Lebistina petersae Assmann, Drees & Zumstein

Assmann, Thorsten, Boutaud, Esteve, Drees, Claudia, Marcus, Tamar, Dorothea Nolte,, Starke, Werner, Terlutter, Heinrich, Voeller, Eva & Zumstein, Pascale, 2017, Two new Lebistina Motschulsky, 1864 species from Kenya and Tanzania (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini), African Invertebrates 58 (1), pp. 9-21 : 12-16

Lebistina petersae Assmann, Drees & Zumstein sp. n. Figs 6, 7-13

Type material.

Holotype male: "Kenya, Tsavo East NP / 5 km sw of Lugards / Falls, 13.12.2000 / Ivo Martinů lgt." (ZSM). Paratypes (28 males and 26 females): "Kenya 2.XII.1996 / near Kipwezi / leg. Werner & Lizler" (2 individuals, cAsL), "Kenya, 28./30.XI.1997 / near Voi / leg. Werner & Lizler leg." (10 individual, cAsL), "Kenya-S. / Voi / 13.-17.xii.1997 / M. Snížek leg." (2 individuals, cFaP), "Africa - East - Kenya / Tsavo East, Voi Lodge / 3.23S/38.34 E, - 14.12.1999 / leg.: Dr. P. Croy" (1 individual, cAsL), "Tanzania 2.XII.1999 / near Namanga (at light) / leg. Werner & Lizler" (1 individual, cAsL), "Kenya, Tsavo East NP / SW of Lugards / Falls, 13.12.2000 / Ivo Martinů lgt." (1 individual, cAsL), same data but "Rudolf Kmeco leg." (1 individual, cFaP), "Kenya, Tsavo East N.P. / 5 km SW Lugard’s Falls / 13.-14.XII.2000, M. Bednařík leg." (11 individuals, cScH, cBeO, cKmL), ("Kenya 1./3.V.2001 / NE Prov., El Walk / leg. Werner & Smrz" (1 individual, cAsL), "Kenya / Voi / IV-2006" (1 individual, cFaP), "C./S. Kenya / road between Naurobi-Mombasa / (Transafrican Highway) / Emali env. 1180 m / 28.X.2007 / T. Lebenbauer & A. Puchner" (2 individuals, cWrB), "Kenya, Eastern / E 729 Sosoma / 202 km E of Thika / 20.11.2007 / Snížek” (4 individuals, cAsL, cFaP), "Kenya SE / SW of Voi / 8.-12.2.2009 / lgt. Snížek” (8 individuals, cScH, cAsL), same data but “8.-12.12.2011” (1 individual, cAsL), same data but “8.-12.12.2012” (2 individual, cAsL), "E.Kenya / E Mwingi / W Nguni / 11.XII.2010 Snížek” (3 individuals, cWrB), "Kenya, Eastern / Mwingi, E of Nguni, 800 m / 26.11.2011 / lgt. Snížek” (4 individuals, cAsL).

Diagnosis.

A small Lebistina species, with a complex black pattern on yellow elytra: a slender dark humeral spot longitudinally prolonged on intervals 6-8 (rarely this spot can be connected with the dark medial transverse band: Fig. 13), a sutural band stretched on intervals 1-4 and two dark transverse bands (as the posterior one can be interrupted in a few individuals) in the apical half on each elytron (Figs 6, 12-13). Mentum with two rounded teeth (Fig. 8).

Description.

Body length 7.9-10.5 mm; width 4.0-4.9 mm.

Color: Head red-brown, mandibles and palpi, especially distal parts or segments dark brown to black. Antennae black, sometimes the antennomere 1 and part of the consecutive one red-brown, tip of last segment brighter. Palpi black, last segments on the tip brightened. Pronotum red-brown, the margins broadly translucent and yellow. Elytra yellow with characteristic dark brown to black pattern (Fig. 6): Longitudinal dark humeral spot (as long as 4 elytral intervals wide) at the 6th and 7th striae; sutural band around the scutellum broad (as wide as 3 to 4 elytral intervals on each side), at the beginning of the second third of the elytral length restricted to the two inner intervals; two transverse bands, one anterior at the elytral middle, as thick as 2 to 3 inner elytral intervals wide together, and a posterior one in the apical fourth, slightly narrower than the anterior transverse band; in a few individuals, the humeral spot extends posteriorly (on 7th and 8th intervals) and fuses with the anterior transverse band; angles of all bands rounded or protruding, rarely reduced (Fig. 12); the entire elytral margin broadly yellow, with exception of the humeral longitudinal spot. Epipleura yellow. Legs dark brown to black, but basal two thirds of tibia red-brown, distal part of onychium brighter, claws yellow to brownish. Last visible abdominal tergite yellow to brown, with a large dark spot on both sides. Lower side red-brown, without clear darkening.

Head large, 0.80-0.86 times as wide as pronotum (ratio PW/HW: 1.18-1.30) (Fig. 7). Eyes protruding and hemispheric, more than one third of head width. Strongly punctated, around and between supraorbital setae wrinkled. Neck slightly restricted. Antennae long, slightly less than two third of total body length; antennomeres 1 to 3 glabrous (excl. the long apical setae); antennomeres 4 to 11 with dense and fairly fine setae except obligatory long apical setae. Labrum about 1.5 as wide as long. Ligula rounded at the tip, bears some setae; paraglossae united with ligula, membranous, little shorter than ligula (Fig. 9). Mentum sinuated, bidentate (Fig. 8).

Pronotum wider than long (ratio PW/PL: 1.41-1.59) (Fig. 7), widest at about the middle or behind. Anterior margin only slightly rounded and with a fine marginal line, anterior angles strongly rounded, sides in basal half constricted towards posterior margin, straight or slightly concave to the well-defined, almost rectangular, slightly obtuse, rounded at extreme tip (90-100°) posterior angles; median part of the base slightly protruding behind (less than 1/10 of PL). Pronotal lateral margin wide, only weakly delimited from the disc; at the lateral seta (at the end of first third of pronotal length) wider than length of antennomere 2, but narrower than length of antennomere 1; at the posterior angles as wide as about 1/4 of pronotum length. Medial longitudinal impression moderately deep, terminated at anterior and posterior transverse impression. Anterior transverse impression less distinct; posterior transverse impression less distinct and straight, impressed at the inner border of the lateral margin, posterior angles upwards bent; basal margin slightly convex. Strongly punctated and punctures often fused to wrinkles.

Elytra 1.7 to 1.9 times broader than pronotum (ratio EL/EW: 1.1-1.3), with protruding humeri, widest behind the middle, about the end of second third. Apical margin truncate, somewhat sinuate, slightly serrated; the lateroposterior angles rounded, not projecting. Apical suture ends in a broad rounding to the apical margin. Striae slightly impressed and punctated; intervals flat, with two to three rows of irregular punctures, which are partly fused to an irregular pattern. Two setiferous punctures in the third elytral interval.

Wings fully developed (macropterous).

Legs robust, tarsomeres 1 and 5 elongate, tarsomeres 2 and 3 triangular (females) to rounded (in males), tarsomere 4 at the apical margin deeply incised, all tarsomeres with numerous hairs underneath, tarsomeres 2 to 4 in the males also with dense adhesive setae (Fig. 10). Claws pectinate, the number of teeth varies between 7 and 9 per claw.

Microsculpture consisting of isodiametric (to slightly transverse) meshes, surface slightly shiny.

Median lobe of aedeagus relatively short; the basal part almost parallel, to the orificium curved and broadened, tip rounded and downward bent; internal sac with several bulbi having knobs and a stronger sclerotized area close to the orificium, without strongly sclerotized copulatory pieces (Fig. 11). Left paramere oval, right one reduced to a small shaft.

Comparisons.

The individuals of the new species can be differentiated from those of all other species of the genus by their characteristic coloration and the form of the median lobe of the aedeagus. They also exhibit a specific combination of body length (7.9-10.5 mm), broad pronotum, bidentate mentum, and two setiferous punctures in third elytral interval.

Etymology.

It gives us great pleasure to dedicate this new species to Marianne Peters, our former co-worker in the Institute of Ecology at the Leuphana University Lüneburg. She supported us in many respects, especially with the mounting and preparation of African ground beetles, and provided great assistance work on these beetles.

Distribution.

Currently known only from Kenya and Tanzania.

Habitat.

Unknown. Most of the specimens were collected at light sources (Karl Werner and Miroslav Snížek, personal communication). Lebistina petersae sp. n. lives sympatrically with Lebistina rehagei sp. n., Lebistina picta (Dejean, 1825), Lebistina sanguinea (Boheman, 1848) and/or Lebistina unicolor (Putzeys, 1880), Lebistina neuvillei Alluaud, 1918 and Lebistina peringueyi Liebke, 1928.