Solariola ruffoi Osella & Di Marco, 1996

Baviera, Cosimo, 2015, A review of the genus Solariola Flach, 1908 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae, Peritelini), Zootaxa 3920 (3), pp. 401-430 : 422

Solariola ruffoi Osella & Di Marco, 1996

Fig. 8 : A–F; Fig. 10 : H; Fig. 12 (8).

Solariola ruffoi Osella & Di Marco 1996: 349 ; Colonnelli, 2003: 46; Osella et al., 2005; Abbazzi & Maggini, 2009: 58; Magnano & Alonso Zarazaga, 2013: 347.

Type locality. Sicilia–Palermo, Sicani, Ficuzza Wood.

Holotype ♂. With following labels: 1) Sicilia Ficuzza 12.XII.1986 Sabella [Leg.] [white handwritten], 2) Holotype ♂ [red handwritten], 3) Solariola ruffoi Det. Osella [white handwritten] ( GOS).

Paratypes. 7 ♂♂♀♀ same holotype data ( GOS).

Other specimens 9 ♂♂♀♀. Sicilia, Palermo, Sicani, Bosco Ficuzza, 3.III.2013, Leg. Baviera C. & Bellò C.; Ficuzza, XI.1912 [Leg.] F. Vitale; Ficuzza, Sicilia, XI.1907, G. C. Kruger. ( CBE, CBA, MSNG, GOS).

Diagnosis. A medium to large brownish-red Solariola with pronotum with very strongly rounded sides, pronotal setae shorter than elytral ones which are curved and hardly raised (angle with elytral surface ≤ 5°) their apex rarely touching elytral surface, elytral punctures deep, subquadrate and as large as striae, funiculus long, with only segment 7 wider than longer.

Holotype redescription. Body length 3.06 mm, maximum width of elytra 1.00 mm. Rostrum longer than wide, confusedly and deeply wrinkled, with narrow furrow, subparallel rostral carinae very slightly arched, closest at proximal third. Underside of rostrum densely covered under scrobe by whitish-yellowish spatulate setae, also partially visible around eyes. Apex and base of rostrum with short and sparse recumbent bristles ponting backward, these bristles recumbent and visible on both sides and on upper surface of carinae. Antennae with very long scape, slightly curved at proximal third, regularly thickened from base to apex, funicle 8 times longer than wide, segment 1 of funicle clavate, more than two times longer than wide, segment 2 shorter and twice longer than wide, 3 and 4 slightly longer than wide, 5 and 6 barely so, 7 wider than long; club three-segmented, oval, about twice longer then wide (width/length ratio 0.59), densely covered with short setae. Prothorax almost as long as wide (width/length ratio 0.94), strongly rounded on sides, widest at middle, disc strongly and irregularly sculptured by large deep punctures merged with smaller shallower ones which bear long recumbent seta, these pairs of points more distant from each other on disc than on sides, their interspaces smooth, strongly inclined centripetal setae inserted in smaller punctures are on average length less than 3 times the average diameter of the larger points. Elytra oblong elongate, oval, narrower at base than maximum width of prothorax, about twice long their overall width (width/ length ratio 0.54), humeri obliquely rounded, subparallel sides regularly convergent to apex, scarcely and very regularly curved, maximum width at mid length, narrowing apically. Interstriae flat, clearly demarcated by points of striae, minutely punctured, points lower in number than those of striae, each bearing fairly long (average 0.09 mm) strongly curved laterally flattened and moderately raised (angle with elytral surface ≤ 5°) seta, some of those setae on elytral apex are spatulate and recumbent on elytral surface. Elytral lateral declivity starting after the 3rd stria. Aedeagus long, slightly curved, sclerotisation of sides very broad in basal two third, sides slightly convergent from base to middle, then slightly narrower and thereafter widened, with apex slightly arched, large, almost triangular and regularly curved; long lamella triangular, covered on sides, medially raised.

TL SL SW FL FW CL CW PL PW PW EL EW EW PS ES --- ---

PL EL

♂ holotype 3.06 0.62 0.1 0.58 0.07 0.24 0.14 0.73 0.69 0.94 1.83 1 0.54 0.08 0.09 Female genitalia and variabilty. Spermatheca with long not broadened nodulus and very long curved cornu. Others males differ only by size; females differ by the usual sexual dimorphism of elytral sides being very weakly curved and not subparallel.

Distribution. Palermo, Sicani, Ficuzza forest ( Fig.12 ).

Affinities. This species is related to S. angelae n. sp. by the inclination of elytral setae and rounded sides of pronotum, differing from this species mainly by deeper elytral punctuation, elytral setae rarely shorter than pronotal ones, and aedeagal shape with different lamella length.

Ecology. Sifted from leaf litter collected in an oak forest on clay soil.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Solariola ruffoi Osella & Di Marco, 1996 Holotype ♂ from Ficuzza Wood (Palermo); A: habitus; B: rostrum; C: antennal funicle; D: pronotum; E: side of right elytra; F: aedeagus.

FIGURE 10. Spermatheca shape of Solariola species: A: Solariola gestroi (A. Solari & F. Solari, 1904); B: Solariola hirtula (A. Solari & F. Solari, 1923); C: Solariola fraterna sp. n., D: Solariola paganettii (Flach, 1905); E: Solariola vitalei A. Solari & F. Solari, 1923; F: Solariola pesarinii sp. n.; G: Solariola doderoi A. Solari & F. Solari, 1923; H: Solariola ruffoi Osella & Di Marco, 1996; I: Solariola angelae sp. n..

FIGURE 12. Distribution of known species of Solariola: (1) Solariola gestroi (A. Solari & F. Solari, 1904), (2) Solariola hirtula (A. Solari & F. Solari, 1923), (3) Solariola fraterna sp. n., (4) Solariola paganettii (Flach, 1905), (5) Solariola vitalei A. Solari & F. Solari, 1923 (6) Solariola pesarinii sp. n., (7) Solariola doderoi A. Solari & F. Solari, 1923, (8) Solariola ruffoi Osella & Di Marco, 1996, (9) Solariola angelae sp. n.