Bonesioides jacobyi, 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 : 1953-1955

Bonesioides jacobyi sp. nov.

Description

Total length. 5.7–7.0 mm (mean: 6.35 mm).

Head. Labrum, labial and maxillary palpus dark brown to black; frons and vertex metallic green or blue. Antenna long, dark brown to black (figure 62). Antennal article 4 longer than articles 2 and 3 combined (figure 63), A3/A4: 0.44–0.56 (mean: 0.49); article 3 slightly longer than article 2, A2/A3: 0.60–0.77 (mean: 0.70). Eyes very large (figure 62), WE/DE: 0.72–0.97 (mean: 0.91).

Thorax. Pronotum and elytra shining metallic green or blue. PL: 1.0– 1.1 mm (mean: 1.05 mm), PW: 1.7–2.1 mm (mean: 1.96 mm), PL/PW: 0.50–0.59 (mean: 0.54). EL: 4.5–5.6 mm (mean: 5.05 mm), EW: 2.4–3.2 mm (mean: 2.83 mm), ratio elytral width to length: 0.46–0.63 (mean: 0.56). Mesothorax, metathorax and legs black, TA/TI: 0.44–0.57 (mean: 0.52).

Abdomen. Dark brown to black.

Male genitalia. Median lobe very slender, laterally compressed in middle (figure 65). Orifice nearly circular, tectum slender and long. Endophallus slender, with two very small spiculae, one of them very tiny. Large endophallic brush and slightly protuding apical part of sclerotized ductus ejaculatorius partly covered by tectum.

Female genitalia. Spermatheca with small nodulus, middle part and cornu very slender, long and strongly curved (figure 64).

Distribution. Distributed from Cameroon and Gabon through the Congo Basin towards Uganda and Tanzania (figure 66).

Diagnosis. Bonesioides jacobyi sp. nov. is most similar to B. coerulea and B. caerulea (figures 7, 26). Green-coloured specimen of B. jacobyi sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from the blue-coloured B. coerulea and B. caerulea . Blue specimens may cause confusion, but such of B. jacobyi sp. nov. are smaller than those of other species. Total length of B. jacobyi sp. nov. is 5.7–7.0 mm ( B. coerulea : 8.0– 8.6 mm, B. caerulea : 6.8–7.9 mm). The eyes in B. jacobyi sp. nov. are much larger and the antenna are longer than in B. caerulea (figures 26, 62; WE/DE in B. jacobyi sp. nov. 0.72–0.97, B. caerulea 0.47–0.60). Furthermore, the median lobe in B. coerulea and B. caerulea is very broad and the spiculae are very large (figures 10, 29), while the median lobe in B. jacobyi sp. nov. is much more slender and the spiculae are much smaller (figure 65).

Type material

H: W ‘ Holotypus Bonesioides jacobyi / Bonesioides jacobyi Freund & Wagner 2000 / Uganda, District Masindi, Budongo Forest n. Sonso, 19.-30.VI.1995, Th. Wagner leg.’ (ZFMK); Uganda: 1°45∞N/31°35∞E. P: Cameroon: 1 ex., Joh. Alb. Höhe, 4°40∞N/9°25∞E, September–October 1898, L. Conradt S. (MNHU); 1 ex., Joh. Alb. Höhe, 4°40∞N/9°25∞E, August 1998, L. Conradt S. (MNHU); 1 ex., Lolodorf, 3°17∞N/10°50∞E, February–March 1995, L. Conradt (MNHU); 3 ex., Mt Kala, 3°40∞N/11°35∞E, March 1973, Darge (MRAC). Congo: 1 ex., riv. Abia, 0°44∞N/29°48∞E, 4 July 1957, 695 m, P. Vanschuytbroeck (IRSNB); 1 ex., Beni a Lesse, 0°29∞N/29°27∞E, July 1911, Dr Murtula (MRAC); 1 ex., Eala, 0°4∞N/18°17∞E, April 1936, J. Ghesquiere (MRAC); 7 ex., Kisangani, 0°33∞N/25°14∞E, March 1971 – February 1972, J. Taverniers (MRAC); 2 ex., Libenge, 3°39∞N/18°38∞E, October–November 1974, R. Cremer and M. Naumann (IRSNB); 1 ex., Lulonga, 0°37∞N/18°23∞E, February 1949, G. Marlier (MRAC); 1 ex., route Watalinga (entre riv. Lesse et Semliki), 0°50∞N/30°0∞E, 695 m, plège lumineux, July 1957, P. Vanschuytbroeck (IRSNB); 2 ex., Yindi, 1°35∞N/27°40∞E, October 1948 – May 1949, A. E. Bertrand (MRAC); 2 ex., 180 km W from Bukavu, May 1988, Hung. Sci. Africa Exp. ‘Telekei’, A. Vojnits (HNHM). Congo-Brazzaville: 2 ex., Bangui, 4°23∞N/18°37∞E, July 1959 (MRAC); 13 ex., Odzala Nat. Park, 0°23∞N/14°50∞E, 400–500 m, Jnauary– March 1997, S. Murzin and V. Siniaev (CBe). Gabon: 1 ex., Woleu-Ntern, Tchimbele, 0.37N / 10.24E, 600 m, January 1990, J. J. Wieringa (CBe); 1 ex., Moyen-Ogooué, Ndjolé, riverbank, 0.12S / 10.45E, April 1992, J. J. Wieringa (CBe). Tanzania: 1 ex., Usambara, 4°45∞S/38°2∞E, 850 m, September–October 1891, L. Conradt (MNHU). Uganda: 1 ex., Bwamba, 0°43∞N/30°4∞E, June 1948, van Someren (BMNH).