Bambara problematica, Darby, Michael, 2014

Darby, Michael, 2014, Studies of Madagascan Ptiliidae (Coleoptera) 4: The genus Bambara including eight new species and the first account of blindness and aptery in the genus, Zootaxa 3895 (2), pp. 151-169 : 164

Bambara problematica sp.n.

(Figs. 1, 11, 17, 26)

Habitus Fig. 1. Length +/- 660µ. Colour brownish yellow. Antennae length +/- 266µ. Pronotum length 183µ min, 196µ max, 187µ mean; width 344µ min, 360µ max, 353µ mean; ratio width/length 1.89. Detached elytron length 410µ min, 457µ max, 437µ mean; width 220µ min, 239µ max, 230µ mean; ratio length/width 1.90; Fig. 17. Ratio mean elytra length/mean pronotum length 2.34. Mesoventrum Fig. 11 .

Male: no males known.

Female: spermathecae Fig. 26 .

Etymology. Named because of the problem of interpreting the differences in spermathecal shape.

Diagnosis. The shape of the spermatheca. The relatively short distance between the pump and gland insertion points will help to separate this species from other Bambara with similar spermathecae. The range of spermathecal shapes suggests that it may be a species group although the consistency in elytral lengths ( Table 2) and possibility that the spermathecal differences may be the result of parthenogenesis, support the suggestion of a single species.

Type data: Holotype: ♀. Paratypes: ♀, Ranomafana N.P., sifting, S. 21°15' E.47°25', 970–990 m, 13–15.xi.2010, P. Banar ( BMNH); ♀ [4], Ankarafantsika N.P., sifting forest litter, S. 16°17'37.9" E.46°48'43.2", 92 m, 25.iv.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson ( BMNH); ♀ [17], Ankarafantsika N.P., AFK/08/2011, sifting forest litter, S. 16°18'10.7" E.46°48'47.1", 81 m, 23.iv.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson ( BMNH); 6♀ [9], Ankarafantsika N.P., AFK/17/2011, sifting forest litter, S. 16°17'32.9" E.46°48'38.1", 75 m, 25.iv.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson ( BMNH); 8♀ [52], Ankarafantsika N.P., AFK/04/2011, sifting forest litter, S. 16°18'48.6" E.46°48'58.8", 75 m, 25.iv.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson ( BMNH); 10♀ [25], Ankarafantsika N.P., AFK/13/2011, sifting forest litter, S. 16°18'47" E.46°48'57.1", 79 m, 25.iv.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson ( BMNH); 2♀, Ankarafantsika N.P., AFK/18/2011, sifting forest litter, S. 16°17'37.9" E.46°48'43.2", 79 m, 25.iv.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson ( BMNH); 2♀ [24], Ankarafantsika N.P., AFK/15/2011, sifting forest litter, S. 16°18'46.7" E.46°48'57.9", 88 m, 25.iv.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson ( BMNH); ♀ [8], Ankarafantsika N.P., AFK/02/2011, sifting forest litter and rotten wood, S. 16°17'55.9" E.46°48'44.1", 134 m, 22.iv.2011, R. Raveloson ( BMNH); 5♀ [24], Ankarafantsika N.P., AFK/09/2011, sifting forest litter, S. 16°18'09.9" E.46°48'39.3", 87 m, 23.iv.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson ( BMNH); 2♀ [13], Ankarafantsika N.P., AFK/05/2011, sifting forest litter, S. 16°18'05.1" E.46°49'08.3", 89 m, 23.iv.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson ( BMNH); 3♀ [22],, Ankarafantsika N.P., AFK/16/2011, sifting forest litter, S. 16°17'32.4" E.46°48'35.7", 61 m, 25.iv.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson ( BMNH); 3♀ [21], Ankarafantsika N.P., AFK/16/2011, sifting forest litter, S. 16°17'32.4" E.46°48'35.7", 61 m, 25.iv.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson ( BMNH); 5♀ [42], Ankarafantsika N.P., AFK/19/2011, sifting forest litter, S. 16°17'32.6" E.46°48'41.7", 88 m, 25.iv.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & R. Raveloson ( BMNH); 4♀, Andasibe N.P. Belle Vue, ASB/ May/2011/04, sifting forest litter, S. 18°56'45.3" E.48°25'21.1", 1033 m, 2.v.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina ( BMNH); 2♀ [52], Andasibe N.P. border, Feon'ny Ala Hotel, ASB/ Nov 2011, sifting surr. litter, 27.ix–3.xi.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina ( BMNH);♀, Andasibe N.P. sifting leaf litter, 2–5.ix.2011, L.S.Rahanitriniaina ( BMNH); 2♀ [22], Isalo N.P. Analalaya Forest, ISL/ Jan.2013/02 GPS220, sifting litter, S. 22°35'11.4" E.45°07'49.1", 719 m, 17.i.2013, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & E.M.Robotoson ( BMNH); ♀, Isalo N.P. Analalaya Forest, ISL/ Jan.2013/07 GPS225, sifting litter, S. 22°35'11.4" E.45°07'49.1", 747 m, 18.i.2013, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & E.M.Robotoson ( BMNH); ♀ [42], Isalo N.P. Analalaya Forest, ISL/ Jan.2013/05 GPS223, sifting litter, S. 22°35'46.7" E.47°05'50.6", 737 m, 18.i.2013, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & E.M.Robotoson ( BMNH); ♀ [13], Isalo N.P. Analalaya Forest, ISL/ Jan.2013/01 GPS219, sifting litter, S. 22°35'46.7" E.47°05'50.61", 717 m, 17.i.2013, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & E.M.Robotoson ( BMNH);1♀ [3], Isalo N.P. Analalaya Forest, ISL/ Jan.2013/04 GPS222, sifting litter, S. 22°35'05.0" E.45°07'51.8", 725 m, 17.i.2013, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & E.M.Robotoson ( BMNH); ♀ [16], Isalo N.P. Analalaya Forest, ISL/ Jan.2013/03 GPS227, sifting litter, S. 22°35'08.8" E.45°07'47.8", 723 m, 17.i.2013, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & E.M.Robotoson ( BMNH); ♀ [9], Isalo N.P. Oasis Forest, ISL/ Jan.2013/15, sifting litter, S. 21°36'50.8" E.45°20'48.3", 894 m, 20.i.2013, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & E.M.Robotoson ( BMNH); 2♀ [9], Isalo N.P. Oasis Forest, ISL/ Jan.2013/14, sifting litter, S. 22°36'47.6" E.45°20'43.1", 902 m, 20.i.2013, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & E.M.Robotoson ( BMNH); 3♀ [12], Isalo N.P. Namazaha Forest, ISL/ Jan.2013/22, sifting litter, S. 22°32'23.2" E.45°22'53.1", 768 m, 22.i.2013, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & E.M.Robotoson ( BMNH); 2♀ [27], Isalo N.P. Namazaha Forest, ISL/ Jan.2013/20, sifting litter, S. 22°32'23.6" E.45°22'42.7", 791 m, 22.i.2013, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & E.M.Robotoson ( BMNH); ♀ [7], Isalo N.P. Piscine naturelle, ISL/ Jan.2013/19, sifting litter, S. 22°33'43.5" E.45°23'00.4", 852 m, 21.i.2013, L.S.Rahanitriniaina & E.M.Robotoson ( BMNH).

Figures

FIGURES 10 – 16. Skeletal features, mentum and prementum, antenna and eye. 10, B. secubita pronotum and elytron, x 2240; 11, B. problematica mesoventrum including collar and keel, x 1200; 12, B. edwardi metaventrum and coxal plates, x 945; 13, B. secubita mesoventrum profile, x 910; 14, B. verecunda mentum and prementum, x 990; 15, B. merina antenna showing sensillae on antennomere 10, x 1560; 16, B. edwardi eye showing emargination to allow for front angle of pronotum, x 1620.

FIGURE 26. B. problematica spermathecae. A 1 – 3, Isalo NP, Analavala Forest, Jan. 2013; B, Ankarafantsika N. P., AFK / 12 / 2011; C 1 – 4, Ankarafantsika N. P., AFK / 17 / 2011; D 1 – 4, Ankarafantsika N. P., AFK / 04 / 2011; E 1 – 4, Ankarafantsika N. P., AFK / 13 / 2011; F, Ankarafantsika N. P., AFK / 15 / 2011; G 1 – 3, Ankarafantsika N. P., AFK / 16 / 2011.