Bonesioides coerulea (Allard, 1889)

Freund, W. & Wagner, TH., 2003, Revision of Bonesioides Laboissière, 1925 (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae; Galerucinae) from continental Africa, Journal of Natural History 37 (16), pp. 1915-1976 : 1924-1927

Bonesioides coerulea (Allard, 1889)

Ootheca coerulea Allard, 1889: 102 .

Bonesioides coerulea (Allard, 1889) ; in Laboissière, 1925: 59.

Monolepta (Candezea) gigantea (Jacoby, 1897) ; in Weise, 1924: 176.

Monolepta gigantea (Jacoby, 1897) ; in Wilcox, 1973: 535.

Luperus giganteus Jacoby, 1897 ; in Wilcox, 1975: 683.

Redescription

Total length. 8.0– 9.3 mm (mean: 8.41 mm).

Head. Labrum, labial and maxillary palpus black, frons and vertex dark metallic blue. Antenna black and long, extending towards end of metasternum (figure 7). Antennal article 3 roughly 50% longer than antennal article 2 (figure 8), A2/A3: 0.53–0.69 (mean: 0.63). Antennal article 4 longer than antennal articles 2 and 3 combined, A3/A4: 0.48–0.61 (mean: 0.54). Eyes very large (figure 7), WE/DE: 0.82–1.06 (mean: 0.91).

Thorax. Pronotum and elytra dark metallic blue. PL: 1.3–1.5 mm (mean: 1.42 mm), PW: 2.4–2.6 mm (mean: 2.49 mm), PL/PW: 0.54–0.60 (mean: 0.57). EL: 6.3–7.5 mm (mean: 6.69 mm), EW: 3.9–4.1 mm (mean: 4.04 mm), EW/EL: 0.57–0.63 (mean: 0.60). Mesothorax, metathorax and legs black, metatibia more than twice as long as metatarsus (figure 7), TA/TI: 0.45–0.47 (mean: 0.46).

Abdomen. Black.

Male genitalia. Median lobe slender and elongated, homogeneously narrowed apically (figure 10). Orifice slender, nearly rectangular. Tectum slender, long. Endophallus with slender base and two small, strongly curved spiculae, covered by tectum. Endophallic brush and well-protuding, strongly sclerotized apical part of ductus ejaculatorius partly covered by tectum.

Female genitalia. Spermatheca with expanded nodulus, middle part and cornu varying in length and curvature (figure 9).

Distribution. Recorded from Nigeria, Cameroon and Equatorial-Guinea (figure 11).

Diagnosis. Bonesioides coerulea is most similar to B. caerulea and B. godzilla sp. nov. (figures 7, 26, 58). It can be easily distinguished by its large eyes, which are much smaller in the other two species mentioned. WE/DE is 0.82–1.06 in B. coerulea , 0.44–0.51 in B. godzilla sp. nov. and 0.47–0.60 in B. caerulea . Specimens of B. coerulea are larger than specimens of B. caerulea and smaller than specimens of B. godzilla sp. nov. Total length of B. caerulea ranges between 6.8 and 7.9 mm, of B. coerulea : 8.0– 9.3 mm, and of B. godzilla sp. nov.: 8.9–9.5 mm. The elytra of B. godzilla sp. nov. are nearly parallel-sided from the humeri apically, while they are expanded apically in B. coerulea . The basi-metatarsus is significantly longer than the metatibia in B. coerulea (TA/TI: 0.45–0.47), compared to B. caerulea (0.39–0.45). The median lobe of B. caerulea , the most similar species, has a much broader circular orifice than B. coerulea (figures 10, 29), where the orifice is narrower and more rectangular. In addition, the entire endophallus and the endophallic base are broader and the spiculae are larger in B. caerulea . Furthermore, the spiculae are left-curved in B. caerulea , while in B. coerulea one spiculum is left-curved, and the other is right-curved.

Type material

L : W ‘ Ootheca coerulea All. Vieux Calabar / Vieux Calabar / ex Museao, E. Allard, 1899 / Museum Paris, collection Allard’ ( MNHN); Nigeria: 4°56∞N/8°22∞E; lectotype designated by Wilcox ; examined. P : W same

data label as holotype ( MNHN); this designation. H  : X ‘ Luperus giganteus , Type, Jac. / Cameroon / Jacoby coll. 1909-28a’ ( BMNH); examined .

Other material examined

Cameroon: 5 ex., Lolodorf , 3°17∞N/10°50∞E, December 1894 – June 1895, L. Conradt ( BMNH) ; 6 ex., coll. Kraatz, Conradt ( DEI) . Equatorial-Guinea : 2 ex., Mongo , 1°30∞N/10°10∞E, 1946/1948, J. Palau ( MRAC) . Nigeria: 1 ex., Mundame- Mungo , 4°35∞N/9°31∞E, Comparé au type par J. Schulz, Rhode ( MRAC) .