Neobarombiella lineata, Bolz & Wagner, 2012

Bolz, Helmut & Wagner, Thomas, 2012, 3463, Zootaxa 3463, pp. 1-112 : 90-91

Neobarombiella lineata sp. n.

( Figs 46, 161–164)

Etymology. Named as such because of its characteristic colouring.

Total length. 2.90–5.05 mm (mean: 4.11 mm) (n=14).

Head. Frons and vertex yellow or brownish-yellow, labrum, labial and maxillary palpi brownish-black or brown. Antenna yellow or brownish-yellow at base, brown from fourth antennomere towards apex ( Fig. 161); length of second to third antennomere 0.75–0.83 (mean: 0.80), and length of third to fourth antennomere 0.60–0.67 (mean: 0.62) ( Fig. 163). Eyes small and widely separated ( Fig. 161), width of eye to interocular distance 0.40–0.47 (mean: 0.44).

Thorax. Pronotum yellow or brownish-yellow; pronotal width 1.06–1.94 mm (mean: 1.51 mm), pronotal length 0.58–1.04 mm (mean: 0.82 mm), and pronotal length to width 0.50–0.56 (mean: 0.54). Elytron yellow or brownish-yellow, each with black suture and one black line connected basally ( Fig.161). Elytral length 2.30–3.90 mm (mean: 3.18 mm), elytral width 1.50–2.70 mm (mean: 2.06 mm), and maximal width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.61–0.69 (mean: 0.65) ( Fig. 161). Meso- and metathorax yellowish-brown or brown, legs brownish-yellow or yellow throughout; length of basi-metatarsus to metatibia 0.40–0.45 (mean: 0.42).

Abdomen. Entirely brown or brownish-black.

Male genitalia. Median lobe short and broad ( Fig. 162) apical section with broad V-shaped incision and one pair of sclerotized ridges in ventral view ( Fig. 162a); ventral beak-like elongation with sclerotized apex in lateral view ( Fig. 162c); endophallic brush with single pair of long spiculae.

Diagnosis. Neobarombiella lineata sp. n. can be distinguished from other species by its peculiar elytral colouring and rather broad antennomeres. Only N. bilineata , N. pictipennis , N. reichartzi sp. n. and N. vittigera have similar colouring. However, Neobarombiella reichartzi sp. n. only has characteristic dark spots laterally at the pronotal base, the suture is not black at all or only has rudimentary black colouring( Fig. 177), and its pronotum is shorter, pronotal length to width 0.43–0.48 (0.50–0.56 in N. lineata ) ( Figs 161, 177); N. vittigera has two longitudinal black lines on each elytron, the suture is narrowly bordered in black ( Fig. 72), and is on average much larger than N. lineata sp. n., total length 5.15–8.25 mm (2.90–5.05 mm in N. lineata )); N. pictipennis has characteristic long slender and antennomeres ( Fig. 31) and the single dark brown medial longitudinal line on each elytron curves towards and merges with the sutural margin in the apical quarter of the elytron ( Fig.30); Neobarombiella bilineata also has longer, more slender antennomeres, the second antennomere is more than two thirds as long as the third, length of second to third antennomere 0.63–0.70 (0.75–0.83 in N. lineata sp. n.), ( Figs 123, 163). All four of these species can also be distinguished using characteristics of the median lobe ( Figs 73, 122, 162, 178).

Distribution. Recorded from south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia ( Fig. 46).

Type material. Holotype, male: “Belgian Congo, 18 m. S. W. of, Elisabethville ., 1927., Dr. H. S. Evans. / Pres. By, Imp. Inst. Ent., B. M. 1938-288. / Holotype, Neobarombiella lineata, Bolz & Wagner 2010 / AfriGa, specimen ID:, 1883, specimen data, documented, 10.III.2011 ” ( BMNH; Fig. 164). Type locality: Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), 29 km. SW of Elisabethville, 11°40'S / 27°28'E .— Paratypes: Democratic Republic of the Congo. 1 ex., SE Katanga, XII.1907 ( BMNH) ; 10 ex., Elisabethville , 11°40'S / 27°28'E, 1927 ( BMNH) .— Zambia. 44 ex., Serenje Dist. , Congo da Lemba, 13°12'S / 30°15'E, XII.1907 ( BMNH) .