Bonesioides pusilla, Freund & Wagner, 2003

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 : 1962-1964

Bonesioides pusilla sp. nov.

Description

Total length. 3.6–4.1 mm (mean: 3.93 mm).

Head. Labrum, labial and maxillary palpus dark brown to black, frons and vertex dark metallic green. Antenna dark brown to black, extending towards end of metasternum (figure 83). Antennal article 3 slightly longer than article 2 (figure 84), A2/A3: 0.71–0.86 (mean: 0.75); antennal article 4 longer than articles 2 and 3 combined, A3/A4: 0.50–0.53 (mean: 0.51). Eyes large, frons broad (figure 83), WE/DE: 0.53–0.63 (mean: 0.56).

Thorax. Pronotum and elytra dark metallic green. PL: 0.5–0.7 mm (mean: 0.62 mm), PW: 1.1–1.3 mm (mean: 1.20 mm), PL/PW: 0.50–0.54 (mean: 0.52). EL: 2.8–3.2 mm (mean: 3.06 mm), EW: 1.5–1.9 mm (mean: 1.68 mm), EW/EL: 0.51–0.59 (mean: 0.55). Mesothorax, metathorax and legs dark metallic green, TA/TI: 0.49–0.56 (mean: 0.53).

Abdomen. Dark metallic green.

Male genitalia. Median lobe slender and nearly parallel-sided from orifice towards the apical third, which is strongly narrowed (figure 86). Orifice nearly rectangular, tectum long and slender. Endophallus with broad base and two large spiculae, one left-curved spiculum, the other one right-curved and slightly shorter. Small endophallic brush and short, slightly protruding, apical part of sclerotized ductus ejaculatorius mostly covered by tectum.

Female genitalia. Spermatheca with slightly expanded nodulus, middle part and cornu short and straight, nearly right-angled; cornu with sharper bend at apex (figure 85).

Distribution. Only known from one location in Kenya (figure 48).

Diagnosis. Bonesioides pusilla sp. nov. is similar to green specimens of B. virens and B. montana sp. nov., but can be easily distinguished by the size (figures 30, 75). It is the smallest Bonesioides species known, the mean total length of B. pusilla sp. nov. is 3.93 mm ( B. virens 5.23 mm, B. montana sp. nov. 5.24 mm). Furthermore, it can be distinguished from B. montana sp. nov., by apically expanded elytra (figure 83), which are nearly parallel-sided from humeri towards the apex of the elytra in B. montana sp. nov. (figure 75). The antenna in B. pusilla sp. nov. are shorter than in B. virens and B. montana sp. nov. (figures 30, 75, 83). Antennal article 2 and 3 in B. pusilla sp. nov. is nearly of same length (figure 84), while it is longer in both other species mentioned (figures 31, 76; mean A2/A 3 in B. pusilla sp. nov. 0.75, B. virens 0.59, B. montana sp. nov. 0.68). Those species can also be distinguished by examination of the median lobe. In B. pusilla sp. nov. it is slender and nearly parallel-sided from tectum towards the apex (figure 86), while in B. virens it is homogeneously narrowed from orifice towards the apex (figure 33). The median lobe of B. montana sp. nov. is similar to B. pusilla sp. nov., but much larger (figure 78). B. montana sp. nov. occurs syntopically with B. pusilla sp. nov. (figure 48), while B. virens is restricted to the Albertine Rift in Kivu, Uganda and Rwanda (figure 53).

Type material

H  : W ‘ Holotypus Bonesioides pusilla / Kenya: Amboseli , 7. VI .1980, leg. D. G. Furth’ ( BMH); Kenya: 2°40∞S/37°17∞E. P  : 4 ex., same data label as holotype ( BMH) .