Pseudomeira inviridis (Pic)

Pierotti, Helio, Bellò, Cesare & Alonso-Zarazaga, Miguel A., 2010, 2376, Zootaxa 2376, pp. 1-96 : 26

Pseudomeira inviridis (Pic)

( Figs. 23a–b, 51d, 72)

Peritelus (Meira) inviridis Pic, 1908: 82 .

Peritelus inviridis Pic : Jordá, 1922: 131; Pons & Palmer, 1996: 210.

Pseudomeira inviridis (Pic) : Pierotti & Bellò, 1998: 105; Alonso-Zarazaga, 2002: 24.

Peritelus tenuicornis Schaufuss sensu Tenenbaum, 1915: 119 .

Peritelus (Peritelus) tenuicornis Schaufuss sensu Solari & Solari, 1922: 58 ; Lona, 1937: 262.

Diagnosis. Species of medium size (4.5–5.0 mm), distinguished by a strongly transverse rostrum with sides evidently convergent apicad, by moderately large, subspherical eyes hardly projecting beyond genae and by elytra rounded at sides.

Redescription. Body outline not very elongate, widest across humeral calli. Dorsal vestiture formed by rounded scales, pale with bronze shimmer, some darker scales forming irregular elytral patches, and by short setae, widened at apex, reclinate on declivity. Rostrum strongly transverse, sides evidently convergent apicad, epistome not notched, epistomal keel present, pterygia more or less prominent. Frons wide, more than two thirds wider than metarostrum, with a median fovea. Eyes rounded, subspherical. Antennae with scape moderately narrow, strongly curved in basal half, scarcely incrassate from base to apex, funicle elongate, all desmomeres longer than wide, not or hardly widened progressively towards club, desmomere 2 a little shorter than 1; club rather elongate, first segment widely cup-shaped. Pronotum transverse, weakly rounded at sides. Elytra rounded at sides, progressively narrowing from humeral calli to apex, striae with evident punctures in spite of vestiture, each puncture with an elongate microseta, interstriae weakly convex. Tibiae elongate, protibiae more or less straight on outer margin, usually rounded at apex. Aedeagus in dorsal view cordiform in outline in pre-apical region ( Fig. 23a); endophallic structures as in Fig. 23b. Spermatheca as in Fig. 51d.

Distribution. Balearic endemite: island of Mallorca (type locality: Baleares). Spanish literature records: Mallorca: Capdepera ( Solari & Solari, 1922; Pons & Palmer, 1996), Artà, Alcudia, Pollensa ( Pons & Palmer, 1996).

Material examined ( Fig. 72). Holotype male, labelled: 1) Baleares; 2) 57; 3) Peritelus n. sp.; 4) Peritelus inviridis Pic ; 5) 1 ex. in coll. Fuente plus robuste (forme près mes gougeleti d’Andal. ) avec les épaules plus marquées, les antennes largement roussâtres ( PIC). Other specimens: Spain: Mallorca: Capdepera, leg. Jordà ( DOD); Palma, leg. Jordà ( MAN); La Granja, 20. V.96 ( PIE); Pollensa, Son Ventura, 30.IV.00, leg. Bellò (BEL); do., leg. Pierotti ( PIE).

Biology. Collected under Pistacia lentiscus L. in woods.

Notes. Peritelus inviridis was considered by Solari & Solari (1922) as a synonym of P. tenuicornis Schaufuss, 1882 , based on the elytral profile “ ex humeris ad posticam partem angustatis ” — according to Schaufuss’ description —, a character in fact shared by different Peritelini . Examination of Pic’s type specimen revealed that P. tenuicornis is actually easy to distiguish, apart from the characters in the key also by the indicated longitudinal keel on the pronotum, the suberect elytral setae and the pre-apical region of aedeagus being bent down and broadened.