Blepharidina laesa (Kolbe)

Iannella, Paola D’Alessandro Mattia & Biondi, Maurizio, 2019, Revision of the Afrotropical flea beetle subgenus Blepharidina s. str. Bechyné (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae), Zootaxa 4545 (1) : -

Blepharidina laesa (Kolbe)

( Figs 12 , 48 , 68 )

Blepharida laesa Kolbe, 1897a: 99

Blepharidina laesa (Kolbe) : Biondi et al. 2017: 131

Type material examined. Lectotype ♂ (Biondi des. in Biondi et al. 2017): “ Coll. Stuhlmann, Mozambique (Festland) (~ 18°08′48''S, 34°57′53''E), 4.i.1889 ” ( ZMHB).

Taxonomic observations. Blepharidina laesa is closely related to B. picta , with which it shares the same shape of the aedeagus. However, B. laesa is distinguishable from B. picta by some external characters ( Figs 12, 17 ): size clearly smaller (LB = 6.88 mm; LB ± 8.38 mm in B. picta ); elytral interstriae weakly but distinctly carinate (flat in B. picta ); elytral yellow patches more irregularly shaped (more rounded in B. picta ); elytral punctures brownish (pale in B. picta ), clypeus and labrum reddish (both yellow in B. picta ). About the median lobe of aedeagus, B. laesa shows a more clearly trapezoidal apical part, and a straight and slightly shorter basal part ( Figs 48 , 53 ). Morphometry in Appendix 2.

Distribution. Mozambique ( Fig. 68 ). Possibly Southern–Eastern Afrotropical (SEA) chorotype.

Ecological notes. Not available. The collection site falls within the area of Eastern & Southern African Dry Savanna & Woodland vegetation (belonging to the Tropical Lowland Grassland, Savanna & Shrubland formation).

Figures

FIGURES 11–19. Blepharidina s. str. species habitus: 11, B. knighti (Bryant), ♂ lectotype; 12, B. laesa (Kolbe), ♂ lectotype; 13, B. macarthuri (Bryant), ♂ lectotype; 14, B. matabelelandensis sp. nov., ♂ holotype; 15, B. ornaticollis (Jacoby), ♂ lectotype; 16, B. partita (Jacoby), ♂ from Solwezi, Zambia; 17, B. picta (Kolbe), ♂ from Mikindani, Tanzania; 18, B. regalini sp. nov., ♂ holotype; 19, B. rudeli (Weise), ♀ lectotype.

FIGURES 44–49. Blepharidina s. str. species aedeagus, from left to right in ventral, dorsal, and lateral view: 44, B. intermedia (Jacoby), from Kindwitvi, Tanzania; 45, B. kasigauensis sp. nov., holotype; 46, B. kenyana sp. nov., holotype; 47, B. knighti (Bryant), lectotype; 48, B. laesa (Kolbe), lectotype; 49, B. macarthuri (Bryant), lectotype.

FIGURES 68–69. Blepharidina s. str. species distribution. Vegetation types are from Sayre et al. (2013).

FIGURES 50–54. Blepharidina s. str. species aedeagus, from left to right in ventral, dorsal, and lateral view: 50, B. matabelelandensis sp. nov., holotype; 51, B. ornaticollis (Jacoby), from Ramisi River, Kenya; 52, B. partita (Jacoby), from Solwezi, Zambia; 53, B. picta (Kolbe), from Mikindani, Tanzania; 54, B. regalini sp. nov., holotype.