Lebistina rehagei Assmann, Starke & Terlutter

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 : 10-12

Lebistina rehagei Assmann, Starke & Terlutter sp. n. Figs 1, 2-5

Type material.

Holotype male: "E-Kenya 21.4.07 / Ngomeni, N of / Nguni, leg. Snížek” (ZSM). Paratypes (5 males and 19 females): "Kenya 3./4.XI.1996 / Sagala reg., Voi / leg. Werner & Lizler" (1 individual, cAsL), "Kenya 2.XII.1996 / near Kipwezi / leg. Werner & Lizler" (1 individual, cAsL), "Kenya, 28./30.XI.1997 / near Voi / leg. Werner & Lizler leg." (1 individual, cAsL), same data as previous one, but “29./30.1997” (1 individual, cAsL), "E-Kenya 21.4.07 / Ngomeni, N of / Nguni, leg. Snížek” (11 individuals, cAsL, cFaP), "Kenya Eastern / Nguni / N of Ngomeni / 27.4.2008 / lgt. Snížek“ (1 individual, cAsL), "Kenya SE / 8.-12.12.2009 / SW of Voi / Snížek leg." (1 individual, cScH), "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” (2 individuals, cAsL, cLMM), same data as previous one, but “27.11.2011” (2 individuals, cAsL, cStW).

Diagnosis.

A large Lebistina species, with a narrow dark humeral spot, a dark sutural band and a dark transverse band in the apical half of the yellow colored elytra (Fig. 1). Mentum with a tooth having two slightly discernable tips (Fig. 3).

Description.

Body length 9.5-13.7 mm; width 4.3-6.3 mm.

Color: Head red-brown, mandibles and palpi, especially distal segments dark brown to black. 1st or 1st to 3rd antennal segments red-brown, the following ones darker, tip of last segment brighter. Pronotum red-brown, the margins broadly translucent and yellow. Elytra yellow with characteristic dark red-brown and black pattern: Small and narrow, longitudinal humeral spot (as long as 3 elytral intervals wide); sutural band around the scutellum broad (approximately as wide as 3 to 4 elytral intervals on each side), on the disc restricted to the sutural interval, longitudinal strip becomes narrower and finally disappears close to the apex; in the apical half a broad transverse band (about one third of elytral length) from the sutural interval to the 9th interval; margin and epipleura yellow (Fig. 1). Legs red-brown to brown, without obvious darkening; claws yellow to brown. Last visible abdominal tergite yellow to brown, with in most specimens a dark spot on both sides. Lower side red-brown, without clear darkening, but margins of abdominal sternites sometimes darkened.

Head large, 0.80 to 0.86 times as wide as pronotum (ratio PW/HW: 1.18-1.30) (Fig. 2). Eyes protruding and hemispheric, more than one third of head width. Clearly punctated, around and between supraorbital setae wrinkled. Neck restricted. Antennae long, a little less than 2/3 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 twice as wide as long. Ligula rounded at the tip, bearing some setae; paraglossae united with ligula, membranous, little shorter than ligula, bearing some setae. Mentum in the median part dentate, forming a tooth with two small tips (Fig. 3).

Pronotum wider than long (ratio PW/PL: 1.33-1.48), widest at approximately the middle (behind insertion of lateral setae) (Fig. 2). Anterior margin only slightly rounded and with a very fine and interrupted marginal line, anterior angles strongly rounded, from there continuously curved laterally until posterior angles, in front of basal setae straight; posterior angles well defined, almost rectangular, slightly obtuse (95-105°), rounded at the tip; median part of the base slightly protruding behind (less than 1/10 of PL). Pronotal lateral margin wide, clearly delimited from the disc; at the lateral seta (at the end of the 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 1/5 of pronotum length. Medial longitudinal impression deep, terminated at anterior and posterior transverse impression. Anterior transverse impression distinct, posterior transverse impression distinct and almost parallel to basal margin, strongly impressed at the inner border of the lateral margin, posterior angles upwards bent. Strongly punctated and punctures often fused to wrinkles.

Elytra 1.6 to 1.9 times broader than pronotum, (ratio EL/EW: 1.2-1.4), with protruding humeri, widest at the anterior margin of the broad dark transverse band or at its middle in the apical half. Apical margin of each elytron truncate, lateroposterior angle rounded, not projecting; in some individuals, inner third of apical margin sinuate and slightly serrated. Apically, suture rectangular or even prolongated to the apical margin, forming a blunt tip. Striae slightly impressed and punctated; intervals flat, with two to five rows of irregular punctures, as some punctures fused to an irregular pattern. Four 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 males also with dense adhesive setae (Fig. 4). Claws pectinate, the number of teeth varies between (7-) 8 and 10 per claw.

Microsculpture consisting of isodiametric (to slightly transverse) meshes, less distinct on head and pronotum, hence integument appears fairly dull.

Median lobe of aedeagus elongate (in lateral aspect), slightly sinuose on dorsal surface, somewhat concave on ventral surface, not enlarged to the orificium (Fig. 5); internal sac of aedeagus without strongly sclerotized copulatory pieces, but a characteristic pattern of foldings in apical half of the median lobe. Left paramere oval, right one reduced to a small shaft.

Comparisons.

The individuals of the new species differ from those of all other species of the genus by their characteristic coloration, shape of the median lobe of the ae deagus, mentum shape, body length, pronotum shape, broad pronotal margin, elytral punctuation intensity and the number of setiferous punctures in the 3rd elytral interval.

Etymology.

It gives us great pleasure to dedicate this new species to our colleague and mentor Heinz-Otto Rehage ( Münster, Germany), the former head of the Biological Station Heiliges Meer (North Rhine-Westphalia), well-known coleopterologist, who collected also in Africa and inspired us to study beetles and their natural history.

Distribution.

Currently known only from Kenya.

Habitat.

Unknown. The specimens were collected at light sources (Karl Werner and Miroslav Snížek, personal communication). Lebistina rehagei sp. n. lives sympatrically with Lebistina petersae 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.