Neoclita pringlei, Renzo Perissinotto, 2017

Renzo Perissinotto, 2017, Neoclita pringlei (Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae), a new relict genus and species from the Drakensberg Range of South Africa, European Journal of Taxonomy 279, pp. 1-12 : 4-8

Neoclita pringlei gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:88D0989D-50F5-4265-8C3A-2C1DBC4151EE

Figs 1–7

Etymology

The species is named after the renowned South African lepidopterologist Ernest Pringle, who frst collected the new species in the Matatiele Nature Reserve and promptly brought it to my attention.

Type material

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA: ♂, KwaZulu-Natal, Matatiele 6 Dec. 2008, R. Perissinotto and L. Clennell leg. ( TMSA).

Paratypes

SOUTH AFRICA: 23 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, same data as holotype ( TMSA, SANC, ISAM, BMPC, PCPC, TGPC, DMPC, CDPC, SRPC) ; 13 ♂♂, same locality as holotype, but 29 Nov. 2008, E.L. Pringle leg. ( EPPC, PCPC) ; 18 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀, E Cape Prov., Dordrecht Mountain , 1740 m, 12 Dec. 2013, 31°22′28.70″ S, 27°03′15.80″ E, A.P. Marais and J.B. Ball leg. ( BMPC, PCPC) ; 1 ♂, same locality as holotype, but 31 Dec. 2015, E.L. Pringle leg. ( EPPC) .

Description of holotype ( Figs 1–2 ) SIZE. Length 16.3; width 9.4 mm.

BODY. Black to dark brown, with tomentum on scutellum, elytra and pygidium ( Figs 1A , 4 ); shape remarkably oval, with convexity particularly enhanced on apical parts of elytra ( Fig 1A ).

HEAD. Black, with few scattered setae on margins of clypeus and frons, completely covered in dense, fne round punctures except on clypeal ridges and supra-ocular tubercle; clypeus extremely short and sharply upturned at anterior margin but less so at lateral margins, not bilobate; frons and vertex exhibiting smooth elevation at middle forming a mild convexity above anteriorly sloping disc ( Fig. 1A ).

PRONOTUM. Antero-hexagonal with angles smoothly rounded; anterior margin without tubercle or ridge, but exhibiting broad, sharply downturned ocular lobes which extend beyond eyes; black to brown, shiny with dense, fne round punctures evenly distributed throughout surface, except at lateral and posterior margins; lateral margins carinate and bearing short, scattered setae; posterior margin shiny and smooth, slightly sinuate anteriad of scutellum to form poorly developed pre-scutellar arch ( Fig. 1A ).

ScUTEllUM. Black to dark brown; with few scattered round punctures exhibiting seta at centre; perfectly triangular, with sharp apex; without lateral groove, but with oblong tomentose area on each side reaching neither base nor apex ( Fig 1A ).

ElYTRON. Exhibiting poorly raised sutural, discal and lateral costae; uneven costae 3, 5 and 7 converging at apical callus; colour varying from light to dark brown, with even numbered interstriae and lateral declivity exhibiting tomentose lines and spots; humeral callus pronounced, but apical callus virtually obsolete; apical third extremely convex, resulting in oval shape; sparse fne, round punctures with short yellow setae at centre occurring only on lateral and apical declivities ( Fig. 1A ).

PYgIDIUM. Dark brown but completely covered in whitish tomentum, except at apex; scattered small round punctures throughout, with short seta at centre of each puncture; without any prominent indentation or protrusion.

APPENDAgES. Antennal clubs reddish brown, of normal length, of approximately the same length of pedicel and fagellum combined; pedicel dark brown to black, fagellum reddish brown, both with scattered but long, erect yellow-brown setae; legs strongly built in male, femora and tibias enlarged (cf. Meridioclita ); protibia slender, with yellow-brown setae short and scattered on outer margin, becoming longer and denser on inner margin, tridentate with proximal tooth poorly developed to obsolete; meso- and metatibia with longer yellow-brown setae, again longer and denser on inner than outer margin, with no outer carina and relatively poorly developed spines; metatibial spurs long, slender and sharply pointed; profemur and mesofemur covered with long and dense yellow-brown setae, becoming few and short on metafemur; tarsomeres of all legs elongate and hypertrophic, with yellow-brown setae at joints and on inner margin ( Fig. 1A ).

UNDERSIDE. Shiny black to dark brown; small, round punctures throughout surface but very scattered and mostly bearing setae at centre; yellow-brown, long setae throughout anterior surface, becoming short and scattered on metasternum and abdominal sternites; mesometasternal lobe extremely narrow, reduced and smoothly rounded; abdominal sternites with visible concavity at centre and without tomentose markings ( Fig. 1B ).

AEDEAgUS. Parameres relatively short and compact ( Fig. 2 ), with dorsal lobes narrower than ventral lobes; dorsal lobes with upper margin concave across full length; apices blunt and broadly rounded in dorsal view, exhibiting short scattered setae throughout dorso-frontal surface ( Fig. 2 ).

Description of female

The female differs markedly from the male, exhibiting the typical black and globose body of the genera Heteroclita , Ichnestoma and Meridioclita ( Figs 3 , 5 ). It possesses fully developed wings. Its antennal clubs are approximately half of the length of those of the male and the pronotum is virtually hemicirclic, rather than hexagonal. The protibia is markedly tridentate and both meso- and metatibia exhibit a sharp median tooth on external margin, which on the other hand is poorly developed in the male. Tarsal segments are of normal length, lacking the typical hypertrophy of males. As in all related genera, the female also exhibits a slight convexity at the middle of its abdominal tergites ( Fig. 3B ).

Type series variability

Size range: ♂: length 14.6–17.3 mm, width 7.9–8.8 mm (n= 18); ♀: length 15.2–16.8 mm, width 8.7– 9.1 mm (n=6).

There is very little colour variability among male specimens in the type series, while females are all consistently black. Males vary slightly in the extent of the tomentose stripes on the elytral surface. The oblong tomentose area on each side of the male scutellum may reach the base in some specimens. The pygidial background colour can vary from dark brown to reddish brown in the male. Most specimens also exhibit rapid discolouration after death, creating an apparent dark brown uniform colouration. This is solely due to impregnation of the surface chitin layer with oily substances, which can be readily removed by keeping the specimen immersed in acetone (or similar organic detergents) for a few days/ weeks. Finally, the extent of dorsal pilosity in males varies from virtual absence to scattered coverage throughout much of the surface. Dorsal setae are generally extremely short, except on frons where they may be longer in fresh specimens.

Figures

Fig. 1. Neoclita pringlei gen. et sp. nov., holotype, ♂, total length = 16.3 mm. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, ventral view. (South Africa, Eastern Cape Province, Matatiele Nature Reserve, 6 Dec. 2008, R. Perissinotto and L. Clennell leg.)

Fig. 2. Neoclita pringlei gen. et sp. nov., holotype, ♂. A. Aedeagus, dorsal view. B. Aedeagus, lateral view. (South Africa, Eastern Cape Province, Matatiele Nature Reserve, 6 Dec. 2008, R. Perissinotto and L. Clennell leg.)

Fig. 3. Neoclita pringlei gen. et sp. nov., paratype, ♀, total length = 16.8 mm. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, ventral view. (South Africa, Eastern Cape Province, Matatiele Nature Reserve, 6 Dec. 2008, R. Perissinotto and L. Clennell leg.)

Fig. 4. Neoclita pringlei gen. et sp. nov., ♂, specimen in its natural habitat (photo: Lynette Clennell, Matatiele, 6 Dec. 2018).

Fig. 5. Neoclita pringlei gen. et sp. nov., ♀, specimen in its natural habitat (photo: Lynette Clennell, Matatiele, 6 Dec. 2018).

Fig. 6. Matatiele Nature Reserve, showing the mountain summit with the typical habitat of Neoclita pringlei gen. et sp. nov. (photo: Lynette Clennell, Matatiele, 6 Dec. 2008).

Fig. 7. Dordrecht Mountain, where a second population of Neoclita pringlei gen. et sp. nov. was frst recorded in Dec. 2013 (photo: Lynette Clennell, Dordrecht, 31 Dec. 2015).