Speonemadus escalerai ( Uhagón, 1898 )

Reboleira, Ana Sofa P. S., Fresneda, Javier & Salgado, José Maria, 2017, A new species of Speonemadus from Portugal, with the revision of the escalerai-group (Coleoptera, Leiodidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 261, pp. 1-23 : 16-18

Speonemadus escalerai ( Uhagón, 1898)

Anemadus escalerae Uhagón, 1898: 118 .

Anemadus (Speonemadus) escalerae – Jeannel 1922: 58.

Speonemadus escalerai zariquieyi – Jeannel l936: 221.

Speonemadus escalerai – Jeannel l936: 221.

The specifc epithet proposed by Uhagón (1898) in the description was escalerae . However, the spelling escalerai has mostly been used in the entomological literature; since its use is prevalent, attributed to the original author, according to the ICZN (2016: Article 33.3.1), we propose to continue to use escalerai .

Type locality

“Cuevas de la Zarza, del Seguret y del Encomat, cerca de Bocairente” ( Uhagón 1898).

Material examined

SPAIN: Alicante: 3 ♁♁, 2 ♀♀, Xixona, Cova-Avenc de Barratxina , 25 May 1976, Comas and Escolà leg. ( CMCN); 5 ♁♁, 7 ♀♀, Xixona, Peñas Roset, 6 Apr. 2005, Ortuño leg. ( CZULE). — Valencia: 3 ♁♁, 1 ♀, Bocairent, Cova Sarsa, Zaragoza leg. ( CMCN); 1 ♀, Enguera, Sima de la Carrasquilla, 8 Mar. 1993, Montagud leg. ( CZULE).

Previous records

SPAIN: Alicante: Albaida, Castalla, Cova Melxor ( Blas 1977, 1979, 1989; Zaragoza & Sendra 1988); Banyeres, Avenc de Vinalogó ( Blas 1977, 1979, 1989; Zaragoza & Sendra 1988); Onil, Cova-Avenc de la Foieta (= Cova de la Foieta, Cueva-Sima de la Foieta) ( Jeannel 1936; Blas 1979); Onil, Cova de Galiano ( Zaragoza & Sendra 1988); Onil, Cova de Garbina ( Jeannel 1936; Blas 1979); Onil, Cova Porrasses ( Blas 1977, 1979, 1989; Zaragoza & Sendra 1988); Xixona, Cova-Avenc de Barratxina ( Blas 1977, 1979, 1989; Zaragoza & Sendra 1988). MURCIA, Jumilla, Sierra del Carche, MSS ( Blas 1989; Giachino & Vailati 1993; Fresneda et al. 2007); Jumilla, Cueva Los Cachorros ( Blas 1989); Jumilla, Sima los Cachorros, ( Fresneda et al. 2007); Jumilla, Cueva Los Tiestos ( Blas 1989). — Valencia: Bocairent ( Blas 1979); Bocairent, Cueva del Encomat ( Uhagón 1898; Jeannel 1922, 1936; Blas 1977, 1979); Bocairent, Cueva del Seguret ( Uhagón 1898; Jeannel 1922, 1936; Blas 1977, 1979, 1989; Giachino & Vailati 1993); Bocairent, Cueva de la Zarza ( Uhagón 1898; Jeannel 1922, 1936; Blas 1977; 1979, 1989; Giachino & Vailati 1993); Bocairent, Cova Sarsa, ( Blas 1979, 1989).

Redescription

BODY. Length 4.5–5.0 mm (males) and 4.4–4.9 mm (females); body width 1.3–1.6 mm (males) and 1.3–1.5 mm (females). Body shape long and slender ( Fig. 5 ). Integument reddish brown; pubescence fairly long, golden and lying. Head structure similar to other species of the group.

ANTENNAE. Long and slender, when oriented back reaching sixth basal part of elytra; 3rd antennomere slightly longer than 2nd one; 2nd, 4th, 5th and 7th ones are similar in length and longer than the 6th one; 8th is 1.5 × longer than wide ( Table 1 ).

PRONOTUM. Slightly transverse, maximum width / length ratio = 1.19–1.30 (males) and 1.13– 1.20 (females); hexagonal in dorsal view, with maximum width in middle; sides arcuate and almost linear converging towards the base ( Fig. 14 ); posterior angles obtuse with rounded apex. Base of pronotum almost as wide as base of elytra, gently curved sideways and fnely beaded. Median granularity sculpture.

ELYTRA. Elliptical and very elongated, maximum length / width ratio = 2.06–2.18 (males) and 1.96– 2.06 (female), with rounded apical areas; elytral disc slightly convex and depressed along suture in its half basal part; elytral suture well-marked with thin transverse striae, distant and perpendicular to suture.

Male

Aedeagus and structures of inner sac are similar to those described for S. bolivari , although larger in shape, length 1.4–1.5 mm (measured to the apex of the parameres); in dorsal view very similar to all the species of the group but in close slimmer apical area ( Fig. 25 ). Parameres also similar to S. bolivari , but with more pronounced steeper area of outer margin in third distal part.

GENITAL SEGMENT STRUCTURE. Similar to that described for Speonemadus algarvensis sp. nov.

LEGS. Relatively long and slender; protibia widened in apical area and with a long keel running through the two basal thirds of the margin, showing two sharp protrusions, separated by a slight depression, anterior is sharp and much higher and the second is fuzzy ( Fig. 20 ); frst three protarsomeres are dilated, the frst being slightly narrower than the anterior tip of protibia; mesotibiae arched and metatibiae slightly arched.

Female

Antennae long, reaching the basal third of elytra, with antennomeres generally slightly longer and transverse ( Table 1 ). Pronotum not so transverse; in dorsal view subrectangular, with side margins almost straight before maximum width; which is situated towards the third part of basal area ( Fig. 15 ). Elytra elliptical and elongate, with notched and serrated apical areas. Sexual dimorphism very clear in pronotum, protibiae and apical part of elytra. Females are generally less robust and with less transverse pronotum than males. The uroventrites 7th and 8th, and spermatheca follows the overall model for the group.

Note

The great variability of this species led to the description of the subspecies zariquieyi Jeannel, 1936 , later synonymized by Blas (1977), who observed that the differences correspond to intermediate forms and, moreover, the proximity of the different caves does not represent any real evidence of geographic isolation.

Biology and Ecology

Speonemadus escalerai is a subterranean species and, therefore, common in caves. It is mostly found in areas with small accumulations of bat guano, but also under stones or stalagmitic foors and in deep parts of caves ( Blas 1989). Blas (1989), Giachino & Vailati (1993) and Fresneda et al. (2007) also pointed out its presence in the Superfcial Subterranean Habitat (MSS) (sensu Giachino & Vailati 2010) in the karst area of Murcia.

Distribution

This species is distributed in the southeast Iberian Peninsula and colonizes caves of the provinces of Alicante, Murcia and Valencia in Spain ( Fig. 32 ).

Figures

Fig. 32. Distribution of Speonemadus of the escalerai - group: S. algarvensis sp. nov., S. angusticollis (Kraatz, 1870), S. bolivari (Jeannel, 1922), S. breuili (Jeannel, 1922) and S. escalerai (Uhagón, 1898).

Figs 1 – 5. Speonemadus of the escalera i- group habitus. 1. S. algarvensis sp. nov. (Gruta do Vale Telheiro, Portugal). 2. S. angusticollis (Kraatz, 1870) (Rute, Spain). 3. S. bolivari (Jeannel, 1922) (Ardales, Spain). 4. S. breuili (Jeannel, 1922) (Motillas, Spain). 5. S. escalerai (Uhagón, 1898) (Jumilla, Spain). Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figs 6 – 15. Speonemadus of the escalerai - group pronotum. 6 – 7. S. algarvensis sp. nov. (Gruta do Vale Telheiro, Portugal), respectively ♁ and ♀. 8 – 9. S. angusticollis (Kraatz, 1870) (Rute, Spain) respectively ♁ and ♀. 10 – 11. S. bolivari (Jeannel, 1922) (Ardales, Spain) respectively ♁ and ♀. 12 – 13. S. breuili (Jeannel, 1922) (Motillas, Spain) respectively ♁ and ♀. 14 – 15. S. escalerai (Uhagón, 1898) (Jumilla, Spain) respectively ♁ and ♀. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figs 21 – 25. Speonemadus of the escalerai - group, aedeagus. 21. Paratype of S. algarvensis sp. nov. (Gruta do Vale Telheiro). 22. S. angusticollis (Kraatz, 1870) (Rute). 23. S. bolivari (Jeannel, 1922) (Ardales). 24. S. breuili (Jeannel, 1922) (Motillas). 25. S. escalerai (Uhagón, 1898) (Jumilla). Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figs 16 – 20. Speonemadus of the escalerai - group male protibia. 16. Speonemadus algarvensis sp. nov. (Gruta do Vale Telheiro, Portugal). 17. S. angusticollis (Kraatz, 1870) (Rute, Spain). 18. S. bolivari (Jeannel, 1922) (Ardales, Spain). 19. S. breuili (Jeannel, 1922) (Motillas, Spain). 20. S. escalerai (Uhagón, 1898) (Jumilla, Spain). Scale bar = 0.5 mm.