pp. 451-482 : 458-459

Bruchidius aurivillii ( Blanc, 1889)

Bruchus mimus Gyllenhal, 1833:43 (preoccupied) Mylabris aurivillii Blanc, 1889:42

Bruchidius aurivillii (Blanc) : Schilsky, 1905:36 Bruchus senegalensis Pic, 1912 : Anton, 2010:341

Material examined. Type (male) of Mylabris aurivillii : Tunisia: “Bled Thala / ex Acacia tortilis (Bonnet) / éclos en aout”, “ Type ”, “M. / aurivillii / E. Blanc / types ” “Museum Paris / 1922 / Coll. L. Bedel”, “ lectotype / J. Decelle des., 1972”; paratypes: 2♂, 6♀, same data as lectotype [ MNHN].

Other material: Kenya: 5♂, 2♀, Nguruman, 01°45’50’’S, 36°3’59’’E, 712m, vi.2002, ex Vachellia tortilis spirocarpa [2♂ 11202, 14802, specimen Sp11 used for DNA extraction] (B. Le Ru) [ CBAD, CBGP]; 2♂, 5♀, Magadi, 01°52’25’’S, 36°18’20’’E, 666m, 19.i.2013, ex V. t. raddiana (B. Le Ru) [ CBAD, CBGP]; 1♂, Marigat, 00°25’56’’N, 35°57’42’’E, 1152m, 17.v.2007, ex V. tortilis , [specimen GK95 used for DNA extraction] (B. Le Ru) [ CBGP]. Senegal : 1♂, Fleuve, Boké Namadi, 30.i.1999, ex. V. tortilis [specimen Ac11 used for DNA extraction] (M. Sembène) [ CBGP]; 1♂, 5♀, Khatali (between Dara and Déali), 29.iv.1995, ex V. t. raddiana [1♂ 11595, 3♀ 12895, 12995, 13095] (H. & A. Delobel) [ CBAD]; 4♂, 1♀, Ndiengue Diaw, 16.iii.1996, ex V. t. raddiana (H. & A. Delobel) [ CBAD]; 1♂, 3♀, 21 km N. Déali, 25.iii.1995, ex V. t. raddiana (H. & A. Delobel) [ CBAD]; 3♂, Rao, 20.v.1995, ex V. t. raddiana [3♂ 10995, 11095, 11195] (H. & A. Delobel) [ CBAD]; Lamsar, 16.iii.1999, ex V. t. raddiana (M.T. Gueye) [ CBAD, CBGP].

A medium-sized (2.1–3.0 mm) species with yellowish to reddish brown integument and various darker areas, antennae and 4 anterior legs light testaceous, posterior legs slightly darker. Vestiture generally pale, with more or less extended brown patches: pronotum mostly brown, with median longitudinal line and basal lobes, white or yellowish; usually elytra with three irregular transversal rows of dots and apex, often more or less extended circular or rhomboid sutural spot, brown; last visible tergite light coloured, with base and median line more densely setose, and often a brown elongated spot on each side. Other major morphological traits are as follows: two minute teeth at base of striae 3 and 4; last visible tergite of female moderately bulging in apical one-third, without foveae; base of ventrite 1 of male with large patch of short yellowish erect setae.

Genitalia ( Figs. 3–4 ): median lobe short, stout (w/l = 0.20), apically widened, dorsal valve braced by strongly sclerotized ring, ventral valve acutely subtriangular, with two groups of 5 setae, internal sac lined with transparent tubercles, in proximal part a short dentate sclerite that lays in dorsal position when evaginated, followed by a long sclerite composed of 15–20 fused teeth, and a pair of short lateral teeth; apically a pair of leaf-like, lightly sclerotized plates. Tegminal strut with large carina, parameres short and apically truncated, cleft to 63% their length and with about 10 setae.

Biology. Reared from seeds of Vachellia tortilis , V. t. raddiana and V. t. spirocarpa .

Discussion. Bruchidius senegalensis was a replacement name for B. mimus Gyllenhal from Senegal . Subsequently the name senegalensis was erroneously used by authors for several other species ( B. centromaculatus , B. cretaceus and B. meridionalis ); the identity of B. senegalensis was established by Anton & Delobel (2003).

Distribution. Algeria (de Luca 1962), Burkina Faso ( Nongonierma 1978), Chad ( Hoffman 1965), Kenya, Mali ( Nongonierma 1978), Mauritania ( Nongonierma 1978), Morocco (de Peyerimhoff 1926), Saudi Arabia (Anton pers. com.), Senegal , Tunisia, and Yemen (Anton pers. com.).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Bruchidius albosparsus (male): 1 — median lobe (ventral view); 2 — lateral lobes (ventral view); Bruchidius aurivillii (male): 3 — median lobe with internal sac evaginated (lateral view); 4 — sclerites of the internal sac (ventral view).