Clypeogethes Scholz, 1932

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 : 363-366

6. Clypeogethes Scholz, 1932 stat. nov.

( Figs. 6 a–e, k–n )

Clypeogethes Scholz, 1932: 97 (described as a subgenus of Meligethes Stephens, 1830 ).

Type species. Meligethes (Clypeogethes) leonhardi Scholz, 1932: 97 (by monotypy) [= Meligethes elongatus ( Rosenhauer, 1856: 98) = Clypeogethes elongatus ( Rosenhauer, 1856) comb. nov.].

Generic redescription and diagnosis. Inclusive species vary greatly in size (1.2–3.3 mm length), and share the following combination of characters.

Body color and pubescence: pubescence usually short and fine, recumbent, golden to silvery-whitish or leaden-brown, never obscuring the variably colored dorsal body surface (brown, blackish, reddish, dull bluish or blackish, in a few cases with orange spots on elytra) ( Fig. 6a ); pronotal and elytral sides narrowly flattened, typically the same color as disc. Lateral margin of pronutum and elytra with a series of faintly distinct, small and short setae, each seta usually 0.3–0.5× as long as those on elytral disc; posterior margin of pronotum with long, usually distally bifid or rarely trifid microsetae, microsetae uniformly distributed on middle region anterior to scutellum (as in Fig. 7g ).

Dorsal habitus: body moderately convex, elongate, oval ( Fig. 6a ); dorsal punctures on discal portion of pronotum usually fine, nearly as large as eye facets, shallowly impressed and more or less densely distributed; anterior margin of clypeus more or less deeply sinuately emarginate, simple, i.e. without small distinct bulge medially, and distinctly bordered; circum-ocular furrows (occipital sulci) on dorsal side of head complete, fine but distinct ( Fig. 6m ); eyes large and usually moderately projected laterally ( Figs. 6a, m ); pronotum with faintly distinct posterior angles, rounded to obtuse and never directed posteriorly ( Fig. 6a ); scutellum regularly punctured in most of exposed portion; elytra with simple and fine punctation, never transversely strigose, occasionally with faint traces of orange peel-like rugosity; elytral humeral angle narrowly rounded, faintly distinct, not protruding laterally ( Fig. 6a ); elytral humeral striae usually indistinct; elytral pre-sutural striae visible, originating at scutellar vertex or slightly posterior to apex, terminating at elytral apex, and delimiting on each elytron a faintly distinct, flat, unraised sutural border; border widest at posterior third, usually distinctly narrower than proximal width of 3 rd antennomere; elytral apices truncately rounded in both sexes ( Fig. 6a ); pygidium partially exposed, moderately convex, apically rounded in both sexes ( Fig. 6a ).

Ventral habitus: antennal furrows markedly delimited, nearly parallel-sided, or slightly divergent posteriorly; mentum subpentagonal ( Fig. 6n ); prosternal antennal furrows on anterior margin of prosternum moderately raised and short ( Fig. 6n ); prosternal process relatively narrow, subapical dilated portion 2.1–2.2× as wide as maximum width of 1 st antennomere, apex usually bluntly acuminate (as in Fig. 7d ); lateral borders of prosternal process delimiting shallowly impressed but distinct furrows, distally terminating over predistal lateral expansions; posterior margin of mesoventrite simple, never incised medially (as in Fig. 7d ); male impressions on metaventrite moderately developed; first two visible abdominal ventrites usually simple in both sexes, without tufts of setae; caudal marginal lines of metacoxal cavities always simple, parallel and contiguous to posterior margin of metacoxal cavities, without deep arched impression of outer ‘axillary’ line (as in Fig. 7f ); ‘axillary’ space on first abdominal ventrite moderately developed, ‘axillary’ angle obtuse (as in Fig. 7f ); large and moderately deeply impressed arched impressions on basal portion of last visible abdominal ventrite, frequently partially covered by distal portion of penultimate visible abdominal ventrite ( Fig. 6k ).

Appendages: male 1 st antennomere 0.8–1.0× as long as width of protibiae excluding distal teeth; 3 rd antennomere in both sexes usually 1.9–2.1× as long as wide, only 0.8–0.9× as long as but distinctly thinner than 2 nd antennomere ( Figs. 6a, m, n ); 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, sexual dimorphism absent ( Figs. 6a, n ), distinctly narrower than width of protibiae; labial palpi relatively short in both sexes (as in Fig. 7c ), terminal segment 1.7–1.8× as long as wide; maxillary palpi moderately long and slender in both sexes (as in Fig. 7c ), terminal segment 2.4–2.7× as long as wide; mandible usually mid-sized ( Fig. 6a ), apex moderately acuminate, no sexual dimorphism; tarsal claws never toothed at base (as in Fig. 5e ); tarsi of normal size and shape, 0.6–0.7× as long as corresponding tibiae ( Fig. 6a ); protibiae with a series of usually small, even, sharp teeth on lateral margin ( Figs. 6a, n ; Figs. 127 d-f in AUDISIO 1993b); meso- and metatibiae on lateral margin bearing a moderately even row of fine pegs ( Fig. 6a ), without U-shaped sinuosity at distal third; meso- and metatibiae of variable width, usually moderately flat, but narrow and slender ( Fig. 6a ), never distinctly subtrapezoidal or axe-shaped; no sexual dimorphism in tibial shape; tarsal plates of prolegs sligthly 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. 6d, e ; Fig. 136 in AUDISIO 1993b), usually with arcuately emarginate distal margin, without deep median longitudinal desclerotization from proximal portion of tegmen extending to medial distal Vshaped excision; median lobe of aedeagus variable, without emargination laterally, rounded, subtruncate to acuminate distally, without distal minute excision or emargination.

Female genitalia (ovipositor): variably shaped, usually small; styli usually short but distinct, simple, cylindrical, frequently distinctly pigmented, inserted close to apex of contiguous gonostyloids; each gonostyloid lightly sclerotized and distally pigmented, with a simple, never indentate outer portion of basicoxites ( Figs. 6b, c ; Figs. 155 a–g in AUDISIO 1993b), and a single, narrow, scarcely pigmented and sclerotized arcuate area along outer subdistal portion of gonostyloids. ‘Central point’ of ovipositor usually centrally located, with or without proximad directed spicule.

Etymology. The generic name is derived from ‘clypeus’, to emphasize the markedly arcuately emarginate anterior margin of the clypeus, and from ‘- gethes ’, to emphasize its phylogenetic relationship with Meligethes . Gender masculine.

Biology. All species are strictly associated for larval development with flowers of Brassicaceae , especially Alyssum L., Aurinia Desv. , Moricandia DC. , Hesperis L., and Matthiola R.Br. ( EASTON 1957a; AUDISIO 1993b, and unpublished data; AUDISIO et al. 2000).

Phylogenetic position. Available molecular and morphological datasets suggest a clearly monophyletic clade including Clypeogethes and Xerogethes gen. nov. (both genera developing on Brassicaceae ). See comments within Acanthogethes , for possible relationships of Clypeogethes and Xerogethes gen. nov. with members of the Lariopsis generic complex and Acanthogethes .

Taxonomy and geographic distribution. Herein, Clypeogethes includes seven described species distributed from western Europe and North Africa to Middle Asia. Most known species are distributed in eastern Mediterranean countries ( AUDISIO 1993b; AUDISIO et al. 2000; JELÍNEK & AUDISIO 2007).

Clypeogethes chlorocyaneus ( Jelínek & Audisio, 1977) comb. nov. N Balkans, W and E Alps

Clypeogethes coerulescens (Kraatz, 1858) comb. nov. Greece

Clypeogethes elongatus ( Rosenhauer, 1856) comb. nov. Iberian Peninsula, N Africa, Middle East Clypeogethes lepidii (Miller, 1851) comb. nov. S Palaearctic Region, excluding N Africa Clypeogethes mithra (Jelínek, 1978) comb. nov. Near East

Clypeogethes tener (Reitter, 1873) comb. nov. NE Mediterranean areas, Caucasus Clypeogethes wittmeri ( Jelínek & Audisio, 1977) comb. nov. N Turkey, Armenia

Figures

Fig. 6. Clypeogethes Scholz, 1932 and Xerogethes Audisio & Cline, gen. nov.: a, c – C. chlorocyaneus (Jelínek & Audisio, 1977); b, d–e – C. elongatus (Rosenhauer, 1856); k–n – C. lepidii (Miller, 1851); f–g – X. osellai (Audisio & Jelínek, 2000); h – X. rotundicollis (C. N. F. Brisout de Barneville, 1863). a – male habitus (length 2.5 mm); b, c, h – ovipositors; d–e, f–g – male genitalia; k – exposed portion of last visible abdominal ventrite; m – dorsal view of head; n – ventral view of head and anterior portion of prosternum. Figs. b–h: refer to AUDISIO (1993b) and AUDISIO et al. (2000) for scale. Scale bars: Figs. k, m, n = 100 μm.

Fig. 7. Xerogethes Audisio & Cline, gen. nov.: a – X. osellai (Audisio & Jelínek, 2000); b–g – X. rotundicollis (C. N. F. Brisout de Barneville, 1863). a – male habitus (length 2.0 mm); b – dorso-lateral view of head; c – ventral view of head and anterior portion of prosternum; d – prosternal process and mesoventrite; e – exposed portion of last visible abdominal ventrite; f – caudal marginal lines of metacoxal cavities; g – microsetae on middle of posterior margin of pronotum. Scale bars: Figs. b, c, d, e, f = 100 μm; g = 30 μm.

Fig. 5. Neolariopsis Audisio & Cline, gen. nov.: a, c–h – N. cercoides (Reitter, 1872); b – N. thalycroides (Kirejtshuk & Audisio, 1995). a, b – male habitus (a – length 2.1 mm, b – length 2.1 mm); c – dorsal view of head; d – ventral view of head and anterior portion of prosternum; e – middle leg with outer margin of mesotibia; f – prosternal process and mesoventrite; g – exposed portion of last visible abdominal ventrite; h – antenna. Scale bars: Figs. c, d, f = 100 μm; Figs. e, h = 20 μm; Fig. g = 30 μm.