Lariopsis Kirejtshuk, 1989

Audisio, Paolo, Cline, Andrew Richard, Biase, Alessio De, Antonini, Gloria, Mancini, Emiliano, Trizzino, Marco, Costantini, Lorenzo, Strika, Sirio, Lamanna, Francesco & Cerretti, Pierfilippo, 2009, Preliminary re-examination of genus-level taxonomy of the pollen beetle subfamily Meligethinae (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (2), pp. 341-504 : 357-360

4. Lariopsis Kirejtshuk, 1989 stat. nov.

( Figs. 4 a–k )

Lariopsis Kirejtshuk, 1989: 86 (described as a subgenus of Meligethes Stephens, 1830 ).

Type species. Meligethes variabilis Reitter, 1872: 248 (by original designation) [= Lariopsis variabilis (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov.].

Generic redescription and diagnosis. Inclusive species vary greatly in size (2.3–3.5 mm length), and share the following combination of characters.

Body color and pubescence: pubescence golden to silvery-whitish, highly variable, 1) short, fine, and recumbent or 2) long, suberect, and partially obscuring the variably colored dorsal body surface (yellowish, reddish, brown, blackish, or blackish with orange spots on elytra: Fig. 4a ); pronotal and elytral sides narrowly flattened, typically the same color as disc. Lateral margin of pronotum and elytra with a series of faintly distinct, small and short setae, each seta usually 0.3–0.6× as long as those on elytral disc; posterior margin of pronotum comprising moderately long, usually distally trifid or tetrafid microsetae, microsetae uniformly distributed along middle region anterior to scutellum ( Fig. 4g ).

Dorsal habitus: body more or less convex, variably shaped, usually moderately short and wide, oval, or narrower and more parallel-sided ( Fig. 4a ); dorsal punctures on discal portion of pronotum larger than eye facets, moderately to deeply impressed and densely distributed; anterior margin of clypeus moderately to strongly arcuately emarginate, simple, i.e. without small distinct bulge medially, and distinctly bordered ( Fig. 4c ), with circum-ocular furrows (occipital sulci) on dorsal side of head shallow but nearly completely developed anteriorly and posteriorly ( Figs. 4b, c ); eyes large and usually moderately projecting laterally ( Figs. 4a, b, c ); pronotum with faintly distinct posterior angles, rounded to obtuse and never directed posteriorly ( Fig. 4a ); scutellum regularly punctured on most of exposed portion; elytra with simple punctation, never transversely strigose; elytral humeral angle faintly distinct, not protruding laterally ( Fig. 4a ); elytral humeral striae absent; elytral pre-sutural striae visible, originating at scutellar vertex, terminating at elytral apex, and delimiting on each elytron a faintly distinct, flat, not raised sutural border, border widest at posterior third, slightly narrower than proximal width of 3 rd antennomere; elytral apices truncately rounded in both sexes ( Fig. 4a ); pygidium partially exposed, moderately convex, apically rounded in both sexes ( Figs. 4a, h ).

Ventral habitus: antennal furrows markedly delimited, nearly parallel-sided, or slightly divergent posteriorly; mentum subpentagonal ( Fig. 4d ); prosternal antennal furrows on anterior margin of prosternum almost completely obliterated ( Fig. 4d ); prosternal process relatively narrow, subapical portion strongly dilated, 2.3–2.5× as wide as maximum width of 1 st antennomere, apex arcuately convex ( Fig. 4e ); lateral borders of prosternal process not delimiting furrows, terminating at base of prosternal process ( Fig. 4e ); posterior margin of mesoventrite simple, never incised medially, posteriorly slightly convex ( Fig. 4e ); variably developed male impressions on metaventrite and hypopygial tubercles ( Fig. 4h ); first two visible abdominal ventrites simple in both sexes, without tufts of setae; caudal marginal lines of metacoxal cavities simple, parallel and contiguous to posterior margin of metacoxal cavities, without arched impression of outer ‘axillary’ line ( Fig. 4k ); ‘axillary’ space on first abdominal ventrite moderately developed, ‘axillary’ angle widely obtuse ( Fig. 4k ); moderately large, short and shallowly impressed arched impressions on basal portion of last visible abdominal ventrite, frequently partially obscured by distal portion of penultimate abdominal ventrite ( Fig. 4h ).

Appendages: male 1 st antennomere 0.8–1.0× as long as width of protibiae excluding distal teeth ( Figs. 4a, c ); 3 rd antennomere in both sexes usually 2.3–2.4× as long as wide, 1.2–1.3× longer and distinctly thinner than 2 nd antennomere ( Figs. 4a, c ); 4 th and 5 th antennomeres in both sexes subequal, short, slightly longer than wide; antennal club compact, small, simple, comprising last 3 antennomeres in both sexes (8 th antennomere moderately widened, 0.6× as wide as 9 th antennomere) ( Fig. 4b ), much narrower than width of protibiae, sexual dimorphism absent; labial palpi moderately long ( Fig. 4d ), terminal segment 1.9–2.0× as long as wide; maxillary palpi moderately long and slender ( Fig. 4d ), terminal segment 2.5–2.6× as long as wide; mandible usually mid-sized ( Fig. 4d ), apex moderately acuminate, sexual dimorphism absent; tarsal claws strongly toothed at base (as in Fig. 17m ); tarsi of normal size and shape, 0.6–0.7× as long as corresponding tibiae ( Fig. 4a ); protibiae with a series of large, wide at base, uneven, moderately sharp teeth on lateral margin ( Figs. 4a, e ; Fig. 74 in KIREJTSHUK & AUDISIO 1995); meso- and metatibiae on lateral margin bearing a nearly double and uneven row of large and robust brown spurs ( Figs. 4f ), U-shaped sinuosity absent at distal third; meso- and metatibiae moderately slender, flat ( Fig. 4a ), never distinctly subtrapezoidal or axe-shaped; sexual dimorphism variably expressed in metatibiae, i.e. more distinctly sinuate in males, and tarsal plates of prolegs moderately wider in males; posterior margin of metafemora simple in both sexes, without tubercles or projections.

Male genitalia: processes along inner side of parameres absent ( Figs. 17–20 in KIREJTSHUK & AUDISIO 1995), with nearly transversely truncate distal margin, and without deep median longitudinal desclerotization from proximal portion of tegmen extending to medial distal Vshaped excision; median lobe of aedeagus without lateral emargination, subtruncate to bluntly acuminate distally, with arcuate shallow emargination distally.

Female genitalia (ovipositor): moderately large; styli long and distinct, simple, cylindrical, more distinctly pigmented distally, inserted close to apex of contiguous gonostyloids; each gonostyloid moderately sclerotized and pigmented distally, with a simple, never indentate outer portion of basicoxite (Fig. 47 in KIREJTSHUK & AUDISIO 1995), and a single, narrow, scarcely pigmented and sclerotized arcuate area along outer subdistal portion of gonostyloids. ‘Central point’ of ovipositor centrally located, without proximad directed spicule.

Etymology. The generic name was derived from Laria Scopoli, 1763 , the ancient generic name of members of the present-day Meligethinae genus Pria Stephens, 1829 , to emphasize the general aspect of a few, small-sized, and yellowish-colored species of Neolariopsis gen. nov. (previously included in Lariopsis ) that superficially resemble members of Pria . Gender masculine.

Biology. The two inclusive species are strictly associated for larval development with inflorescences (capitula) of Asteraceae , e.g. those of Arctotis L., Arctotheca Wendl. , and allied genera ( KIREJTSHUK & AUDISIO 1995, and unpublished data).

Phylogenetic position. Lariopsis is more closely related to Neolariopsis gen. nov., Odontholariopsis gen. nov., and Asterogethes gen. nov.; collectively forming a newly defined Lariopsis generic complex, which is supported by both adult morphology and molecular data ( TRIZZINO et al. 2009). Phylogenetic relationships of Lariopsis with Acanthogethes , Clypeogethes , and other ancestral lineages of Meligethinae remain unclear, and are only weakly supported with molecular data.

Taxonomy and geographic distribution. Lariopsis includes two described species distributed in Southern Africa ( KIREJTSHUK & AUDISIO 1995).

Lariopsis variabilis (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Lariopsis vultuosus ( Kirejtshuk & Audisio, 1995) comb. nov. South Africa: W and E Cape

Figures

Fig. 4. Lariopsis Kirejtshuk, 1989: a – L.vultuosus (Kirejtshuk & Audisio, 1995); b–k – L. variabilis (Reitter, 1872). a – male habitus (length 3.3 mm); b, c – dorso-lateral view of head; d – ventral view of head and anterior portion of prosternum; e – prosternal process and mesoventrite; f – middle leg with outer margin of mesotibia; g – microsetae on middle posterior margin of pronotum; h – exposed portion of last visible abdominal ventrite; k – caudal marginal lines of metacoxal cavities. Scale bars: Figs. b, c, d, e, h, k = 100 μm; Fig. f = 30 μm; Fig. g = 10 μm.

Fig. 17. Aristogethes Audisio & Cline, gen. nov.: a – A. translatus (Grouvelle, 1913); b – A. pecten (Audisio, Kirk-Spriggs & Kirejtshuk, 1998); c, e–k – A. pubescens (Reitter, 1872); d, m – A. marshalli (Grouvelle, 1914). a, b – male habitus (a – length 2.6 mm; b – length 2.4 mm); c, d – dorsal view of head; e – ventral view of head and anterior portion of prosternum; f – prosternal process and mesoventrite; g – anterior portion of scutellum and microsetae on middle of posterior margin of pronotum; h – exposed portion of last visible abdominal ventrite; k – caudal marginal line of metacoxal cavity; m – last tarsomere of middle leg. Scale bars: Figs. d, f, h, k, m = 100 μm; Fig. g = 20 μm.