Meira tedeschii, Pierotti, Helio, 2014

Pierotti, Helio, 2014, New or interesting Peritelini of the west-palaearctic fauna. XXV. A novel Italian species of the genus Meira Jacquelin Du Val (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae), Zootaxa 3873 (3), pp. 293-296 : 293-295

Meira tedeschii n. sp.

Holotype male: “Elba (LI), Capoliveri, Innamorata, 150 m, 26.XI.2013, leg. Pierotti” (PIE; to be deposited at 'Giacomo Doria' Natural History Museum in Genoa). Paratypes: same data as the holotype except “leg. Diotti” (DIO, 1 ex.), “leg. Forbicioni” ( FOR, 6 exx.), “leg. Monzini” (MON, 3 exx.), “leg. Pierotti” (MMI, 1.ex; OSE, 1 ex.; PIE, 16 exx.); “leg. Tedeschi” ( CAL, 1 ex.; TED, 5 exx.); “Elba (LI), Capoliveri, Ripe Alte, 27.XI.2013, leg. Forbicioni” ( FOR, 4 exx.), “leg. Pierotti” (PIE, 1 ex); “ Isola d’Elba (LI), Capoliveri, Innamorata, 150 m, 25.11.2012, leg. Tedeschi (TED, 1 ex.); “Elba (LI), Capoliveri, monte Calamita, c/o pozza antincendio, 340 m, 7.X.2013, leg. Bellò” (BEL, 4 exx.); Capoliveri (LI), M. Calamita, Pontimento, 45°43'56" N 10°22'54" E, 8.I. 2014, leg. Forbicioni ( FOR, 2 ex); Capoliveri (LI), M. Calamita, Calone, 45°43'24" N 10°24'47" E, 8.I.2014, leg. Forbicioni ( FOR, 1 ex).

Description. Body medium sized (length 2.3-3.0 mm), elongate. Dorsal vestiture consisting of small scales, rather or hardly imbricated, pale umber, mostly unicoloured, sometimes in small paler groups along odd interstriae, with or without shiny reflections, and of somewhat short setae, recumbent or subrecumbent on dorsum and elytral sides. Rostrum transverse, pterygia moderately developed, clypeus slightly curved, not or just grooved; frons transverse, somewhat depressed or foveolate. Eyes oval, convex. Antennae quite robust, with scape slightly wider at base than at apex; funicle less robust than scape, with first article longer than subsequent two articles taken together, second article shorter than subsequent two articles taken together, articles 3–6 transverse, similar in length; seventh article a little narrower; club thick, drop-shaped, with first article widely flared. Pronotum more (females) or less (males) transverse, with sides angulately rounded, at base as wide as at apex, on dorsum with double punctuation, with broad punctures somewhat close each other. Elytra elongate, with parallel or very weakly rounded sides, punctures of striae rather close, interstriae almost flat. Legs fairly slender; protibiae almost straight, curved inwards at apex. Penis in lateral view curved towards apex (fig. 1), in dorsal view with a scutiform profile at apex (fig. 2); internal sac without additional spicules. Spiculum ventrale with elongate manubrium. Spermatheca with cornu and ramus quite well developed (fig. 3). Coxites of ovipositor strongly narrowed, but not tapered, in preapical region; here strongly sclerotized, fairly sinuous, and converging at apex (fig. 4).

Derivation of species name. This species is named in honour of my dear friend and colleague Michele Tedeschi, who was the first to collect it.

Distribution. Island of Elba.

Ecological notes. The specimens of the type series were collected at 150 meters above sea level, mainly under Lavandula stoechas L.

Taxonomic notes. The new species (fig. 5) is distinguishable from M. diottii by the absence of additional spicules in the internal sac of the penis, from M. baudii , M. etrusca , M. sabina Pierotti, 2012 and M. umbra Pierotti, 2013 by the more slender shape, the elytra with parallel or very weakly rounded sides and with almost flat interstriae, the elytral setae recumbent or subrecumbent also on the shoulders, and especially by the coxites of the ovipositor narrower and sclerotised in the preapical region. Moreover, M. tedeschii differs from M. sabina and M. etrusca by the funicle less thick, and from the latter also by the elytral setae shorter.

The already highlighted intraspecific variability of many characters, and in particular that of the apical part of the penis ( Pierotti, 2011), leads one to hypothesize that the Italian species—with the exception perhaps of M. baudii , M. diottii , and M. oenotria— are entities still under differentiation from a unique ancestor.