Mordellina wimbledon Steury and Steiner, 2020

Steury, Brent W. & Steiner, Warren E., 2020, Descriptions of Four New Species of Tumbling Flower Beetles (Coleoptera: Mordellidae) from Eastern North America, The Coleopterists Bulletin 74 (4), pp. 699-709 : 700-701

Mordellina wimbledon Steury and Steiner , new species

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( Figs. 1A–B , 2B , 3B )

Type Material. Holotype. Dissected male ( USNM), labeled “ Virginia, Fairfax Co., GWMP, Little Hunting Creek, Malaise trap, 2–20 June 2017, B. Steury, C. Davis, C. Acosta. ” Paratypes (n = 3). One paratype, male ( USNM), labeled “USA: VA, Virginia Beach , Cty Camp Pendleton Annex Regulus Rd. , 0.1 rd. mi. N of North Gate, N36.80480 W75.96709, Malaise trap 21 May / 10 Jun 2008, A. Evans, pine/red maple woods”; two paratypes, male ( GWMP), labeled “ Virginia, Fairfax Co., Turkey Run Park, grassland with flowering herbs under powerline, Malaise trap, 1–17 June 2019, B. Steury. ”

Description. Holotype, male. Body length 3.0 mm to tip of elytra, 3.8 mm to tip of pygidium. Dorsal habitus narrow, yellowish, except for darker band along basal edge of pronotum and black sutural, lateral, and apical margins of the elytra, the dark lateral margin not reaching the humerus. Ventral habitus yellowish, except ventrites 1–3 black with narrow yellowish posterior edge, 4–5 yellowish, slightly infuscate anteriorly. Pygidium slender, black, 3.1× length of hypopygidium. Pubescence dorsally and ventrally recumbent, pale, shorter on head and pronotum than on elytra. Eyes slightly (by one or two rows of facets) emarginate behind the antennae, with many short, erect hairs, temple absent. Antennae ( Fig. 2B ) slender, filiform, with appressed setae, about 1.2 mm long, antennomeres 1 and 2 subequal, about 2 times the length of 3 and broader, especially at base, antennomeres 3 and 4 the shortest and subequal, 5–10 subequal, 2.3 times as long as 4, broadest at apex, slightly elongating apically, 11 the longest. Terminal maxillary palpomeres scalene, the lateral margin the longest. Pronotum broadest just before arcuate base, the midbasal lobe truncate, lateral margin sinuate with apex one-third from base. Scutellar shield small, pale, and triangular. Elytra together 2.4 times as long as broad at widest point, narrower at base than pronotum, sides subparallel on basal two-thirds, broadly rounded at apex. Legs: Protibia of male expanded ( Fig. 3B ), widest at apical twothirds, with dense patch of black setae on apical third and erect, black setae on dorsal margin; protarsomere 1 bowed and expanded apically, with erect black setae on apical dorsal margin; metatibia with two ridges, the second (proximal) ridge much longer, extending nearly across the tibia, two metatibial spines, the outer one-half the length of the inner one, metatarsomere 1 with three short ridges, metatarsomere 2 with two short ridges; pro- and mesotarsomeres 4 truncate at apex.

Female. Unknown.

Diagnosis. Placement of this species and the next in Mordellina Schilsky, 1908 follows Franciscolo (1967) and Jackman and Lu (2001). Mordellina wimbledon has a dorsal habitus nearly identical to darker forms of Mordellina ancilla (LeConte, 1862) (sensu Lisberg 2003) ( Figs. 4A–B ), a variable species in terms of the amount of darkening along the sutural, lateral, and apical margins of the elytra. It differs from M. ancilla primarily by its spatulate protibia with a patch of black setae on the apical third and its protarsomere 1 which is bowed and expanded apically, with erect black setae on the apical dorsal margin. The protibia of M. ancilla is straight, lacks the black setal patch, and protarsomere 1 is not bowed and lacks black setae apically. Additionally, M. wimbledon has longer antennae than M. ancilla with each antennomere 5–11 being proportionally longer ( Figs. 2A–B ). This is probably the same species discussed by Khalaf (1971b) from Louisiana under his entry for M. ancilla .

Variation. Length 2.9–3.0 mm to tip of elytra, 3.7–3.8 mm to tip of pygidium; pronotum sometimes all yellow; pygidium sometimes pale at base.

Etymology. Intrigued by the beetle’ s front legs that resemble tennis rackets, we name this species in honor of the only grass court Grand Slam tennis tournament and its many champions. Wimbledon is an English place name, used here as a noun in apposition.

Biology. Mordellina wimbledon is currently known from four male specimens collected from the Coastal Plain and Piedmont physiographic provinces of Virginia. These specimens were collected in Malaise traps set during 21 May–20 June. It was found in pine/red maple woods, grasslands with flowering herbs under a power line, and mature forest dominated by broadleaved hardwoods, especially oaks ( Quercus L.; Fagaceae ), hickory ( Carya Nutt. ; Juglandaceae ), and American beech ( Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. ; Fagaceae ), with some Virginia pine ( Pinus virginiana Mill. ; Pinaceae ) and a strongly ericaceous understory dominated by blueberry and deerberry ( Vaccinium L. spp.; Ericaceae ) and huckleberry ( Gaylussacia Kunth ; Ericaceae ) located approximately 20 m from a narrow band of shrubby marsh along the bank of a large creek.

Figures

Fig. 1. Mordellina wimbledon, new species, holotype, male. A) Dorsal, B) Lateral. Virginia, Fairfax County, Little Hunting Creek, Malaise trap, 2–20 June 2017, B. Steury, C. Davis, C. Acosta. Length 3.0 mm to tip of elytra, 3.8 mm to tip of pygidium.

Fig. 2. Antennae of Mordellina species. A) M. ancilla, B) M. wimbledon, new species, C) M. testacea, D) M. washingtonensis, new species.

Fig. 3. Mordellina species, right front legs of males. A) M. ancilla, B) M. wimbledon, new species, C) M. testacea, D) M. washingtonensis, new species.

Fig. 4. Mordellina ancilla (sensu Lisberg 2003), male. A) Dorsal, B) Lateral. Virginia, Fairfax County, Great Falls Park, Ridge Trail near quarry, beaten from low branch of Juniperus virginiana L. (Cupressaceae), 10 May 2017, W. E. Steiner and D. DeRoche. Length 2.6 mm to tip of elytra, 3.4 mm to tip of pygidium.